Seascape Watercolor

Painting seascape with Derwent watercolor pencils is a challenging project to me. I have painted some artworks that are related to sea. The sea gives me a lot of inspirations in creating paintings that are usually dominated by blue, the natural color of the seawater. Artists like me who live not too far from the beach will always have a lot of opportunities of painting seascapes. I am quite lucky with my current profession as a tour guide who frequently go to natural places at the beaches, islands, mountains, rainforest and even caves. Back to my topic of discussion in today's article which is watercolor painting of seascapes, I have to say that when I started to make sketches of seascape using HB or 2B pencils, I always take into account the perspective principles of art drawing. As a general rule, in perspective drawing, there has to be one or two vanishing points with another measuring point.

The seascape painting will look beautiful if the sketch that has been created has right proportions and measurements. Drawing is the foundation of painting. The sketch of the seascape provides guidelines for artist when he or she colors his or her artwork. In the past after a sketch has been finished, I will continue to color it with watercolor pencils. Now, I apply a different method. I don't draw but paint. With some water in the wells of a pallete, I dip my brush and then mix it with a color that I take from one of the watercolor pencils by scratching its tip with the tip of my brush.

All experienced artists will start from big areas with color that are not too thick. From the soft wash of the background of the sky; the mountain; and the sea, the coloring of the seascape can then be continued to the smaller areas or lines that needs detail or careful brushing. The two seascape paintings that you see in this article show the view Dorey bay of Manokwari city as seen from Anggrem area. I frequently visit Anggrem while guiding tourists. As a matter of fact it is not a tourist destination but its function as sea port for traditional wooden boats at travels around the Geelvink bay of New Guinea island, makes this area as an important economic and trading hub for people in West Papua. The locations of the seascapes are not far. I only painted them in two different angles, one to the south-west whereas the other to the south east. I plan to make more painting this year before thinking of displaying them in exhibitions in several art galleries both inside and outside Indonesia.

The blue Arfak mountains cannot always be seen from the city due to clouds or mist that frequently covers the mountains during the days. The beautiful landscape of the Arfak mountains will be exposed after a heavy rain that clears the air from dust and smokes that are emitted by the city dwellers. Manokwari is the capital of West Papua. It is a tourist destination. Tourists who come here can enjoy bird watching, hiking, snorkeling around the bay or in the Arfak mountains. If you are interested in visiting Manokwari and need an interpreter, please, contact me via my email: charlesroring@gmail.com, I will be happy to arrange your trip and guide you around. by Charles Roring