Japanese pro Advice to students – How to draw the background of the sea and waves

Click here to try our Free Taster Course!

Hello everyone,

Many people have the same problems when they draw.

Let’s learn about drawing techniques again, this time by referring to advice given by a professional Japanese teacher in response to a question from a real student.

Let’s use it as a reference when you draw illustrations and manga!

How to draw the background of the sea and waves

Student
I have a question!
I draw character in the water on beach and I paint colour on background first rough and then colour character and then finish painting background is it ok in this order?
because sometime at the end the colour is a bit wrong compare to the background and sometime I paint the background rough colour first and then draw character is also ok? Thank you!!

Student’s drawing

Teacher
Wow, this is so impressive! Great work!
It’s a wonderful drawing of a pretty girl in a setting that feels like summer!
When drawing illustrations of backgrounds and people, it’s best to create a “color blueprint” before starting to minimize mistakes.
The order in which you create these blueprints is basically up to you, but if you’re new to the process, here is what I recommend:

1: Roughly apply color to the background and all of the figures.
2: Adjust the color rough while observing the overall balance.
3:Paint the real color on the background or the person, and then finish the other.

In the beginning, it’s important to apply a simple color to everything, as described in step 1 of this procedure, because it makes it easier to visualize the finished product.

Student
Thank you alot!
I paint rough colour first and I did my best for painting I hope it is ok.
I want to keep getting better painting more backgrounds because not many detail sometimes!
I also want ask teacher if painting behind the character is ok even if covered?

Student’s drawing

Teacher
You’re making such great progress – amazing work again today!
The undercoat is beautiful! The rough paint could be a bit messier. It’s very nice that you also painted the background of the figures!
When I get commissions as a professional, I often paint like this so that I can move the figures around and adjust the composition.
Since this is a painting of the ocean, you should refer to photos or videos of the ocean to guide your drawing.
The ocean tends to have strong sunlight and overall bright colors. Because of this, there’s usually a large contrast in brightness between the light and shadow areas.
In the example in the attached image, I adjusted the screen to be slightly brighter with more shadows.
Please refer to it if you like. As you can see from photos and videos, the ocean has many curved waves when the weather is rough, and gentle curved waves when the weather is calmer.
If you make the waves more gentle than they are now, you can create the atmosphere of playing at a resort.
Water droplets will fly in parabolic lines.
If you’re conscious of not making them too straight, you’ll be able to create a better expression.

Teacher’s Advice

Student
Ok thank you so much!
I repaint it similar to teacher I also make the ocean more gentle!

Student’s drawing

Teacher
The colors have improved a lot! As you can see in the attached photo, the waves are almost in a straight line, even in slightly rough weather.
Be careful not to add too much unevenness, as the ocean appears almost flat since it stretches all the way to the horizon.
I’m looking forward to seeing your progress!

Teacher’s Advice

Student
Thank you! I repaint it again!
I make it more flat and straight the more close to the horizon is it ok?

Student’s drawing

Teacher
This depiction is spot on!
Your painting is a great representation of the sea!
Since anime illustrations are also a form of art, observation is important even if they aren’t depicted with a realistic touch.
Keep up the good work!

What is Anime Art Academy?

Anime Art Academy is an online course with video lectures and personalized advice from Japanese professionals as described above.
This course is beneficial for everyone from beginners to advanced students.

Taking the advice of real students will surely improve your drawing skills!

Let’s start drawing!

Click here to try our Free Taster Course!

Anime Art Academy is on Discord! Come and join our community!