How to make a painting of palm trees with a sky and ocean background using oil pastels

How to make palm trees on a beach from oil pastels color

Hello friends, I am presenting you with an easy tutorial on how to paint palm trees on a beach with oil pastels. This tutorial will give you a step-by-step example of making a painting of palm trees with a beach background. We hope that by doing this tutorial, you will be inspired to find your creative side and give it a try.

Required materials -

• Canvas Paper
• Oil pastels color
• Masking tape
• Pencil
• Sharpner
• Eraser
• Cotton or tissue paper
• Drawing board

Before starting painting, choose suitable paper and stick its edges to the drawing board using masking tape. This will ensure that the paper is held firmly in place, preventing it from rippling or shifting when painting. Additionally, it makes a border around the edges, which gives our painting a professional appearance. Next, follow these steps:

Step - 1 Make the cloudy sky

Apply light blue

The first step to creating a cloudy sky is to paint the top half of the paper (a little less than half of the paper) with a light blue color, as shown below.

Add white

Now apply some white color on the upper side and the remaining part between the light blue color, mix it with the light blue color. The white will give the impression of clouds and add some depth to the painting.

Blend properly

Using blending stumps or cotton swab, lightly blend in some darker shades of blue around the edges of the clouds to give the painting a sense of atmosphere.

Step - 2 Make the ocean

Make an ocean first by applying ultramarine blue color, and then white color. The blue color creates the impression of the deep ocean and the white color creates the illusion of waves and foam on the surface. This technique will give the painting a realistic, three-dimensional look.

Apply ultramarine blue

It provides a strong base of blue color to your background, giving your work a rich appearance.

Apply white

White is a reflective color, so when it is used on the surface of the water, it reflects the light and creates the illusion of waves and foam. Additionally, it creates a bright and airy atmosphere which makes it look more inviting.

Blend the colors

Use blending techniques such as fingers, cotton swabs, and blending stumps to blend. Fingers are great for blending large areas; cotton swabs can be used to blend details; and blending stumps can be used to soften and blend edges. This allows you to achieve a smooth, even blend of the colors and create the desired effect of an ocean.

Step - 3 Add depth to the ocean

Again, use ultramarine blue as shown below and blend it smoothly, which will give a more realistic look to the ocean.

Step - 4 Make beach

Apply white color

At the bottom part of the ocean background, add a white color line and make it thicker in the middle.

Create sand texture

Now use light brown and make sand as shown below. By using light brown, it helps to create a natural look of sand and makes it easier to mix with other colors to create a more realistic sand effect. This is especially useful when attempting to create a beach scene.

Step - 5 Make waves on the sand of the beach

Make waves on the sand of the beach using white and light brown. The colors of the sand and the waves create a contrast that makes the waves stand out, making them look more realistic. Additionally, the light brown color of the sand helps to make the white of the waves look brighter and more distinct.

Step - 6 Sketch the palm trees

Using a pencil, draw the outline of the trunk and leaves of the palm tree. To sketch the trunk of a palm tree, start at the bottom and draw a curved line to the top. Here we are making two trees, so two curved lines have been drawn. Then, draw several long, curved lines coming from the stem in a fan-like pattern to represent the leaves, as shown below.

Step - 7 Make Palm Tree Leaves

Using sap green, light green, and lemon yellow pastel, make the palm tree leaves.

Make Base layer

Start with the sap green pastel. Using the side of the pastel stick, apply a light layer of sap green to the entire area where the leaves will be. This will serve as the base color and help create depth and dimension.

Add Light Green Highlights

With the light green pastel, apply strokes in the direction of the leaf fronds. Begin at the outer edges of the leaves and work your way towards the center. Use light, upward strokes to mimic the natural shape of the fronds. Vary the length and angle of the strokes to add variation and realism.

Lemon Yellow Details:

Use the lemon yellow pastel to add highlights and details to the leaves. Apply gentle strokes of lemon yellow to the areas where the sunlight hits the leaves, creating a bright and vibrant effect. Concentrate the lemon yellow in the center and towards the tips of the fronds.

Repeat these steps for each individual leaf on the palm tree. Remember to vary the size, angle, and shape of the leaves to create a natural and organic appearance.

Step - 8 Make palm tree trunk

Fill brown color

Start with the brown oil pastel. Use the side of the pastel stick to apply a base layer of brown color to the entire trunk area. Apply the color evenly, covering the pencil sketch. This will serve as the foundation for the trunk.

Add Texture and Detailing

To create the texture of the trunk, use the black oil pastel. With the tip or edge of the pastel stick, make vertical lines on the trunk. Vary the length, thickness, and spacing of the lines to mimic the natural texture of tree bark. Pay attention to the direction of the lines, following the contours of the trunk. Add additional horizontal lines or knots as desired.

Also make the leaves more realistic by drawing lines with a pencil or the edge of a black pastel stick. These lines will represent the veins or midribs of the leaves. Be subtle with this step and avoid overdoing it.

Step - 9 Finishing Touches

Our painting project is almost completed. at last Use your fingers or a blending tool to gently blend the black lines into the brown base layer. This step helps create a more realistic and blended appearance. Blend carefully, ensuring that the lines remain visible for texture.

Now, keep the tape at a 45-degree angle with the painted surface as you slowly pull it away from the edges of the paper. As a result, the paint will not come off the tape. When you see the tape pulling up the surface of the paper, stop immediately and try again more gently.

All steps are represented visually in the following picture:

Remember, these steps are just a guide, and you can experiment and adjust the technique to achieve the desired effect. Allow your creativity to guide you, and have fun creating your palm trees on the beach using oil pastels!

I would love to hear your thoughts or opinions on the topics discussed in this article. Leaving a comment is welcome.

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