Choose and layer colors that help capture the ocean's essence.

One of the fun challenges of beach crafts, including painting seascapes, is choosing colors that capture the true essence of the ocean. Garrett Copal suggests layering your colors to achieve the most realistic results. When painting a large area of water, try under-painting with Prussian blue; use umber for glaze. White and ochre work also well in seascapes. Use white as the light when detailing ripples on the ocean, and try using viridian green and ochre to help backgrounds look their best. For foregrounds on the wave side, use cadmium yellow and white; paint the crest white with a large bristle brush.