Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you buy something we may possibly get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How do you go about choosing colours for painting the sea?

The sea is never just one colour, but since it is that colour that draws us into wanting to paint the sea in the first place it feels like something you really want to get right.

The sea is never the same. So many things can change its hues and tones.

The first thing to remember is that it is going to take more than one single colour to do the job.

(Although I do have a favourite single colour to recommend that I would not be without - I’ll get to that in a moment, I promise.)

I always recommend using the art supplies you have first.

Shopping is marvellous of course, but don’t feel you need to rush off and get exactly the colours I mention. You are very likely to find that you have many appropriate colours in your current selection.

Bear in mind that you sometimes get crystal clear turquoise water (like Greek beaches have) while deep sea fishermen would see inky greens and blues that almost approach a black.

And of course a sea at sunset might even call for reds, pinks and oranges from your palette.

There is room for all sorts when it comes to the sea.

Since watercolour paint is transparent just like water, watercolour is a perfect choice for capturing the sea.

You can take advantage of the ability to paint in transparent layers and build up the colour as suits your particular beach scene.

In the shallows, the sea is actually the colour of the sand below (my favourites here are Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre) and as the water deepens you can see sandy colour through it but obviously less and less towards the horizon.

I have a delightful Cobalt Turquoise by Schmincke which is wonderful for the clear light shallows.

It is a granulating pigment which creates a little texture but it is semi opaque so it does need to be quite dilute in order to layer it over your painted sand and allow the sand to still be visible.

By the way, if you would like to paint these watercolour seascapes with me you can!

The Watercolour Tutorial Beach View Bundle contains all you need to create these paintings with ease.

Back to those colours…

When it comes to blue greens, I can’t resist any of the Pthalo Turquoise shades. They are typically intense, vibrant pigments and offer a delightful pop of colour.

At the horizon, you often get a chance to put in those really dark, inky blues (I love Indigo here).

But if I had to pick just one colour to paint the sea it would have to be a perennial favourite of mine - Cascade Green by Daniel Smith.

Cascade Green is a granulating pigment that separates into blues and golds when dilute. If you use it in a more concentrated form it is a deep dark muted green.

Between the tonal variety, its gentle desaturation and its tendency to separate into multiple colours it is a winner for painting the sea.

I definitely recommend Cascade Green if you are up for a bit of shopping.

However, you can mix it up yourself - want the recipe?

Cascade Green is a mixture of Pthalo Blue and Raw Sienna.

Luckily these are two reasonably common colours so there is a good chance that you already have this pair. If you do, I suggest having a go at mixing up a puddle of your own version of something similar to Cascade Green.

You can also try substituting Ultramarine Blue for the Pthalo Blue and Yellow Ochre for the Raw Sienna if you happen to have those on hand instead.

Play with the ratio to find the optimal mix for your taste.

Doesn’t that sound like a rather wonderful way to spend a few moments?

Whatever beach scene you choose, the sea is likely to give many of the colours in your palette a chance to come out and play.

I wish you many happy painting hours exploring the sea blues and greens in your selection.

Don’t forget, you can always jump right into the fun of painting seascapes step by step with me in the Watercolour Tutorial Beach View Bundle

Are you on your own painting journey?

One of these might be useful…

Keep on reading…