Author: Pierre Labeau, Contributing Editor

Let's reach into Pierre's mailbag and see what we have for this installment of my wildly popular, often imitated, but never duplicated, QuikTips! Hi Pierre! I have some trouble painting bodies of water. Can you give me some pointers on painting water splashes, waves, and movement ? Thanks much and keep up the good work. :o) Eric. Eric, there is almost nothing more difficult to paint than the sea. To capture a "snapshot" of this ever-changing, churning entity is a job worthy of a master. If you are having problems you must feel comfortable in the knowledge that you are not alone! I'll try to give you a little exercise that should help you to BEGIN to understand the sea. Keep those emails a comin', folks! Pierre (pierre@wetcanvas.com)

Condition your canvas with a wash of Cobalt Blue and Gray mixed for the sky area. Just intensify the same mixture for the sea.

Now add some rocks. Cobalt Blue, Gray but darker than the sea. Be sure to make the rocks back by the horizon just a BIT darker then darker yet as they come forward.

Choosing your strokes carefully, and using values of Cobalt Blue, Gray and Manganese Blue and some Violet, paint movement into your sea. Note that as a wave "breaks" the area under the wave is darker. Also add some color to the middle distance rocks.

Put in some dark rocks in the foreground and stipple the foam over them!

I know, you want to know how to get a brush "fanned" out like that! :) Here's how I do it. I take a "new" brush and I (*gulp*) take a small piece of kneaded eraser. Form the piece of eraser into a tiny ball and with a pencil force the little ball of eraser up into the bristles! Then stand the brush on end, bristles DOWN, overnight. I know that this seems sacrilegious but it is necessary if you wish to have a brush that will give you this effect! Good luck!