Sketch to Canvas: Painting a Peaceful Marina View (With Reference Photo)

There are moments you don’t mean to hold onto, but they stay with you anyway. This marina scene was one of those moments for me. I sketched it quickly from the boat while looking across the water at the little row of restaurants along the docks. The sounds of the gulls, the soft rocking of the water, and the reflections dancing on the surface made the whole scene feel alive — and I knew one day I’d paint it.

A few weeks later, while flipping through my sketchbook, I stopped on that simple drawing and felt that spark again. So I decided to turn it into a full painting — slowly, intentionally, and in real time.

Reference Photo