Written by Let’s paint a country boat. This painting is based on a picture I took in Kochi, India. This part of the world has some of the most beautiful backwaters and country boats rocking in the wind, while moored to the shore, a common sight. It was late afternoon and the scene was absolutely tranquil – just the kind that makes you want to paint.
As always, I start with the drawing. There are only a few elements in this painting. The shoreline in the background, the line of trees at the edge of the middle-ground, the water and, of course, the boat which is the point of interest. I carefully draw the boat paying attention to the perspective lines and the shape. Everything else is a mere suggestion.
The first step is to paint the shadow side of the boat. I prepare separate washes of Ultramarine Blue, Light Red, Sap Green and Permanent Orange on my palette. I do not want to premix my washes because they shine better if they run into each other on paper. Moreover, mixing more than three pigments is a sure shot formula for creating muddy washes and those are your worst enemies. Stay away from them at all times!
While the shadow washes on the boat dry I decide to work on the sky and background. I wet the entire area with clean water and a clean brush and drop in some thick Cobalt Blue in the sky area. I leave the bottom portion of the sky unpainted to suggest some clouds over the horizon. While the area is still wet, I use by 3/4″ flat brush and a mix of Cobalt Blue and Raw Sienna to paint in the shoreline.
Be sure to vary the shape and the height as you paint along in order to make it look natural. When I get to the point where the distant shoreline meets the line of trees at the far edge of the middle-ground, I dip one corner of my (flat) brush in Sap Green and the other in Ultramarine Blue and paint in the tree shapes. Notice how I managed to create a combination of soft and hard broken edges. This gives the shape some character.
Now I use the tip of a round brush to draw (rather than paint) the coconut palms. It is in situations like this that your brush drawing skills are put to test. Make sure you practice enough so that you do come out with flying colours !
The white patches of paper that show through the dark shapes help to break monotony. It’s up to the viewer to imagine what they represent. I sometimes get some friends to tell me what they see in areas where I put in dabs of paint and they come out with things that you’d never had thought about in your wildest dreams. It’s a fun thing to do and I suggest you try it too.
Let’s go back to working on the boat. Since the shadow washes are dry now I paint in the bottom of of the boat and leave it to dry.
It’s time to paint the water. I wet the entire area with clean water and wait for a couple of minutes for the paper to lose its shine. I start with a weak wash of Raw Sienna at the far end. I am looking for color variation and hence towards the middle start dipping by brush in Cobalt Blue, progressively varying it to Prussian Blue.
This trick creates the illusion of distance. While the wash is still wet, I dip my round brush in a thick mix of Prussian Blue and Sap Green and paint in horizontal strokes. These spread a little creating soft edges due to the wetness of the paper. The intention is to depict ripples in water.
I wait until the water area is bone dry and start to paint the reflections. I use the edge of a flat brush to paint broken reflections of the trees and the distant shoreline. I make sure I vary the values (strength/intensity) a bit to create the illusion of depth. The reflection of the boat is a watery, but strong, mix of Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna. When you paint reflections, make sure you keep in mind the overall shape of the object, the reflection of which is being painted.
Let’s add some finishing touches to the boat. I pick up some dark washes from my palette and some details using a rigger brush. The shadow sides of the horizontal planks are a weak mix of Permanent Orange and Burnt Sienna allowed to run into one another on paper. As soon as you begin to feel that the boat is well defined, stop adding details. Like I said before, the rest is up to the viewer.
The final step is to strengthen the ripples in the water. In order to do this, I pick up a thick dark mix of Prussian Blue and Sap Green using my No. 12 Round brush and run the belly of the brush across the dark shapes I put in the first place. I am aiming for jagged edges and hence am using what is usually referred to as the Dry Brush technique. These dark patches create the impression of wind blowing against the water creating ripples.
Here’s the finished painting for you. Hope you like it and that the step by step description helps you to have a go at it.
You are welcome to post your versions of this painting in the comments section or your preferred social media platform. I am curious to know what another artist’s interpretation of the scene will look like.
I will be back with another tutorial pretty soon. So long, happy painting!
Sujit Sudhi
Thank you Sujit, that was a wonderful tutorial. I don’t have Permanent Orange so what would you recommend?
A deep yellow would work just fine. Gamboge maybe. Or any other pigment that belongs to the orange-red family. The colour does not matter. The value does. So do not hesitate. Choose your favourite yellow or orange and wait for the magic 🙂
Tranquil and beautiful painting!!!
Love this tutorial. You show how much planning goes into making a great painting look like it just fell off your brush.
Thank you 🙂
This is a great watercolor painting. You are truly gifted.
Thanks for your kind words.
Sujit, an amazing painting and great tutorial! I hope I can try this soon.
Please do and do share it with us.
Thank you so much for sharing your time and talent with us. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.
Please do show it to all of us.
Marvellous Sujit. Clear instructions, beautiful outcome
Thank you.
Thank you! This is lovely!!
Thanks for this very helpful tutorial.
Please have a go at it and show us the outcome.
I tried this tutorial today..And will post the painting in the member’s gallery…Thank you Sujit for the wonderful tutorial and painting tips…
You are welcome. Please show us all your attempt.
I have already posted my attempt in the Doodlewash member’s art gallery on 16-9-18 and also in the face book of World Watercolor Group on 18-9-18.
Thanks Sujit, for an excellent tutorial! I used what I had, and did what I could. I will post my effort in the gallery.
I look forward to seeing it.