Draw a Beach

Ah, the beach! Our senses remember it best; a refreshing salty smell, a breeze that caresses us, the surf that lulls our ears... it's the ideal place to recharge.

Let me take you to the edge of a beach, at least for the time it takes us to draw it.

These wide coastal stretches are generally made up of white sand and/or pebbles. They may also have black sand if they are of volcanic origin or colored by minerals. This type of sand is therefore more common on small islands. I even saw this rather surprising natural phenomenon for myself on Malendure beach in Guadeloupe!

 

THE ELEMENTS OF THE COMPOSITION

To organize the drawing, we can create a list that will help us with the composition and division of the planes (foreground, middle ground, background).

 

What can we find...

...on the ground? I think of driftwood, small shells or crustaceans, seaweed stranded between the water and the sand, pebbles, sand, rocks, and wild grasses.

...in the distance? I imagine mountains or rocky cliffs overlooking the beach, a lighthouse, and beyond the sea, some birds or clouds dotting the sky.

...in the water? I immediately think of the waves, but the sea can also be calm. We could add some foam, and perhaps some small islands, large rocks, and boats.

...around the scene? There could be a wild forest, dunes, mountains, rocky areas, large rocks... but also a whole range of flora that would grow particularly well in sandy soil.

 

From this list, I only choose a few elements to avoid overwhelming the illustration with information, but feel free to integrate your favorites.

 

DRAWING A BEACH STEP BY STEP

1) To begin with, I draw a horizon line that will correspond to the water level.

It is now that the viewpoint of the scene is defined; the lower the horizon line, the less the water area will be visible. I choose to place mine just above the middle of the page because I want the water to be quite visible.

2) With slightly rounded lines, small dots, and circles, I draw the light yellow sand on the beach. I elaborate more on the bottom of the drawing to highlight what is close to the viewer. Conversely, I sketch elements in the distance more succinctly to suggest perspective, as details fade with distance.

3) With two different shades of blue, I draw water with small waves following a curved line mimicking the movement of the water. I use the lighter shade for the junction between the sand and the water.

For the same reason we saw in the previous point, I barely detail the water that is near the horizon line.

4) On the right side of the drawing, I create a green space where high cliffs, a forest, some rocks, and shrubs blend together.

The scale of this vegetation is important. Pay attention to the proportion ratios between each of the elements, and to where they are placed in relation to the horizon line. The closer they are to it, the smaller and less detailed they should be so that they appear more distant.

In my drawing, the vegetation highlights the sea, which appears much vaster than if there were no other point of comparison.

5) I place a few small rocks on the ground, making sure to draw them sunk into the sand, and not just resting on the surface of the ground since it is loose.

6) In the foreground, I place tall grasses and seashells. I also add some small round and oval shapes on the ground to better define the sandy texture.

 

7) Out at sea, I sketch a sailboat and a small island on the left side of the drawing.

8) For the sky, I choose to draw a sun preparing to set, surrounded by clouds. I color the top of the clouds orange because they are in direct sunlight, and contrast this with a soft blue on the underside of them.

I'm adding some birds flying off into the distance.

9) I am adding more detail to my foreground by adding a large palm tree. It must be much more imposing than all the other elements of the drawing since it is in the foreground. Thus, we only see part of the tree in order to reinforce this feeling of proximity. For more explanations on how to draw a palm tree, feel free to take a look at our article!

 

Your beach drawing is now finished! Why not color it in?

 

COLORING THE DRAWING

I want a soft and pastel ambiance to better match my sunset. For this drawing, I also want to preserve the lines of my drawing and to use only flat colors, or sometimes, very simple gradients.

10) First, I color the entire page blue. Against this background, I place the highlights: in shades of yellow and orange, I color the sun, at the back before blending the orange hue with the blue for the sky. I make a gradient of the same color on the surface of the water, and I add the edge of the water and the foam with a light yellow. I use a soft and very pale green for the clouds. (You can replace the orange color with purple or pink: this will also create a sunset ambiance).

11) I color the sand: it needs to be a darker shade than that by the water's edge to suggest that it becomes moist upon contact.

For the cliffs in the distance, I use shades of grey tinged with blue. For the rocks closer to the foreground, this time I choose a grey subtly tinged with yellow.

Finally, to contrast with the sky and the sea, I color the small island with a medium value gray-blue.

12) To vary the colors, I use different greens for the forest in the background, for the bushes, and for the shrubs. This also helps to distinguish the layers.

13) I'm taking care of the foreground by coloring the big palm tree and the wild grasses.

14) I color the last elements: the boat with desaturated hues (because it is far away and therefore does not need bright colors), the birds, and the shells.

To finish, I am finalizing the last details: I am adding the white wave of the waves in the water that borders the sand at the bottom of the drawing.

 

We're done! Now we can savor the moment and gaze out onto the horizon...

 

 

Illustrator and Writer: Vincyane Belin