How To Paint a Beach Scene: An Easy Tutorial for Beginners

Thinking of that last beach trip and missing the beautiful scenery and fresh air? What about recreating it with some paints and a canvas and emerge yourself in the beauty of the beach with this easy tutorial!

It may feel a bit intimidating to create a beach scene cause of all the details, but do not fret! It’s easier than you think it is and plus we’re here to guide you on how to create your ideal tropical wonderland!

Step 1: Ready your painting materials


As always, it’s best to prepare what you need first before starting any type of painting activity! Make sure you have all the things you need when you start your painting. For this painting you will need your canvas, of course, some paint brushes, some cups with water, rags, and finally your paints! For this painting you’ll need different shades of blue, a few yellows and browns, and finally white.

Step 2: Create your all out base


The first part of painting your beach is to visualise what you want it to look like, is the sky clear blue at noon? Or is it an orange sunset? Paint the colours of your sky first by adding a slightly dark blue on the top and lighter to where it meets the sea, if you want it to be a sunset setting, you have to add a bit of oranges to the middle of the sky before it fades away into the sea. Don’t be afraid to use reference photos!

After painting your sky, move on to the sea next! Use a dark blue to where your sky meets the sea, then use your lighter shades of blue to blend with in the middle, and let it fade into a slightly greenish tint by mixing a bit of blue, yellow, and white to where your sea fades into the beach. Then add your yellows, and browns for the sandy areas. When you’re done with your base, it’s time for the next step!

Step 3: Use white to line your beach


When you create a beach scenario, there should always be a transition of when the water hits the sand. Create this by using some white paint to line where the water hits the beach. Make sure that the line isn’t at all straight! You can make it into a crescent shape, and use a squiggly motion when creating the line, then feather it out by blending the line well into the beach. Next, paint squiggly lines diagonally into the sea to mimic sea foam and make sure it all paints indirectly to the middle of your scenery. Connect more squiggly lines until you’re satisfied with the look of your beach.

Step 4: Paint some waves


To paint waves, paint a horizontal line in the middle of your beach with some white paint, the, brush on a few strokes downwards making a reverse triangle shape. Use a Q-tip to soften the edges of your wave to make it look seamless. Add more waves to your liking!

Step 5: Add more colours to your sand


To add more texture to your sand, add dark and light shades of yellows and browns! You can use a stippling motion using your brush, or you can use a sponge and dip it into the paint to get that rough texture on the canvas! You can also use white to highlight some areas of the beach.

Step 6: Add Details!


If you’d like, you can add details such as starfish, shells, coconut trees, or anything of your liking!

I hope you liked our easy and quick tutorial on how to make your ideal beach scene! If you like this tutorial, make sure to check out our other easy step-by-step guides for other paintings just like this!