TRAVEL WITH MY ART #7: ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR, CROATIA

Hello dear readers! Today is time for 7th another edition of TRAVEL WITH MY ART SERIES.  I'm very excited to share this landscape/seascape painting with you because I feel that I managed to capture this location pretty well. At any rate, I have the feeling that I'm back in Zavala when I look at it, so I would say it turned out pretty well.   If you remember the idea of this series is to take you place with my art since travel is somewhat restricted these days and all that. Most of the time I will paint or illustrate places I have actually visited, but I might thrown in some surprises and share some places from my 'bucket list' as well.

 This time my art will take you to beautiful Zavala on island Hvar, a place I visited a couple of times. You can read my original posts about Zavala here and here. This place has got some amazing beaches and I couldn't resist painting one of them. I worked hard on this painting and I'm getting a lot of enjoyment from it. The medium is acrylic paints on canvas. I finished this canvas with an acrylic varnish to protect the colours and because I like the shine effect. The canvas was a gift and the acrylic paints are from royal talens (not sponsored). I will also share some photographs from to Zavala. If you want, I can make another separate post about Zavala. If that is something you would like to see, let me know in the comments. Let's get started.  

THE REFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHS I  USED TO MAKE THIS PAINTING

I used two reference photographs that I have taken myself. You can see them in this little collage bellow. That is my husband walking on the beach on both of them. The photographs were taken last spring when we visited Zavala for the first time (and I simply fell in love with it). It was a sunny day, so the quality of reference photographs was pretty good. I zoomed in a bit for my painting and framed this seascape in such a way as to enable me to focus on the waves and the sea. However, I also added some creative touches. I tried to keep close to original colours because they are so gorgeous, but my waves are a little more foamy. I kept the husband out of the painting, but I might include him in some other version. Naturally, I might paint or illustrate this gorgeous location again. 

WORK IN PROGRESS PHOTOGRAPHS- SEE THE MAKING OF THIS PAINTING!

Bellow you can see the colours I used. This canvas is quite large so I obviously used a lot of colour to cover it initially and then a lot more again because I choose to work on the details. I had to repurchase a whole new pack of acrylics for it (as you can see bellow). I worked slowly on this one, layer on layer on layer. If you remember, you actually saw a glimpse of the initial stages of this painting in this  Friday fashion illustration post back in March. I didn't really keep a strict track of time while working, but in my estimation this canvas took me about 50 hours to complete. Less than my last detailed painting of Vrboska, but still a lot of time. I would say that a detailed seascape with a lot of water movement takes about 4 hours of painting a day over the course of a few weeks to complete. It might take a lot more time if it was painted in a hyper-realistic style. I'm not sure how I would call my style but it is not typical realistic or hyper-realistic. However, being obsessed with water as I am, I might move into hyper-realism or realism eventually. You never know. Anyhow, seascapes in which you want to capture the movement of the sea are quite  time-consuming. It's a lot of work, but I love painting the sea so I don't mind it. 

On the photographs above you can see the painting slowly coming to life. Many hours spend trying to figure out how those greens and blues come together. The sea is a mighty fascinating thing. I can stare at it for hours. Bellow you can see how I'm adding more and more sea tones, more and more waves as I go along. I would say that once I added the foaming waves, I knew I was on the right track.  That is when I could visualize the final steps of this time-consuming painting. BTW Bellow you can see me adding those finishing touches (and wearing a t-shirt with my own fashion illustration design, similar ones  can be purchased here). 

THE FINAL STEPS AND THE FINISHING TOUCHES

The final stages of the painting were possibly the  hardest ones. I decided to add a light reflection of the sky on the waves. These tiny strokes enable me to connect the different parts of the sea and create a coherent looking seascape. However, they are quite time consuming. I made them using the tiniest brush I have. I even have a nickname for it, I call it 'babe'. When I lost it, I always call for it: 'Babe! Where are you, babe?' Hm, maybe I'm spending a bit too much time painting. Do you ever talk with your art supplies?

Speaking of that, this is not an art tutorial. I don't do those because I'm still experimenting with art techniques and developing them as I go. Some day when I have my art techniques all figured out, I might put together some art tutorials, but I doubt it will be anytime soon. Until then, I'll just give you an overview of my process, that might or might not be helpful. Probably not very helpful to most people. To be completely honest, sometimes I'm not sure myself as to how I achieve some effect myself. Often it is a trial and error method I'm using. Anyhow, there are millions of art teachers out there for those who want to learn more about art. Art teachers are better equipped to explain those things than me, a language teacher. I personally like learning from others and I think it helps a lot to watch good art tutorials.  We all learn differently. I admit to using trial and error method, but I also watch a lot of art tutorials. There are a lot of great art resources out there, it's just a matter of finding what works for you. As I always say, some things you need to work out for yourself, but fortunately not everything. 

It felt good to finish this canvas. The next and the final step was applying varnish. This time I used one in a spray and I'm still not sure do I prefer it to the one that comes in a bottle. I need to sit down and think about it. I don't really do detailed reviews of art supplies because I don't particularly care for it. Art supplies might be important when you have something specific in mind, but it is never too good to be too dependent on the tool. 

AFTER APPLYING VARNISH - Here is a  few more photographs of the varnish painting and we'll call it a day. 

Post update: I continued with this series and posted many more paintings inspired by certain places. In fact, in 2025 I made another painting inspired by Zavala on island Hvar.

#8 SUCURAJ, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

In the eight post in this series, I shared a canvas painting of Sucuraj. As usual, I used one of my own photographs as a reference for this acrylic painting. 

#9 MALA STINIVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

For the the ninth post in the series, I repeated a location. It must be a special location, you might be thinking and you'd be right. I'd already illustrated bay Mala Stiniva on island Hvar once, when I decided to paint it again.  

 #10 HVAR TOWN, ISLAND HVAR ( CROATIA)

My tenth painting in the series saw me returning to magical island Hvar. In the centre of this painting there is a 12.5 meters long traditional wooden fishing boat and in the background you can see Hvar town (where we first spotted this boat about a year ago). I invested a lot of time and effort into this painting. 

#11 JELSA TOWN, DANCE OF THE SAILS (CROATIA)

In my eleventh post in the series, I returned to Jelsa on island Hvar to paint a nightscape. The medium was acrylic paintings on canvas. This painting was also gifted, so it's not available for sale any more (even if the original post implies it is). This is the second night seascape I made (you can see the first one here). 

 #12 ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR, (CROATIA)

For my the twelfth post in my series, I returned to Zavala to paint another acrylic seascape canvas. I typically invest more time into my canvases, as opposed to landscapes painted in my sketchbooks. 

#13: SUCURAJ LIGHTING HOUSE, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

The thirteenth painting in the series is more of a sketch. I wasn't completely happy with it and wasn't sure where I went wrong. Maybe it was the number 13 that brought me bad luck. 

#14: BAY BRIZENICA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

In the fourteenth painting in the series, I depicted island Hvar again and this time a bay that is not widely known. 

#15 BAY LOZNA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #16 BAY VEPRINOVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

In my fifteenth post in the series, I illustrated bay Lozna on island Hvar. Another sketchbook seascape painting that turned out very satisfactory.  I worked on this painting for about two days. 

#16 BAY VEPRINOVA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

Another attempt at capturing the sea in the small frame with acrylic paints on paper.

#17 BOL, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #18 PLANINICA, (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

In my seventeenth post, I illustrated island Brač and more precisely to- Bol. 

#18 PLANINICA, (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

 Planinica hill in Bosnia and Herzegovina. You might remember this place from my numerous posts about it. Like Goranci, Planinica is only a short drive away from Mostar. If you are lucky, you might even come across semi-wild horses.  I've been meaning to paint Planinica for a long time.

#19 SUCURAJ, BOATS AT PORT, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

The nineteenth painting in the series was an ambitious acrylic canvas  that was again all about island Hvar. This time I painted boats in a harbour.

#20 BEACH SOLINE,VRBOSKA,  ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

Sometimes nothing beats a quick painting. In the twentieth post in my travelling art series, I shared a quick painting of Soline beach in Vrbovska.

#21 STARI GRAD, VIEW FROM HOTEL ARKADA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

This painting was inspired by photographs taken in April a few years ago near hotel Arkada, Stari Grad city (island Hvar). Like the last painting in my series, this acrylic painting was done on mixed media paper in  A4 format is. Therefore, it's neither a large painting nor a very detailed one.

#22 MAKARSKA BOATS  (CROATIA)

Another acrylic on paper. This time my inspiration was Makarska town in Dalmatia (Croatia).

#23 ZAVALA  BEACH PANORAMA (CROATIA) 

I have put  so much effort into this painting but I think it paid off. 

#24 ŽNJAN BEACH, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA)

This Žnjan painting was painted on plain air which was a fun experience. I remember one lady approached me to talk to me. I painted it on beach Žnjan in Split city, Croatia. I don't do a lot of painting in the open but sometimes I do venture outdoors, for example HERE.

#25 JELSA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

I used one of my own photographs as a reference. The medium was acrylic paints on mixed media paper.  

 #26 ZAVALA BEACH BAY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

This was a super quick oil pastel sketch and I liked how it turned out.

Here are more links for those who want to explore my art more. 

#27 MALA STINIVA IN SUMMER, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

This one is a little different because it's more a drawing than a painting.

  #28 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BASINA BAY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

This watercolour painting can perhaps be categorized as both destination and fashion illustration. It depicts a certain location- Basina bay on island Hvar, so you could call it a landscape or a location painting. 

#29 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BAY TORAC AT SUNSET, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) 

In the twenty- ninth post in this destination art series, I painted bay Torac using acrylic paints on canvas. As far as the making of this painting, it was a pretty standard affair. 

#30 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, VALETTA, ISLAND MALTA (MALTA) 

In my thirtieth post in my travel and destination art series, I shared an illustration that I made  for and gifted to a friend of mine who lives in Malta. The medium is  water pastels on paper. 

  #31 TRAVEL WITH MY ART : CAPE PLANKA (CROATIA)

This was a commission painting. This is a big painting! 

 #32 TRAVEL WITH MY ART: SQUICK ZAVALA SKETCH (CROATIA)

This super quick painting was another painting inspired by Zavala on island Hvar (Croatia). It is not nearly as elaborative or challenging as the last piece I shared in my destination art series. 

#33:TRAVEL WITH MY ART  LOZNA COMISSIONED, ISLAND HVAR

This seascape was another commissioned painting of bay Lozna (the second bay next to cape Kabal) on island Hvar. Some of you might remember I have already painted this gorgeous seascape location with acrylics on a A4 mixed media paper. 

#34 TRAVEL WITH MY ART BOTA SURF CENTRE, VRBOSKA, ISLAND HVAR, CROATIA

In  the thirty-forth post in this series, I painted a beautiful spot in Vrboska. I was really happy with how this one turned out. The medium was acrylic paints on paper. 

#35 TRAVEL WITH MY ART : BEACH KAMENJARA, VRBOSKA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA ) 2023 

Today I'm sharing with you an A4 acrylic seascape inspired by a photograph taken by my husband. It's a typical quick 'Ivana' seascape. Painted pretty quickly, it is not very detailed. 

#36 TRAVEL WITH MY ART A COMISSIONED CHAPEL PAINTING MOSTAR 2024

This painting took me about three months to finish for multiple reasons. 

#37  A SEAVIEW FROM A PARK (SPLIT, CROATIA)

I used my old photographs as a  reference. I took these two photograph last year while I was walking through this park.

#38 BUNA CANALS NEAR MOSTAR, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 2024

#39- STJEPAN FORTRESS BLAGAJ (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) 2024

# 40 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, A VIEW FROM MARINE LUČICA, SPLIT (CROATIA)

#41 TRAVEL WITH MY ART: SUĆURAJ LIGHTHOUSE, ISLAND HVAR

#42 TRAVEL WITH MY ART : DRVENIK, CROATIA

TRAVEL WITH MY ART #43, GHAJN TUFFIEHA BAY

For those interested, prints of this painting are available in my redbubble shop (on stickers, t-shirts, poster prints and so on). I might sell the original too. That would be all for today. I hope you have enjoyed visiting Zavala with me. As always thank you for your visits to my blog and your comments. Have a great week ahead!