Follow Dermot Brennan as he shows how to paint a panoramic seascape complete with silhouetted figures.

Stage 1

Using Arches rough paper, place you horizon below centre and wet the sky area. Then use weak washes of ultramarine, cadmium yellow and light red in weak mixtures dragged horizontally across the paper. After this, run a weak wash of orange across the horizon.

I also sketched in a couple of simple figures and boats at this stage.

Stage 2

Wet the sea area and drag ultramarine and a burnt umber mix across, leaving some white bits at the front to suggest small breaking waves.

Then wet the beach area and draw the same colours used in the sky across. Make the mixes slightly darker than those used in the sky.

Stage 3

Let everything dry and then, using a weak mix of ultramarine and and burnt umber, paint the distant mountains leaving gaps to suggest houses. Then start painting in the figures and boats with a much stronger mix of ultramarine and burnt umber. Make sure you don't forget the shadows - this is what makes them convincing.

Study my figures and boats; they're very simply stated and easy to do. Just get the basic shape down and don't fiddle!

A bit of white gouache can be touched across the water and boats for a bit of sparkle if one wishes.

Finished painting

If you follow these steps you will find it a pretty easy and fun subject to paint.

The secret is to put the colours on and leave them alone as this gives the painting a lovely fresh look.

See more of Dermot's work in the PaintersOnline gallery by clicking here.

This demonstration originally featured on the September 2017 Bonus Features E-newsletter.

Make sure you are signed up to receive more great information from our talented PaintersOnline artists.