What is Underwater Painting? 6 Tips For Newbies

For artists, the world is truly their oyster. It’s easy to find inspiration in everything, whether it’s the weed growing between cracks or within the vast depths of the ocean. When you’re looking for new artistic adventures, underwater painting might be just what fits the bill. It’s a great hobby to pick up for experienced artists and even those with no painting experience!

If you’re looking for something fun to do, solo or with friends, it might be time to give underwater painting a shot. Here’s what you should know:

What is Underwater Painting?

Creating paintings while completely submerged in water is known as the art of underwater painting. It involves knowing the foundation and basics of two things: diving and painting. Individuals who decide to try underwater painting out for themselves need to have diving equipment and specialized materials to make sure their underwater painting sessions go off without a hitch. 

There are a lot of challenges that come with underwater painting, mainly due to visibility, the unpredictability of water, and the weightlessness of water. It can take a few sessions for anyone to truly start feeling comfortable underwater and start making paintings while adjusting to the new environment. 

Underwater Painting Tips for Newbies

1. Choosing The Right Location

When it comes to perfecting your underwater painting skills, you have to pay a lot of attention to the location you choose. Not all locations are ideal for underwater painting, and other aspects like tide times, visibility, and natural marine life have to be thought about as well. While you can try painting in swimming pools, the lack of natural flora can make it uninteresting after a few times.

Try looking for locations that have clear water and where marine life is abundant. You want to set up camp in an area where you can see some fishes, plants, and other elements of the water body. While oceans are the best place to paint, you might not find great visibility, and waves can make it more challenging than painting underwater in a lake. 

2. Buying Water-Proof Supplies

You can’t paint with regular paint on a regular canvas when you’re underwater because that spells disaster! A regular canvas can completely break down once you put it in water, and the same goes for the paint. You will have to buy waterproof canvases or any other painting medium that can withstand moisture and increased water pressure. Finding the right swimwear and diving equipment is also a must when you’re planning to take up underwater painting. 

If you’re painting in an area that has a lot of movement, find tethers to hold your tools and supplies while you’re painting. It can also help in providing better stability while you’re painting.

3. Capture Motion and Fluidity 

There is a lot of movement that goes on underwater, and you should capitalize on that when you’re looking to create a truly unique painting. Whether it’s the school of fish swimming right past your eyes or the waves that you can see rippling above you. For a truly vivid painting, capture as much motion and fluidity between spaces, marine life, and water as you can.

4. Experiment With Colors and Textures

Sometimes, it feels like all you can see underwater is blue and other shades of blue. But that’s not really true. Vivid reds, vibrant greens, and electrifying yellows exist underwater too, and when you have an open mind, you won’t be opposed to experimenting with these colors either. 

Push your perspective and open your boundaries to play with colors and textures that you might not see in real life but exist in your imagination. Whether you’re adding texture through sponges, paintbrushes, or any other medium, expect it to look different once you see it out of water. 

5. Don’t Lose Patience

It can be frustrating when your underwater painting doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. But that’s okay! Nobody gets it perfect on their first try, and you have to be consistent to see real results. You might have to wait for a while before you’re able to capture the perfect moment underwater that you want to immortalize through your painting. Patience can be the difference between capturing a great and a dull moment, so definitely get used to a bit of waiting when you’re trying out underwater painting. 

6. Focus on Your Breathing

Even with diving equipment, you need to have control over your breathing to make your underwater painting sessions fun and long-lasting. If you breathe too quickly, you’ll quickly run out of oxygen before you can even finish your painting. 

Try out endurance activities like cycling when you’re out of the water to increase your lung capacity. This can do wonders when you’re underwater and lead to more success for your paintings.

While underwater painting can seem daunting the first few times, once you get used to the water pressure and find your comfort, it’s bound to be an enjoyable hobby you’ll continue for life!

Photo by Richard Segal on Pexels