Rocky Maine Beaches

The Schoodic Peninsula is the only part of Acadia National Park that’s on the mainland. It’s famous for rocky cliffs and crashing waves, but on the day we visited in June, the tide was on its way out and things were fairly calm. 

It was still beautiful. I mean, how can you complain about a scene like this? 

That's Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park across the water

We drove the park loop road and took a little hike through the woods to get to the cliffs where we practically had the place to ourselves. We walked around, snapped photos, and soaked up the views, but before we headed back to the car, I decided to take a few minutes to add a page to my “What I Love About Maine” sketchbook.

I’m obsessed with the rocky beaches in Maine. It’s so fascinating to me to walk around looking at the huge variety of colors, textures, sizes, and shapes of the rocks. On a single beach, like the one where I did my sketch, there can be big slabs of cool grey or warm yellowish stone, large boulders in shades of blue-grey, rust, and tan, and smaller pebbles in colors ranging from white to pink to black.

Can you find the sketcher?

It seems impossible that they all somehow ended up in the same place. 

Anyway, on this particular day, I found a spot that included rough, craggy rocks, smooth rounded boulders, and a mix of little pebbles. It was the perfect place to do a rocky beach sketch for my journal.

Ink & watercolor in an 8-1/4" x 5-3/4" Etchr Perfect Sketchbook

To begin the page, I tore strips of blue painter’s tape down the middle and pressed them onto the paper, rough side toward the center, to give a ragged edge to the outside of my image. 

I did more line work than usual with my Sailor Fude fountain pen, adding hatched lines to indicate shading on the boulders.

When it came time to draw the expanse of smaller stones, I had to decide how much information was really needed to read as a pebbly beach. I knew I couldn’t draw every pebble!

So, I drew a few small random-sized stones and made sure to vary the spacing between them. When I added color to that area later, I painted more pebbles using a round brush then spattered paint at the end to suggest texture. 

I was able to complete the drawing on location, thanks to the unflagging support and patience of my friends and mother. 

They managed to keep themselves occupied while I captured a memory…

When you travel with a sketcher, it's always good to have some reading material at hand!

I painted the sketch that evening back at our friends’ house in Surry, sitting out on the deck, enjoying the views across the water to Mt. Desert Island. 

After finishing the painting, I removed the painter’s tape to reveal a wide white border with intentionally rough edges around the image. I think it’s a fitting design element for a sketch of rough, textured rocks.

I chose light and airy lettering styles to place in the wide white space, so the title and text wouldn’t draw attention away from the painting. (The font used for “Rocky Beaches” is Caviar Dreams; “Schoodic Peninsula – Winterport, Maine” was done in a style called Autography.)

I’ve wanted to see the Schoodic Peninsula for years and am so glad I finally had a chance to spend a day there with my friends. When I’m traveling with companions, it isn’t easy to ask everyone to wait while I dash off a drawing, but I’ve found that, more often than not, people are happy to relax for a few minutes while I take the time to do what’s important to me. Give it a try – you might be surprised how supportive your friends and family are. 

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15 Comments

  • Hi Leslie!
    Loved this post. We are headed 🤞to Acadia in September for the first time. Will definitely be bringing my sketchbook, and possibly check out this spot.
    Thanks for all the info here, and in all of your posts!

    Reply
    • September is a great time to be in Maine. I went one year in September with a group of painting friends, and the weather was perfect the entire time. The air was so crisp and clear, it made me feel lucky to be alive!

      Reply
  • Thanks so much Leslie for this beautiful post. I am originally from Lubec Maine which is down east. I haven’t been home for 5 years and will be leaving this Thursday to go back. My family have told me i’s been a beautiful summer this year. I’m going on a whale watch and am excited about that. Thank you again Leslie, your posts are always so uplifting!

    Reply
    • You must be so excited to be going back home. Have a wonderful time, and I hope you see some whales!

      Reply
  • Hi Leslie,
    I have photos of this same view. My husband and I were there in October of 2016. We were the only people on the beach. Your pictures brought back some fond memories.
    When we went it was at a time I was strictly doing photography on trips. I hadn’t yet put together a watercolor and sketching kit since I had just started my adventures in watercolor.
    Thanks for the memories.

    Reply
    • I love being in Maine in the fall. The air is so crisp and clean, and the tourists have all gone home. I’ll bet you got some beautiful pictures.

      Reply
  • I think you might have far better luck with your family waiting than mine — but the end is well worth the wait!

    Reply
    • It’s harder to squeeze in time when we’re with the grandkids, but after we met up with them on this Maine trip, we had a couple of mornings on the porch where I set them up with their sketchbooks, and we all painted together. I did manage to finish up one or two sketches that way. Another day, we went to Birch Point State Park, and I sketched while mom and dad played with the kids in the water. It was nice, because I could still see what they were doing, but I had a chance to do what I enjoy, too. I think the secret is to always be on the lookout for opportunities, and have a sketch kit available, so you can take advantage of those moments that pop up when you can draw.

      Reply
  • Schoodic Point is my absolute favorite part of Acadia. I’ve recently moved to Maine and so I’m only about an hour away from there. I was there yesterday and thinking about painting the different colors of the rocks. I’m also taking photos of the crashing waves ( I must have about 100 of the same scenes over the years!) One day I’ll get a good wave painting! It’s a wonderful spot to just sit and watch and listen.

    Reply
  • I feel like I’ve been to that very spot where you painted! It’s such a lovely area. I’m looking forward to my next trip back there!

    Reply
  • Hi Leslie, I discovered your website a few weeks ago and I absolutely love your work. I looked through your journals and read your tutorials and and got excited about creating a travel journal of my own. Since my next trip is not for another 6 weeks I started painting my life in the Netherlands, where I am currently living. I have been painting daily and haven’t felt this inspired in years. I have learned so much from you already, such as how to transfer fonts, or how to create beautiful borders. Thank you so much for giving me back my painting mojo, and I hope to join you on one of your European workshops one day!

    Reply
    • Hi Melanie – It makes me so happy to know that you’ve discovered watercolor journaling and are loving it. I’m glad you found my website valuable in helping you get started. Be sure to take a look at my workshops for 2023 – maybe we can meet up in Belgium, Italy, or Croatia. The painting trips are so much fun, and one of my favorite things about them is being with other sketchers and being inspired by all the energy and creativity. Have fun sketching, and enjoy your upcoming trip!

      Reply

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I’m Leslie. A painter, teacher, and lover of all things creative. A sketchbook artist who captures everyday life on the pages of my illustrated journals. I love sharing, connecting, and encouraging people to find their creative voice through sketchbook journaling. Read more about me, my art, and my life HERE.

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