My next painting project is a seascape in oil paint and the first step is a value sketch. I am going to work from photos I took near Beavertail Light in Rhode Island. The shore is very rocky there, it almost looks like the Maine coast. I have a few nice photos of waves breaking near the rocks. My rough sketch shown here I did in black and grey marker. I wanted to establish the basic values of the painting to see if the composition worked. The long breaking wave with the curl and spray will be the focal point. It has beautiful green color under the curl of the wave. I pay attention to the light source and the shadows. There are dark wet rocks in the foreground and foam from the breaker. My next step will be a color sketch done in oil but painted quickly. I will take the time to do this value sketch to decide on the colors I will use for the painting. I will have the next step in a couple days.