You can use color to create the feeling of being there.
Few things inspire as much comfort and joy as the thought of relaxing on a beautiful beach on a nice summer day by the ocean. It evokes feelings of peace and tranquility. A painting strives to recreate these emotions and uses composition and color to convey them. A simple composition could include a view of the beach, the ocean and sky. The right colors can turn a painting into an emotional experience.
The Sky
The sky is usually the first item to be painted as it is best to start painting from the furthest point and moving forward from there. The sky typically gets lighter near the horizon, so you would be using a dark blue, such as a French ultramarine, fading to a lighter blue as it eventually meets the horizon. By adding a light red in the lower half of the sky you can create the impression of a sunset. Care needs to be take to keep the sky from bleeding past the horizon
The Sand
When looking at a beach, there are many shades that give it depth. It is not just yellow or brown, but includes all the variations thereof. As you paint a beach, you may start out with raw sienna, but you will need other colors such as light red and burnt sienna to create darker areas. You can mix several colors together to create different shades, for example French ultramarine with burnt umber to create a very dark color. Color shade also depends on where the light is coming from and the shadows and highlights it creates.
The Ocean
The ocean would best be painted with the ruler placed along the horizon. You can use the French ultramarine mixed with some light red to create the ocean in this example. This will connect the sunset red sky with the water and resemble a slight reflection. Moving forward, painting the ocean, the color would get lighter as it meets the sand. Using a light blue over the sand creates the illusion of depth, making the sand appear underwater. The types colors used for the ocean can include various shades of green as well, especially near the shore.
Plants
Green would be an important color for any plants in the painting. Even a few blades of grass have various shades. These can range from and very light green to an almost black-green for shaded areas. Mixing French ultramarine with lemon yellow, for example could be used for grasses and weeds. Substituting the lemon yellow with burnt umber would be good for rocks and shadows.
Birds
A combination of burnt umber and french ultramarine would create a bluish grey mix that could be used for objects in the distance, such as a mountain range, or seagulls flying by. The main thing to remember when painting a beach is that there will always be a multitude of shade variants that go with the main colors you mix. Using many of these, often subtle, color variations is the trick to using colors effectively to make your painting a success.
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