Walk along the beach

At first glance, you might think I'm back to painting more scenes from Maui, but actually, this is based on a photo I took at Santa Cruz back in June. It was rainy today so I decided to look through my "art idea" file and see what project I should work on and this one struck me as a challenge! The photo was taken of a couple walking along the beach, but I thought it looked a lot like my wife and I (although I never wear my baseball caps backwards!). It is extremely rare that I put people into my landscapes, so this was a challenge for me, but at least their backs were toward me, so that made it a little easier. I had snapped the photo after they walked past me on the beach one morning. I wish the painting captured a little more movement in their walk but overall I think I portrayed the scene well.

Honu - Green sea turtle watercolor

Honu is the word Hawaiians use to refer to the green sea turtles that come and hang out all around the islands. The are so graceful as they swim through the water, and since they are protected by the endangered species act, they seem to have no fear of humans. Partly inspired by my personal video while swimming with the turtles, I have tried to capture the gracefulness as it effortlessly glides through the coral reefs.
I started painting the turtle by laying down a warm background color, then I left that as the negative space as I painted in the shapes around it. The colors of the coral reflect the same colors I used for the turtle.

Surf's Up! Wave in watercolor

Hawaii is known for its waves...and after being out in them for a little while, I needed something calm and relaxing to do for a while so I could drain the salt water and sand out of my ears. Time to paint of course.

Maui Sunset, watercolor

One of our vacation routines that my wife and I have gotten into is finding a spot near the beach each evening to watch the sunset. We end up taking endless photos trying to capture the colors as they constantly change. I don't think we have seen a sunset with a clear sky yet, but the clouds just add to the uniqueness, beauty, and the colors even after the sun has gone below the horizon.

Here is my attempt at capturing the sunset in watercolor. As beautiful as this is, I don't think I have captured the brilliance of the colors yet.

Maui coast in Kihei, watercolor

I've been busy vacationing in Maui...seems like an oxymoron, but the way that I want to see everything there is to see, maybe it's not.  I've slowed down a little this week and had time to get my paints out. This painting was done from a picture that I had taken a couple of days before and now I'm just relaxing on the lanai of the house we are staying at, and painting.

Natural Bridges, watercolor

Another seascape inspired from my Santa Cruz vacation back in June. This was done from a photograph I had taken and done completely in my studio. With each one of these seascapes, I feel I get a better grasp of the waves. I have to really think ahead where to leave my whites. I was also trying to capture the reflection of the rock in the wet sand.

Santa Cruz seascapes in watercolor

So here is the watercolor of my lighthouse sketch. I added the sailboat to add some interest to the right side of the painting.  I really like the effect I got with the marine layer (payne's grey) and the blue sky. I simplified the waves, and darken the lighthouse...maybe a little too dark.  

Some watercolor painters it's tell me they work on more than one plaiting at a time. So while waiting for one to dry, they work on the next. As I worked on my second Santa Cruz inspired painting, I realized that in order for painting more than one painting at a time to be effective, they need to have similar palettes. I kept having to completely rinse off each brush.

 This second seascape was done from a photo I had taken. I needed to crop more of the foreground out.  On this painting I tried to put more focus on the waves.

Santa Cruz lighthouse in pencil

It's been a while since I have painted due to crazy schedules, so with some free time, I find myself at the beach.  The only time I painted a seascape was a couple of years ages with a Watercolor of Sea and Sky and that was from a photo. As I am sitting on the beach, I decide that a pencil sketch is going to work better than a watercolor due to the sand getting all over everything.
 The morning sun was shining from behind the lighthouse, just starting to burn through the marine layer. The waves are a particular challenge, and how can I differentiate between blue sky and grey clouds when I just have a pencil? I will need to redo this in watercolor...

Plein air at Zephyr Cove

Post 100 on my blog! Continuing my Tahoe vacation, I spent the day at Zephyr Cove hanging out at the beach getting thoroughly sunburned. This has always been one of my favorite spots on the lake because of the rock formations that jut out into the lake.

After completing the painting, I checked my reference photos and realized that my values were off...the sky was a lighter blue, the mountains were darker than the sky, but lighter than the distant lake. I will need to rework this one later, but I think I just need to add more color to the water to finish this one for now.

Beach meditation at sunset

I love sunsets and all the colors that light up in the sky, and the colors come even more alive with clouds. And here in California, sunsets at the beach hit water just right and the rhythmic waves make it a perfect spot for meditating. So here is a man meditating at the beach, part of a story I'm working on illustrating. The challenge here was getting the waves right as they come into the beach...

Original sketch in ballpoint pen

First layer of color

Watercolor of the sea and sky

So being summertime, I thought I would be out plein air painting regularly. But when it's 100 degrees outside, I find myself hiding inside finding art to "copy" in my own style. Here is my most recent imitation.

 "Plage de la Fontaine" (2013)
Original Watercolor by Alisa Laporte
Size 9 1/2 in by 3 7/8 in