Simply sea

Sea, watercolor 38 x 28 cm

Beach and sea, watercolor 38 x 28 cm

I've been trying to simplify painting the sea. One fluid wash first, leaving some whites for the foam, and then using dry brush to add the shadows of the waves seems to work well. The sand is still giving me trouble though. Texture with salt would work well, if only I could get the right color consistency and amount of salt.

And a note on materials. I have been trying Fabriano Artistico 300g paper lately. I like its white surface and the way colors fuse on it. But I find that it buckles more than Arches so, if working with more water, I would prefer Arches.

The wet sand

The wet sand, watercolor on Fabriano artistico, 38 x 28 cm

The wet sand 2, watercolor on Fabriano artistico, 38 x 28 cm

There is a moment, right after the wave recedes and before the water gets absorbed in the sand, when the wet sand reflects, almost like a calm water surface... but not exactly like it...

Still dreaming of summer...

Sea and sand 1, watercolor on Fabriano Artistico, 38 x 28 cm

Sea and sand 2, watercolor on Fabriano Artistico, 38 x 28 cm

It snowed all day yesterday. The commute to work and back was a torture. The snow banks are now so high, if it snows again, there will be nowhere to pile the white stuff.
I keep dreaming of hot summer days. Playing with these washes, trying to figure out how to depict, in the simplest way, the turquoise and emerald color transitions of the sea, then merging into the warm hues of the sand. Maybe it's time to make my dreams come true...