How to Paint a Lighthouse in a Storm in Oils: An Exercise in Alla Prima Painting

This art demonstration shows how to paint a lighthouse standing against a stormy sea. Explore how to create an expressive coastal scene with a limited palette and alla prima. This painting was completed on primed card using titanium white and just five other colours (listed below). Together with a selection of fine bristle brushes, various art effects can be achieved.

The aim is a rough, atmospheric painting capturing the energy and force of a stormy sea, crashing against the coast. Scudding clouds against a cadmium sky suggest a storm brewing up.

Art Materials Needed

For this painting, I used:

Thick card primed with a wash of burnt sienna and white acrylic paint (but any mid-brown will do).

Oil colours: Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, and Burnt Sienna. Several fine and medium bristle brushes, a ruler and soft pencil. Old rags.

The limited colour palette enabled me to work quickly so I can focus my brushstrokes on creating energy and movement in this stormy painting. Directional paint application can be seen in the sky, the crashing sea, and the weathered rocks.

What you will Learn from this Demo

How to apply oil paint in one layer in alla prima.
Using a limited palette to suggest an array of different colours.
Establish the largest shapes first.
Judging tonal and chromatic relationships to create a stormy atmosphere.
Develop waves through broad brush strokes before adding detail.
Using bristle brushes to bring movement to the crashing waves.
Avoid overworking the final stages.

Step 1: the Composition Sketch and Painting the Sky

I applied thinned burnt sienna onto the art surface, and once it was dry, I used a soft pencil to sketch the lighthouse against a stormy sea. I drew the horizon just below halfway to allow room for the sky. I then began with the pale colours. Via a fine bristle, I daubed white with a little cadmium yellow in a stripey pattern to suggest highlights in the stratocumulus clouds.

Step 2: Adding Cooler Colours and Blocking-in the Foreground

I then added a little ultramarine to the colour mix and daubed it into the areas between these yellowy highlights to bring out the texture of the clouds. Because the sky would dominate the painting, I used broad strokes to enhance movement and drama.

I aimed for a soft smoky colour to retain the sky feel. With a separate brush, I mixed ultramarine with burnt sienna and drew out the preliminary marks for the trees and the rocks in the foreground. Notice the simplicity of the composition, roughly divided into thirds: sky, sea and foreground. This helps keep the painting manageable.

Step 3: Painting the Sea and Creating Distance

Notice the striped clouds in the sky. This brings the stormy sky to attention. A blank sky area with no real focus can sap a painting of atmosphere. With the sky almost done, my attention turned to the sea.

Via a mixture of Titanium, Phthalo Blue and a little burnt sienna, I applied the resulting turquoise in horizontal strokes, using the horizon line as reference. Notice the Phthalo blue creates a cooler blue than the ultramarine I had used in the sky. I blended out the horizon to suggest distance. I used an old rag to remove paint build-up from the brush and use it for blending.

I wanted the foreground sea to feel turbulent compared to the serene distance. So, with the ‘dark bristle’ used earlier, I set up the area of crashing waves with a mid-blue mix of phthalo blue, a little burnt sienna and white. I applied it around the lighthouse.

Step 4: Developing the Lighthouse Colours

The lighthouse became the focal point during the fourth stage. With the brush used for the sea, I blocked in the bluish areas of the lighthouse and added a little more burnt sienna to darken the colour and suggest shadow. Don’t worry about going over the parts reserved for red. Pleasant neutrals can be achieved by allowing in a little of the neighbouring colour to mix in.

The distinctive red bands of the lighthouse were then blocked in using cadmium red and touches of white. See how these colour bands play against the patterned sky, bringing the lighthouse into context. I wanted the lighthouse to remain integrated with the surrounding environment.

Step 5: Creating Waves and Atmospheric Drama

Small architectural details such as doors, windows and the lantern roof required just a few strokes of dark colour via a fine brush. No detail was necessary. I softened outlines to prevent jarring harsh marks.

Using mostly Titanium White and shifting amounts of phthalo blue, I moved the brush outwards where the sea’s explosive force creates fang effects around the lighthouse. I did not draw each wave but varied directional marks. I added a little burnt sienna and blue at the base of each wave to bring out the sheer volume of water building up.

Step 6: Refining Colour, Contrast and Detail

The final stage focused on strengthening contrasts and refining details throughout the painting. I will often revisit various areas to elaborate on them. Notice how I reinforced tonal contrast in the sky and blended out divisions. The beauty of oils means you can go over areas again without worrying about the paint drying.

The rocks in the foreground received extra touches of darks for shadow, for a morose feel. I then knitted together harsh divisions to make the entire composition work together cohesively.

The Finished Painting

Knowing when to stop is key to retaining a fresh feeling in an alla prima painting. I wanted to preserve the stormy atmosphere and a foreboding sky.

The painting combines an intense sky, crashing waves, and brash colour mixes for a lively coastal scene. Although a limited palette was used, the mixture of warm and cool hues provided variety to make the painting shimmer. More importantly, the painting demonstrates how effective alla prima can be used for dynamic scenes and not allow detail to waylay the artist.

Further Reading