How to Paint Realistic Clear Water in Oil Alla Prima

This painting tutorial shows how to paint realistic clear water in oils Alla Prima (in one sitting). Please note: any paintings created using my tutorials are not viable to sell. This is a copyright issue. The original painting “Tranquil Waters“ measures 36x36 inches and is available for sale on For this demo I painted a version of another waterscape of mine based on the photo I took on a cloudy afternoon on the Gulf of Mexico, near Clearwater Beach, Florida. It took me about 3 hours to paint it (I also made a short coffee break) Alla Prima, here you’ll see the whole process time-lapsed (because I value your time) with the most interesting moments in real time. Here I offer an insight into my technique and hope that all my art-friends will find it useful or at least ’re most welcome to try out the techniques I taught myself over the years. I also encourage you to try out some variations: like make the dancing sunlight brighter (as if it were a sunnier day), or try adding a touch of red or orange into the final highlights to add some warmth to this waterscape. Try going to the nearest beach and taking your reference photos. Then paint one of them starting from darker values, then adding middle values and finishing with lighter values in highlights. For this demo I used the following colors: titanium white, ultramarine blue, viridian (any green will do), Naples Yellow ( light or medium will work, too), burnt sienna and Portland cool gray (can be easily mixed from ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and white). I also used Lavender Spike Oil as a medium (any oil, Gamsol or Liquin will work). To learn more about my creative journey please visit my social networks: Please check out my other paintings: To read what my customers are saying, click this link to my reviews: Soundtrack: Shimmering Waves by the Euclidean Stairway. Thank you very much for watching! Hope you enjoy it! Your support and encouragement are much appreciated!