Beach Sketching with Watercolor
Top 5 beach sketching subjects for your watercolor practice
Hint: Focus on something other than sand or water!
As anyone who has tried watercolor will tell you, painting water and beach scenes is harder than it looks. I am here to help make it easier for you to sketch at the beach. My trick? Pick a subject that is not waves, sand, or water.
Here are my top five favorite subjects for watercolor sketching on the beach.
Let’s dive in!
Lighthouses, Birds, and Starfish, oh my!
Beach sketch subject #1: Lighthouses
Lighthouses are easy sketch subjects because they are usually accessible by a parking lot, walking trails, and picnic areas.
This sketch of the Cape Mears Lighthouse near Tillamook, Oregon, is famous for being short! It’s also open to the public, with tours of the gorgeous blue glass lenses inside. I made this sketch while perched on my portable chair and my partner sat next to me watching birds!
Which brings me to…
Beach sketch subject #2 : Birds
We visited the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area on my birthday, which is in November. So it was cool and wet at the coast. This snowy plover sauntered by as I was sketching the beach, so I decided to include it.
Birds can be intimidating to sketch! My advice: just go for it. The birds don’t care if your sketch is anatomically accurate.
Beach sketch subject #3 : Tidepools
I visited the Oregon coast last spring and visited the tidepools at low tide. My mom and I explored this one super cool rock, covered with sea anemone, mussels, and purple starfish.
Tide was coming in fast, so I made a quick pencil sketch, then finished the drawing and watercolor back at the beach house later that day.
New to watercolor or travel sketching?
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My DIY travel watercolor kit in use in Portland's Forest Park. Create your own kit with my free supply list!
Beach sketch subject #4: People doing beachy things
Let’s be honest. Sometimes the most interesting thing happening at the beach is the people!
I sketched this bucolic scene during a visit to Hood River, Oregon, in early September, 2022. That time of year is the best time for parasailing and other on-water sports on the Columbia. The water is warm, and the winds cruise through the Columbia Gorge.
Parasailers on the Columbia River, Hood River, Oregon.
Beach sketch subject #5: Trees and driftwood
When in doubt, you can always use trees or driftwood as your watercolor sketch subject. I find that the weird shapes and funky colors of driftwood makes for a fun sketch experience.
Try making different marks with your drawing pen to approximate the texture of bark, weathered stumps, or driftwood worn smooth by waves.
This sketch spot is on top of Proposal Rock near Neskowin, Oregon. It's an unofficial trail that is extremely steep, and I probably won't ever hike it again! But I am glad I got this sketch.
Oregon Coast watercolors from my own sketchbook
I like to hide treasures from my trips to the beach to my sketches.
What other subjects do you see in my sketchbook? Post in the comments below!
A few of my favorite beach sketches from the Oregon Coast The weather ranges from cool and cloudy, to windy and sunny. Beach sketching tip: Be prepared for all kinds of weather!
I always bring my sketchbook! Me photographing my sketchbook at the Oregon Coast.
TLDR:
Sketching at the coast or beach can be fun, if you pick the right subject. Let the sand and water be the background, and you’ll do fine!
Also, keep sand out of your paints by using a portable paint kit with a lid. Get my travel supply list here.
What are your favorite beach sketching subjects? Post in the comments below!
