Coast and Waves Workshop Painting - Northern Tenerife

Painting moving water can seem tricky at first. When I look at a stormy coast, my eyes see white foam crashing against dark rocks. The secret in watercolour is not to paint the white water at all. Instead, I leave the clean paper untouched for the sea spray. This lets the bright paper work for you to create the illusion of energetic movement.

For this piece, Coast and Waves Workshop #1, I wanted a strong contrast between light and dark tones. I mixed dark earth colours like burnt umber with deep blue tones to build heavy, solid rocks. Next to these dark darks, the unpainted paper looks bright and fresh. For the sky and water, I used soft washes of cobalt blue and cerulean blue. A small wash of cobalt green near the horizon adds a touch of light to the sea.

Creating the feeling of warm sun on coastal buildings is another fun challenge. I used warm washes like yellow ochre and light red on the roofs. This makes the white buildings pop against the sky. Shadows cast across the walls give the scene a sense of deep space and bright sunlight. Every stroke is applied loosely to keep the painting full of life.