This post features 10 preview images from our complete 88-step painting tutorial, showing how to paint crashing waves, rugged coastal cliffs, a moody sky, and reflective shoreline textures using simple acrylic techniques and our signature Oval Brush Art methods.

For the best blending results, lightly moisten your canvas, mix a small amount of acrylic retarder into your paint, and keep your palette lightly misted with water while you paint.

✨ The complete 88-step tutorial is available exclusively for our Patreon members:
https://www.patreon.com/urartstudio/posts/cloudy-rocky-art-162252203

Happy Painting!

UrArtStudio Team

Stormy Coastal Waves Acrylic Painting Tutorial

Step-by-Step Seascape Painting Guide | Oval Brush Art by UrArtStudio

Bring a dramatic ocean scene to life with this step-by-step acrylic painting tutorial. In this lesson, you will learn how to create a powerful coastal landscape featuring crashing waves, rocky cliffs, a moody sky, and reflective shoreline textures using simple acrylic painting techniques.

This painting focuses on creating atmosphere, depth, and movement. By layering transparent colors, blending soft transitions, and adding textured highlights, you can transform a blank canvas into a realistic ocean scene full of energy and emotion.

Before beginning, proper canvas and paint preparation will make a huge difference in your blending results. Acrylic paint dries quickly, so keeping your surface and palette slightly moist will allow more time to create smooth transitions and soft atmospheric effects.

Canvas Preparation & Acrylic Paint Setup

Before applying any paint, prepare your canvas to create a smooth working surface that allows acrylic colors to blend beautifully.

Step 1: Prepare the Canvas Surface

Begin by lightly moistening your canvas using a damp sponge. The goal is not to soak the canvas, but to add a very thin layer of moisture that slows down the drying process of acrylic paint.

This technique helps create smoother blends, especially when working on large areas such as:

The sky
Ocean water
Foggy backgrounds
Soft clouds

Step 2: Add Acrylic Retarder

Mix a small amount of acrylic retarder into your paint before beginning. Retarder slows the drying time of acrylics, giving you extra time to blend colors and create soft transitions.

This is especially helpful when using the Ultra Soft Blending Brush, allowing you to gradually merge colors without creating harsh edges.

Step 3: Keep Your Palette Moist

Throughout the painting process:

Lightly mist your acrylic paint palette with a water spray bottle
Re-moisten your colors whenever they begin to dry
Avoid adding too much water directly into the paint, as it can weaken the pigment

Keeping your palette moist helps maintain smooth, workable paint consistency from the beginning of the painting to the final details.

Materials Used

Acrylic paints
Canvas
Ultra Soft Blending Brush
Oval Brush
Filbert Brush
Small Detail Brush
Liner Brush
Palette knife (optional for texture)
Water spray bottle
Acrylic retarder

Step-by-Step Acrylic Painting Process

Step 1: Creating the Moody Sky Background

Begin by establishing the atmosphere of the painting with a dramatic cloudy sky.

Use cool colors such as:

Deep blue
Light blue
White
Gray tones

Apply broad horizontal strokes across the upper portion of the canvas.

Using the Ultra Soft Blending Brush, gently blend the colors together using light circular motions. Avoid over-mixing the colors. Allow some variation to remain so the clouds feel natural and dimensional.

Painting Tip:

Clouds are created by contrast. Darker areas behind lighter clouds will make the highlights appear brighter and more dramatic.

Step 2: Adding Distant Mountains and Horizon

Once the sky is established, add distant landforms along the horizon.

Use softer, cooler colors for distant mountains:

Blue-gray
Muted green
Soft brown

Keep these shapes slightly blurred to create atmospheric perspective.

The farther objects are from the viewer, the softer and lighter they should appear.

Painting Tip:

Do not outline distant mountains with sharp edges. A soft transition will create a stronger sense of depth.

Step 3: Painting the Rocky Coastal Cliffs

Begin adding the large rock formations on both sides of the composition.

Use darker tones:

Burnt umber
Dark brown
Deep red
Black mixed with blue

Create irregular shapes with different heights and angles.

The rocks should not look perfectly symmetrical. Nature creates variation through uneven surfaces, cracks, and changing textures.

Add lighter warm tones on selected areas to suggest sunlight reflecting through the stormy atmosphere.

Step 4: Creating the Ocean Base

Build the ocean using several layers of blue tones.

Start with:

Deep blue shadows
Medium ocean blues
Lighter turquoise highlights

Use horizontal brush strokes to establish the movement of the water.

Leave some darker areas underneath the waves to create contrast.

Painting Tip:

Ocean water is not painted with random lines. Follow the direction of the waves. Horizontal movements create calm water, while curved strokes create rolling waves.

Step 5: Painting the Large Breaking Waves

The waves are the focal point of this painting.

Begin by creating the wave shapes using darker blue and green tones.

Then gradually build lighter layers:

Medium blue wave body
Turquoise reflections
White foam edges
Bright highlights on the wave crest

Use a combination of brushes:

Oval Brush for soft wave shapes
Filbert Brush for rounded foam textures
Detail Brush for sharp highlights

Step 6: Adding Ocean Spray and Foam

The crashing waves are enhanced by adding water spray.

Use a lighter mixture of white and slightly blue tones.

Apply small dabbing motions to create:

Ocean mist
Splashing water
Foam clusters

Avoid painting every splash individually. Instead, create groups of different sizes to make the water appear natural.

Painting Tip:

The brightest whites should be saved for the final highlights. Too much pure white early in the painting will reduce the dramatic effect.

Step 7: Painting the Foreground Shoreline

Develop the wet shoreline using darker reflective colors.

Blend:

Deep browns
Reds
Dark blues
Gray tones

Add horizontal reflections from the rocks and sky.

The foreground should have stronger contrast and sharper details compared to the distant areas.

This creates the feeling that the viewer is standing close to the water.

Step 8: Adding Wooden Rocks / Coastal Details

Add the small vertical elements in the water using dark brown tones.

These details help create scale and guide the viewer’s eye through the scene.

Use a small brush to add:

Dark silhouettes
Reflected shadows
Small highlights

Remember that small details become powerful when surrounded by softer areas.

Step 9: Final Wave Highlights

The final stage is where the painting comes alive.

Using a small brush, add bright white highlights to:

Wave peaks
Ocean spray
Foam edges
Reflections

Apply highlights selectively. The brightest areas should naturally attract attention.

Step 10: Adding Birds and Final Details

Finish the painting by adding a few distant birds in the sky.

Use a small detail brush with a slightly curved motion.

Keep birds simple and small. Their purpose is not detail, but to add life and scale to the landscape.

Helpful Acrylic Painting Tips

Keep Acrylic Paint Wet Longer

Acrylics dry quickly, especially under studio lights. Regularly mist your palette and use acrylic retarder to maintain smooth blending.

Use Soft Pressure When Blending

The Ultra Soft Blending Brush works best with gentle pressure. Allow the brush to blend the colors gradually rather than forcing the paint together.

Build Depth Through Layers

Successful landscape paintings are created through multiple transparent layers:

Background first
Middle ground second
Foreground last

This creates natural depth and realism.

Avoid Overworking Wet Paint

If you continue blending the same area for too long, colors can become muddy. Let some areas remain untouched to preserve contrast and texture.

Save Your Brightest Highlights Until the End

White foam, sunlight, and reflections should be added as finishing touches. These final highlights create the dramatic effect of ocean waves.

Enjoy creating this powerful stormy seascape and discovering how simple acrylic techniques, thoughtful layering, and the right brush control can transform a blank canvas into a beautiful ocean landscape.

Happy Painting!
UrArtStudio Team

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