Quiet Ocean · Plate 43 of 45

Shipwreck bow color reference

When a ship sinks, its hull can slowly become an artificial reef. Corals, sponges and seaweed settle on the metal or wood, and fish move in to shelter. Divers visit many old wrecks for this reason.

Colors to reach for

Use weathered gray-brown for the wooden planks, muted green for the growth on them, and deep blue for the water around the wreck.

• warm gray
• brown
• olive green
• navy blue
• teal

How to color the shipwreck bow, step by step

1. Read the gray shading guide first. It already marks where the shipwreck bow is darkest, so the shadows are mapped before you pick up a pencil.
2. Lay a light first layer of warm gray and brown over the largest areas, with soft pressure and small circles, letting the gray show through.
3. Build depth with olive green and navy blue, going over the gray areas a second and third time until they read as shadow and form.
4. Finish with teal for the smallest details and highlights, then step back and compare with the color reference above.

Questions about this page

What colors do I need to color the shipwreck bow?

Start with warm gray, brown, olive green, navy blue and teal. Use weathered gray-brown for the wooden planks, muted green for the growth on them, and deep blue for the water around the wreck.

Where is the shipwreck bow in Quiet Ocean?

It is plate 43 of 45 in Quiet Ocean. Like every Nibfern drawing it is printed on one side of the page, with a light gray shading guide under the lines and a dotted cut line at the spine.

Can I frame the shipwreck bow page?

Yes. Cut along the dotted line and trim to the corner marks for a 7 x 9 inch print that fits a standard 8 x 10 frame.

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• Leafy sea dragonQuiet Ocean, plate 1
• SeahorseQuiet Ocean, plate 2
• LionfishQuiet Ocean, plate 3

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