How To Paint Water, Waves, And The Ocean In Adobe Photoshop

Master the art of painting water in Adobe Photoshop! In this tutorial, I'll show you how to paint beautiful ocean waves using a few stock photos for reference. Learn how to set up your document with the initial sketch before tackling the actual ocean painting.

Get inspired! Are you looking for cool and organic brushes to draw waves or any other type of illustration? Envato Elements features amazing Photoshop brushes for your design and illustration projects. You can download as many of these digital assets as you want, whenever you want, for one low monthly fee.

What You'll Learn in this Drawing Waves Tutorial

By the end of this Photoshop brush waves tutorial, you'll master the art of painting waves. These digital illustration techniques can also be used for various art projects, ranging from lakes and beaches to stunning waterfalls. Painting waves might seem like a challenge, but don't worry—we'll go step by step to make things easier. 

This is what you'll learn in our tutorial on how to draw waves. 

• How to draw the ocean and how to paint waves
• How to paint base colors to draw waves
• How to shade the water and waves
• How to transition past the base colors
• How to draw waves that look realistic and how to draw water ripples
• How to finish painting your waves and ocean

I'll be using a graphic tablet and Adobe Photoshop for this tutorial on how to paint waves and water and how to draw an ocean.

1. How to Draw the Ocean & How to Paint Waves

Before we start painting waves and the ocean, we'll need a basic sketch. Please note that a graphics tablet is essential to complete this tutorial.

Step 1

Open a New Document in Photoshop at 1700 x 1700 pixels and 300 dpi.

Step 2

Now set up your references. A great way to keep references nearby is to set them on a separate document apart from your painting. So open your references in Photoshop and place both documents side by side like this.

Here I'll be using these water references to help me understand the real movement of water as well as any details I'll need to capture it completely.

Step 3

Let's draw the water with Photoshop brush waves! Select the Brush Tool (B) and use a Hard Round Pressure Opacity Brush with 100% Flow and Opacity. Make sure the Pen Pressure for Opacity option is also checked.

Start with the horizon line. Hold Shift to draw a straight gray line across the middle of the canvas on a New Layer. Then draw a second line below it that is slightly angled in the direction you would like the wave to crash.

Step 4

Lower the Opacity of the guidelines (highlighted in blue). Draw more details on a New Layer, starting with the foreground elements. Use these lines as guides to judge the depth of field for the foreground, middle, and background waves.

Focus first on the center wave since it will be the main star. Then use flatter, squiggly lines to show the waves moving backwards in the distance. The "cloudy" parts of empty space are where we will paint the ocean spray later on.

Don't get too fussy with your sketch—just create natural brush strokes that are also a little wavy. Photoshop brush waves are easier than you think.

Now draw the clouds above the horizon line. Create large, cotton candy-like shapes that blend into each other. Just like before with the waves, use horizontal lines underneath the clouds to show where the clouds are falling back into space or just disappearing.

2. How to Paint the Base Colors to Draw Waves

Step 1

Working with colors can be hard. To draw waves I'll separate my base colors onto their own New Layers for more control. Create a New Layer for the background sky, middle ground water, and foreground waves. Now, let's start coloring. 

Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to make a selection around each area before Filling them with color using the Paint Bucket Tool (G). Here are the colors I'll be using:

• Foreground: #41896d
• Middle ground: #254b5c
• Background: #5d8191

These steps will help you learn how to paint water correctly so you can create the perfect painting!

Step 2

Get rid of the harshness of the gray sketch by blending it in. To do this, set the Layer Blend Mode of the sketch to Hard Light.

3. How to Shade the Water and Waves

Step 1

Add three more New Layers. Right-click each layer to set them as a Clipping Mask to each color. Feel free to label these layers however you'd like—here I just labeled them "shading."

Step 2

Now grab the Gradient Tool (G). Select the Shading layer for the middle ground water and create a dark blue #0c3649 to transparent Linear Gradient. It's important that the water is darker when it's closest to the horizon line so that it appears as though it's further away.

Do the same for the foreground water. This time, use a slightly different blue color #184b5a to apply a Linear Gradient that fades out as it moves upwards and to the left.

Step 3

You'll also need to apply a light blue #7ba4b3 Linear Gradient to the top of the sky. Make sure the blue appears lighter at the top of the cloud forms.

Step 4

Select the Brush Tool (B) and use a Soft Round Brush with 0% Hardness to add more color to the canvas. As long as the Pen Pressure for Opacity option is still checked, your graphics tablet will control the amount of paint that's applied.

Paint highlights for the ocean, as well as soft clouds in the sky.

This painting took over 100 layers to complete, so I won't list each layer, but for now, just make sure that the initial layers are set as Clipping Masks to the respective area that you're working on.

Step 5

Deepen the foreground water by setting a New Layer to Multiply and using a light blue color to tint the water. Try to make the colors transition well as they move further into the distance.

Step 6

Before we move on, let's tackle the sky again. Use a Soft Round Brush to paint more clouds with a slightly yellow tint #b5ccc8. Then Fill a New Layer above the clouds with an orange Linear Gradient that fades as it moves upward.

4. How to Transition Past the Base Colors

Step 1

Once the initial shading is done, you can now push the realism of your painting. Do this by painting on New Layers above the Sketch layer until there's almost no more sketch in sight. You can keep a hint of the sketch underneath since it'll help us build the waves later on.

Step 2

Tweak the colors of the painting so that everything works harmoniously. First add a Color Lookup Adjustment Layer set to Kodak 5218 Kodak 2383.

Then add a Levels Adjustment Layer to boost the overall intensity. Alter the settings under the RGB Channel to the following numbers:

• 0, 0.86, 206

5. How to Draw Waves that Look Realistic and How to Draw Water Ripples

Try to perfect the color scheme before moving on. This will help you avoid any trouble further down the line.

Step 1

An essential part of any realistic painting is texture and mastering wave drawing. Nothing in nature is completely smooth, so you definitely want to add texture to this painting. Using the first brush from this lesson, start painting more waves onto the water.

Wave drawing is all about texture. Guide the waves with a few directional strokes based on your references.

Step 2

Then use a Charcoal Brush to paint light blue #9cdbe7 ocean spray onto the water.

Step 3

Use a Round Brush with a slightly harder edge (30-60% Hardness) to carve out the wave shapes even more.

Keep your water references close by to help you figure out this step. You should now be able to tell that the main wave is crashing only in the middle.

Step 4

This scene features a beautiful sunset sky, so it's important to make sure when you're painting the water it reflects this lighting scheme. Start to incorporate more yellow paint into the mix by painting yellow #dadfc6 highlights onto the ocean spray with a Charcoal Brush.

Also take this moment to clean up the foreground water with some blending. We'll need to make sure it's relatively smooth before creating water ripples.

Want to master wave drawing? Learn more about blending from my beginner series: Digital Painting for Beginners.

Step 5

It takes some time to learn how to draw water ripples, but with this technique and some practice, you'll be able to master them. Choose a blue color #275866 that is much lighter than the water so that it contrasts greatly against it. Begin to draw your water ripples. Here's a small breakdown of the types of wave shapes I created for this step.

1. Draw circular shapes like infinity symbols for the foreground ripples.
2. Then draw long curvy lines for the main wave to show the direction in which the wave is moving and breaking.
3. Draw subtle wave shapes that overlap one another slightly as you move farther back into the distance.
4. Finish with simple, squiggly horizontal lines for the waves near the horizon.

And that's how you draw water ripples!

Step 6

This next stage requires an exquisite eye for detail. Commit to cleaning up your painting by using a Hard Round Brush to create more ocean spray when painting the water. Add tiny dots to show that the water is glistening like glitter.

Set a New Layer to Overlay. Pump up the drama by using a Soft Round Brush to paint light yellow for the highlights and black for the shadow. This layer will help make those colors pop and give more depth to the water.

6. How to Finish Painting the Waves & Ocean

Step 1

Merge all the layers together. I was unhappy with the current texture of the foreground wave, so I decided to smooth things out a bit. To do this, I used a Soft Round Brush with 0% Hardness to paint softer blue hues on the inner parts of the wave.

Trial and error is a huge part of any painting process, so feel free to make constant tweaks until you're happy with the result.

Step 2

Incorporate shades of green into the water for more depth. Switch back over to a Hard Round Brush to make sure that all the edges for each wave are crisp.

Step 3

Add a New Curves Adjustment Layer. Raise the curves for the RGB and Blue Channels to make the entire scene bluer and brighter.

Step 4

Paint more waves and ripples.

1. Follow the natural direction of the center wave so that you paint the others accordingly. Then bring the white ocean spray back into the curve of the crashing wave for more realism.
2. Notice how the waves go from curvy peaks to almost completely straight horizontal lines. This is essential for achieving a natural sense of depth of field.

Step 5

Continue shaping the clouds as well. Make a selection around the sky right above the horizon line with the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M), and hit Control-J to Duplicate the layer.

Now you can apply a quick Color Lookup Adjustment Layer to the clouds with the setting: FallColors.look. Right-click to set this layer as a Clipping Mask to the clouds.

Now we have a beautiful sunset effect.

Whatever changes you make in the sky should be reflected in the water below. So don't forget to zoom in and paint light yellow water ripples underneath the sun in the upper left corner.

Step 6

Finish this painting with one last color adjustment! Add a New Levels Adjustment Layer to brighten up the scene. Select the RGB Channel and add the following settings:

• 5, 0.97, 242

That's it! Check out the final result below!

That's It! Now You Know How to Make an Ocean Wave in Photoshop

Learning how to draw an ocean from scratch is a difficult task, so you should be proud of yourself for making it this far. Achieving realism when painting water depends greatly on your willingness to push forward with the tiniest details. Subtle ripples, reflections, and changes in color or tone can transform your ocean paintings overnight!

If you're still having problems, then check out these beginner tutorials to teach you how to paint more efficiently in Adobe Photoshop:

• How to Use Color to Set the Mood in Adobe Photoshop Melody Nieves 07 Sep 2016
• How to Shade Easily With Layer Blend Modes Melody Nieves 11 Mar 2016
• Digital Painting Tips: How to Pick the Right Brushes Melody Nieves 22 Feb 2016

5 Best Photoshop Brushes to Draw Waves & More From Envato Elements

For a low monthly fee, Envato Elements gives you access to millions of creative assets with unlimited downloads. Here's everything you need, like Photoshop brushes, graphic templates, stock video, and more. Envato Elements is the right choice for graphic designers and illustrators who want to elevate their work.

Take a look at these five cool Photoshop brushes for your illustration and design projects:

1. Natural Shade Brushes for Photoshop (ABR)

Sometimes adding a few shades here and there is all you need to elevate your illustrations. These brushes are pressure sensitive, which means they have a natural movement when you work with them. Get 40 different natural shade brushes for Adobe Photoshop. These brushes do all the work for you, so just download, install, and enjoy!

2. Realistic Cloud Brushes for Photoshop (ABR)

If our tutorial on how to draw the ocean was useful, then go ahead and try these realistic cloud brushes to complement your paintings of water or any other natural landscapes. Get a collection of 30 cloud effect brushes to give a misty atmosphere to your projects. 

3. Pencil Photoshop Brushes (ABR, PDF)

A collection of pencil brushes always comes in handy, and what better way to start drawing digitally than with these realistic pencils? Get 25 brushes for sketching, drawing, and stippling with hard and soft pressures. You'll be surprised at how faithful these brushes are to real pencils!

4. Paint Splatter Brushes (ABR)

Do you need cool brushes with variety? These splatter brushes are an amazing option for your design and illustration projects. Get 99 high-resolution brushes created from real paint splatters and then meticulously scanned and converted to Photoshop brushes.

5. Digital Linear Waves (ABR, PNG)

If you feel like taking our tutorial on how to draw waves to the next level, then try these digital linear wave brushes. Draw waves with a beautiful, techno-futuristic style and give your projects a modern and digital look that everyone will love. 

Discover More Photoshop Brushes for Painting Water & Other Type of Illustrations

We hope you enjoyed our tutorial on how to paint waves, water and how to draw the ocean, and our collection of Photoshop brushes. If you want to see more, we've compiled a list of the best Photoshop tutorials and brushes in this section so you can keep learning and improving your projects.

• 35+ Best Dripping and Splatter Effects for Photoshop (Actions, Tutorials, and Brushes) Nona Blackman 26 Apr 2022
• 50+ Best Photoshop Templates From Envato Elements (Download PSD Templates Now!) Nona Blackman 06 Oct 2020
• 40 Best Light Effect Photoshop Actions, Brushes, and Photo Effects (New for 2024) Melody Nieves 21 Nov 2023
• 50+ Free Photoshop Brushes to Download Now! Melody Nieves 01 Feb 2023
• Photoshop Brush Tool: A Basic Guide Alvaro Guzman 28 Oct 2020
• 1,000+ Best Photoshop Textures From Envato Elements (Textures, Overlays, Brushes) Nona Blackman 08 Oct 2020
• 10 Basic Mistakes in Digital Painting and How to Fix Them Monika Zagrobelna 06 Apr 2024

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Gonzalo Angulo. Gonzalo is a staff writer with Envato Tuts+.