top of page

Abstract Sunset Coast
in Watercolour

Inspired by Clew Bay, Mayo Ireland and the sunken drumlins.  

Here's a little video I found on Youtube of the area

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxY0RLAxcTI

​

Below are simple, beginner-friendly steps you can follow at home to recreate the sunset coast scene. No pressure — keep it loose, enjoy the process, and remember the magic is in the soft edges and atmosphere.

Abstract seascape LR.jpg

Materials

  • Watercolour paper, 300lb, Not pressed / Cold Pressed.  100% cotton preferred, but student grade is fine, just need to be quicker with the sky

  • Brushes: large, medium and liner/rigger brush

  • Plastic card / old bank card

  • Cocktail Stick

  • Kitchen towel

  • Water pot

  • Masking tape (optional) for a white border

  • Waterproof board or surface to mask your painting to  - this prevents the paper warping

​

Colours

  • Violet

  • Deep Cadmium Yellow

  • Payne’s Grey

  • Phthalo Green

  • Cadmium Red and pink

  • White gouache
     

Tip: Violet + Phthalo Green creates a beautiful deep indigo blue for the sea and headland.
Paynes Grey will tone down a colour
Greens - paynes grey & deep cad yellow
Pthalo green, violet, cad yellow

Adding a colour's compliment desaturates a colour (tones down the intensity of a colour).  E.g. adding a tiny amount of green or pink to your green colours

Have your colour mixes ready and swatch them out

 

 

 

Sky and sea.jpg

​​

Step 1 – Paint the Sky

Remember that violet and cad yellow are opposite each other on the colour wheel - they are complimentary colours and will create browns/greys when mixed together.  You can avoid this in your sky by keeping the area where they meet very light, and also adding a soft touch of pink ( a bridging colour)
​

  • Wet the sky area with clean water.  Hold your paper up to the light.  Any dryer patches?  Any paint rolling around?

  • Add warm yellow near the horizon, allowing colours to softly blend into the water

  • Touch in a little cad red/pink for a glowing sunset effect

  • Drop in soft washes of violet at the top

  • Work light to dark.  Once the shine starts to disappear from the paper it's time to stop

  • Skies need a light touch

     

Step 2 – Add the Sea & Distant Land

The sea will reflect some of the sky colours.  Remember the sea is level at the horizon line.  Work horizontally when painting the sea and work light to dark.

I kept the right hand side darker than the left and added some pale patches of yellow into the left to reflect the sky

This time don't wet the sea area. 
 

  • Start with diluted violet and indigo mixes and add very light patches of yellow on one side

  • Keep horizontal brush strokes loose and calm

  • Use a smaller brush to add  gentle horizontal marks into the water to suggest ripples and reflections.

  • Leave to dry a little

    DRY
     

  • Add the distant headland shape using a dry brush technique, so that the paint skips the paper and lets the yellow/orange colours glow at the top

  • Add the sunken drumlins using a darker version of the sea colour.  The further away the drumlins are the paler and smaller. Use a slightly damp brush to melt the bottom edge of the drumlins into the sea

  • When dry, add a darker headland, slightly overlapping the first one. 

​

​​

Step 3 – Paint the Foreground Grasses​

  • Cover your sky and the top half of your sea, as this can get quite splashy

  • Work quickly by having your colour mixes ready to go
    Drop in rich, creamy paint at the bottom of your painting.  Deeper indigo and dark green variants.  Add creamy patches of cad yellow just above this

  • Add clean water above this area and push it down into the creamy paint.  You're aiming to get this paint to blend and softly blend out as it moves up

  • Whilst this is all still wet, use a plastic card to create wildflower stems, splash white paint and other colours into this area for abstract flowers

  • Add taller grasses by dragging a long, thin liner brush upward 
     

Use the cocktail stick to scratch into damp paint for fine grass lines and delicate stems.
 

Step 4 – Final Details

  • Stand back and see what your painting needs

  • Splatter more white paint across the foreground for sparkle and texture.  Mix it with purple for some simple flowers

  • Paint a few taller flower stems and seed heads using expressive upward strokes.

  • Use a plastic card dipped in neat yellow / orange paint and quickly drag this along some of your stems to create bolder wildflowers and grasses

Try not to overthink this stage — the lively splashes and marks create the magic

​

  • Deepen a few dark shoreline shapes using the indigo mix

  • Add tiny birds in the sky using the liner brush
     

Stop before overworking — fresh, loose marks will keep the painting full of movement and light.

Remove masking tape to reveal your finished painting
 

Tag me on instagram @kerryslackart with your finished art


Watercolour Tips

✔ Work from light to dark
✔ Keep your brush strokes loose and confident
✔ Let colours blend naturally on the paper
✔ Use splatters and scratches for energy and texture
✔ Leave some soft, unfinished areas for atmosphere

Clew Bay inspiration image.jpg

Book Your Spot

bottom of page