How to Draw an Island

In today’s article, we are going to draw a desert island at dusk. We will create this landscape digitally, in a single layer, in order to recreate the appearance of traditional painting. Inspired by Impressionism, this exercise will enable us to work on brushstrokes, colors, and transitions to create a distinctive atmosphere and give depth to the landscape.

Whether you are a beginner or already have experience, you can practice creating a balanced landscape by playing with the different planes, shadow, light, and composition.

Some references for observation before drawing an island

The beach at Trouville, 1870.

Claude Monet, in The Beach at Trouville (1870), depicts a bright coastal scene with a calm sea. His loose brushstrokes enabled him to suggest the reflections of the sky on the water. This work will serve as a reference for us to observe how the different planes of the beach and sea are organized, but also how diffused light can be integrated into a composition without losing clarity. 

This photograph will also serve as a reference for observing the proportions of the island on the horizon, the vegetation that surrounds it, and the way its mass stands out from the surface of the water. 

How to draw an island step by step

We start with a quick sketch using simple geometric shapes. We place the main elements of the scene: the outline of the island, the sea, the sky, and the sun. At this stage, the drawing remains imprecise, but it is important to check the proportions and the position of each element in order to achieve a balanced composition.

Next, we draw the main shapes of the landscape. We adjust the outline of the island and draw the line that separates the sea from the sky. This step allows us to establish a clear foundation before we start working on the colors. 

We erase the construction lines that we no longer need in order to leave a clean sketch. The drawing remains deliberately simple: this will enable us to work more freely with the colors later on, without making the composition too detailed. 

Add color to the drawing

We apply a first layer of color to the sky using ocher and greenish tones. This palette brings a warm light to the scene and helps to create the unique atmosphere of the landscape. We create smooth transitions to gradually establish the overall light. 

We extend these ocher and green tones to the entire sky in order to unify the palette. We then add a darker green to the mountain in the background. This contrast helps to create an initial sense of depth while making the brighter areas stand out. 

Draw the sea

We are now working on the sea in the background with a brighter blue-green, obtained from the colors already used. We are also adding ocher tones to the side of the island, similar to those of the sky. This helps to maintain harmony between the different parts of the landscape and avoid abrupt changes in color. 

We add a darker, slightly muted blue to the sea to create shadows and suggest the depth of the water. We deliberately leave the area intended to show the reflection of the sun without color for the moment. This will enable us to better adjust the intensity of the light later. 

We draw the clouds around the mountain using light ocher tones, keeping within the same color harmony. We also complete the sea in the background, especially on the left side, by intensifying the blue tones.

These adjustments help to make the island stand out more and to balance the warm tones of the sky with the cooler shades of the sea.

We begin by working on the island with very dark ochers, close to black, to mark the most shaded areas. Then, we add a warm brown between the light and dark areas to create smoother transitions and give the island more volume. 

To draw the rocks, we mix the ochers used on the side of the island with the dark tones applied previously. We vary the colors depending on the direction of the light: the surfaces facing the sun are made slightly lighter, while those facing away from it remain darker. 

This work on shadows and light helps to give the rocks more depth and better highlight their volume. 

Add the water reflections

We add warm reflections in the water, mainly around the island. Orange and soft yellow tones help to recreate the light of the sunset. Using a softer brush, we smooth the transitions between the illuminated areas and the cooler parts of the sea to achieve a natural result. 

We go back to the clouds located above the mountain to soften their outlines. We slightly blend the colors of the mountain with those of the clouds, and then the reverse, in order to create a more gradual transition between the two elements. 

We further soften the shapes of the mountain and the clouds. By smoothing their outlines, we enhance the sense of depth and give the background a more atmospheric appearance. The distant elements thus appear less sharp than those in the foreground. 

We add color to the last areas of water that are still untouched, in order to prepare the base for the reflections of the sun. Using a very light ocher, we draw the first touches of light on the water, especially near the sand.

This same shade is then used to add a few highlights to the surface of the sea. These brushstrokes help to suggest the movement of the water and the reflections of the light.

We enhance the reflections of the sea with an even lighter shade, almost white, in the areas most touched by the light. Then, we soften some of the transitions to avoid overly strong contrasts and better integrate the reflections with the different shades of blue. 

Draw palm trees on the island

Now, let’s move on to the palm trees, starting with the trunks. A light ocher will serve as the base color to depict their structure. Then, we can add the shadows and highlights, depending on the overall lighting of the scene. 

We add darker green tones to work on the palm tree leaves. We start with light shades and then gradually add darker tones. This creates a backlit effect and gives more volume to the vegetation. 

We go back over the reflections on the sea and enhance the brightest areas with a very light, almost white, tint. We then soften the transitions to avoid too much contrast and maintain natural integration with the blue tones of the water. 

Add shadows to the drawing

We enhance the overall shadows, especially on the trunks of the palm trees, to ensure better consistency between the different areas of light. We also soften the overly sharp outlines of the rocks and vegetation. This helps to create a more natural look and avoid lines that would unnecessarily attract the eye. 

Finally, we harmonize the entire scene by softening the last transitions between the light and dark areas. This final step helps to better integrate the different elements of the landscape, balance the colors, and enhance the atmosphere of the sunset. 

Our island is now complete! Through this landscape, we have learned to combine warm and cold tones to create depth and establish a distinctive atmosphere. The color contrasts, reflections, and variations in texture enable us to give depth to the landscape while maintaining a painterly touch.

This exercise also helps to develop observation skills and to better understand how light influences color and volume. By playing with the sharpness of the shapes, and shadows and transitions, it is possible to create a more coherent landscape and a natural atmosphere.