Sunrise, Bribie Island - Draw Paint Academy

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Key Takeaways:

I drew inspiration from John Singer Sargent's Seascape, shown below. He was a master of simplifying all the "noise" into something so elegant and clear.

John Singer Sargent, Seascape, 1875

I painted this over two sessions and the paint dried slightly during the break. This meant I had to “fake” the wet-on-wet look for the end of the painting. I should have kept it to one session and painted it all wet-on-wet.
I improvised with a new technique to capture the subtle rays of light bearing down on the sea. I took a large, dry brush and gently dragged the colors down.
I stopped at a good time, whilst the painting still appears fresh and spontaneous.
The painting is a play between light and shadow. The grayscale below shows the play more clearly.

There's a subtle ship in the distance, just on the horizon line. (Did you miss it?) This was a challenge to paint. I needed to make it both distinct, yet hidden to wandering eyes. A gray color just a touch darker than the surroundings did the trick.
I was constantly thinking about the ebbs and flow of the water. I let my brush follow this movement. Left, right, back, forth, over, under, around. Observation only takes you so far when painting water. You need to try and feel it.

Dan Scott, Sunrise, Bribie Island, 2021