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Anatomy of a Boat Painting

9/16/2020

11 Comments

 
Picture
Detail of Mellow Yellow 8"x10" oil on canvas panel
Whenever we’re out on the water, I’m looking at the boats with an eye to painting each one. I ask myself questions like: Is the shape appealing? Is it a classic? Is the lighting good? I snap photos on my phone and on my pocket SLR camera. Sometimes, we go dinghy and skiff hunting in our inflatable. My husband drives, and patiently goes round and round the boats while I take photos from every angle. And I look inside the boats. If it’s been raining and they haven’t been bailed out, they don’t sit right in the water, and that doesn’t make for a believable painting.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Back in the studio or on the couch, I go over the photos on my laptop. If there’s a boat I like, I try and figure out which angle of view would make the best painting. I crop several photo options and look again. And sometimes I ask my social media friends for their opinion. I did that early this year with these photos of a cheerful yellow rowboat that we saw the previous summer. The left most (top) photo got more votes by a wide margin. It’s also the one I like best.

And that  photo leads me to a great example of how to draw a boat. In fact, the crux of painting small boats like this one, is the drawing. Once you get the boat shape right and get it sitting in the water, the rest is like any other painting.
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The standard method for drawing a boat is to use a figure 8, as in the image above. This works best if you can see some of the inside of the boat. These are the steps:

Step 1: Draw a figure 8. Note that the right hand orb of the ellipse is smaller then the left orb, when the bow of the boat is towards the right.

Step 2: From the highest point on the right orb, draw a line down and to the left to create the bow, and another line down and to the right to create the stern. These lines can be somewhat curved as in the diagram or straight depending on the kind of boat you want to draw.

Step 3: Draw a line to connect the bow and stern (if the boat is in the water, this line will be under the water as in this painting). And connect the right side of the bow to the bottom of the boat.

Step 4: Erase the line that is dotted in the figure, which is not visible.

Step 5. If the boat has a square stern, draw a line across the back of the left side of the figure.

Picture
 At the stage above I'm starting to work on the reflection. The trick with the reflection is to keep it directly under the boat. It’s really fun to paint the abstract ripples reflecting the blue sky and the yellow side of the boat. It's a push and pull of the two colors against each other.

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Framing is the last part of the job. What do you think, dark frame or gold frame?

11 Comments
Alice Mellin
9/17/2020 01:57:10 am

Love this painting! The reflection is really nice. Makes me want to paint!! Thanks so much for the step by steps!
Oh, I think the black frame makes the painting stand out more than the gold. Interesting to see the difference.

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
9/17/2020 10:43:29 am

I'm so glad you like it Alice! Yes, indeed, it is time to paint. But there won't be much of that for me until the boat gets put away on Columbus Day weekend. Are you off down east? Last time we went by Rangeley was gone.

Reply
Laura Richardson
9/17/2020 03:57:47 am

I agree with Alice — the dark frame makes the painting pop. Thanks for the step-by-step Bobbi, I’m going to try to dray one today!

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
9/17/2020 10:44:56 am

Hi Laura, I'm partial to the dark one too. And it's interesting to see how many people love yellow. I've had lots of comments about that on social media.

Reply
Ann
9/17/2020 09:21:56 am

When I saw the gold frame I felt the water moving. Definitely the gold one for me!!

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
9/17/2020 10:47:44 am

Thanks, Ann. It's all about what you like. Isn't it great that there are so many frames available online? These came from Florida Frames and were quite reasonably priced.

Reply
Marina Bosetti link
9/17/2020 12:50:55 pm

I love the process posts, so cool. The black frame really makes the yellow pop. The gold frame creates the feeling of bright sun and wanting my sunglasses.

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
9/23/2020 06:42:10 pm

Ah, you see the good points of both options. Frames are so often a matter of taste or surroundings. It's great when the painting looks good in multiple frames!

Reply
Karen Hauck
9/21/2020 12:12:43 am

I like the gold frame. It looks more like a sunny day to me!

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
9/23/2020 06:43:18 pm

Thanks, Karen, I love the idea of the frame bringing on a sunny day. It certainly was one the day I saw this boat.

Reply
Topeka Sewing Machine Repair link
8/31/2022 01:00:38 am

Great blog I eenjoyed reading

Reply



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    Bobbi - Painter. Sketcher. Teacher. Boat and Dog Lover.

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  • Home
  • Shop
    • Kitchen Paintings
    • Mini Landscapes
    • Plein Air
    • On the Water
    • Note Card Sets >
      • Dinghy Note Card Set 1
      • Dinghy Note Card Set 2
      • Boats Note Card Set
      • Summer Note Card Set
      • Winter Note Card Set
    • How to Buy a Painting
    • Your Own Custom Painting
    • Gallery Representation
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Classes
    • Classes Login
    • Values Download
    • Classes and Workshops
    • What's It Like to Study With Bobbi
    • Materials Lists
  • Resources
    • Beginning Painting Tips
    • Managing Multiple Projects
    • Framing
    • Your First Plein Air
    • Notes - Confident Drawing
    • Test Page
    • Videos
  • About Bobbi
  • Contact