Can You Really Paint a Whale Scene in 10 Minutes? My Honest Experience

Lately, I've been challenging myself to follow different acrylic painting tutorials to improve my skills. It's been a fun way to experiment, learn new techniques, and push myself outside my comfort zone without feeling like every painting has to be a masterpiece.

This time, I decided to tackle an underwater whale scene from the Stay Creative Painting YouTube channel.

The title promised a 10-minute painting.

My experience?

Well... let's talk about that.

The Painting Starts Before the Video Does

One of the first things I noticed about the tutorial is that it jumps straight into painting.

The sketch is already finished.

The paint is already mixed.

The brushes are ready.

By the time the video starts, all the preparations have already been done.

For someone following along at home, that's a pretty important detail.

Before I could even pick up a paintbrush, I needed to sketch the whale and underwater scene onto my canvas. Thankfully, it wasn't a particularly complicated drawing, but it still took me somewhere between five and ten minutes.

So, before the "10-minute painting" had even begun...

...I was already ten minutes in.

A Simple Color Palette

One thing I really liked about this tutorial was how few paints it required.

The entire painting was created using just three colors:

• Mars Black
• Titanium White
• Aquamarine Blue

That's one reason I've been enjoying these tutorials so much lately. Limited palettes force you to mix your own colors rather than relying on dozens of paint tubes.

It keeps the workspace cleaner, saves money, and teaches valuable color-mixing skills.

Mixing Takes Time

Another thing the tutorial doesn't really show is the paint mixing.

Throughout the painting, the artist uses numerous shades ranging from nearly white to deep blue-black.

Those colors don't magically appear.

They all have to be mixed before—or during—the painting process.

That means creating multiple values of the same blue so you can gradually build light, depth, and shadow throughout the underwater scene.

Again, it's not a criticism of the tutorial. It's just another reminder that there's more happening behind the scenes than the runtime suggests.

Building the Light

The painting begins by laying down the lightest color first.

This establishes both the background and the direction of the light source filtering through the water.

I really liked this approach.

Instead of trying to add light later, the brightest area is established from the very beginning, making it much easier to build darker values around it.

It's a simple technique, but one I'll definitely be using again.

My Whale Needed Some Help

I'll admit something.

I should have used a reference photo for the whale.

Instead, I tried sketching it from memory.

Let's just say...

Marine biologists probably wouldn't be impressed.

The whale looked a little strange compared to the reference painting, and that's entirely on me. Sometimes I convince myself I know what something looks like until I actually have to draw it.

Reference photos exist for a reason.

Lesson learned.

Did It Actually Take 10 Minutes?

Not even close.

For me, the entire project took about two hours.

That includes:

• Sketching the composition
• Mixing the paint
• Following the tutorial
• Making corrections
• Adding extra details near the end

Honestly, though, I don't think that's a bad thing.

The actual painting process wasn't slow because the tutorial was difficult.

It was slow because I was learning.

Every pause gave me time to compare my work to the instructor's and think about what I should do next.

Learning About Depth

As I worked through the painting, I started noticing something.

Mine looked...

Flat.

The instructor's version had a wonderful sense of depth. The whale felt like it was swimming through water.

Mine looked more like it was floating on top of the background.

After studying both paintings, I think I figured out one reason.

My background values were too dark.

Instead of fading softly into the distance, many of my background elements competed with the foreground for attention. Because the values were too similar, the illusion of distance disappeared.

Value strikes again.

It seems like every painting teaches me that value is even more important than color.

Trying to Rescue the Painting

Once I realized the painting wasn't as dimensional as I wanted, I started experimenting.

I added:

• More highlights
• Deeper shadows
• Additional white
• Darker accents

Little by little, the painting improved.

Did it ever quite match the tutorial?

No.

But it definitely became stronger than it was when I first noticed the problem.

Sometimes that's all you can ask for.

A Great At-Home Painting Activity

One thing I really appreciated about this project was how relaxing it was.

Even though it took me around two hours instead of ten minutes, that's still about the same amount of time as a typical paint-and-sip event.

If you're looking for something creative to do at home—especially on a rainy weekend or a quiet evening—these kinds of tutorials are a great option.

You don't need a huge collection of supplies.

You don't need years of experience.

You just need a willingness to learn.

Final Thoughts

Despite taking much longer than advertised, I genuinely enjoyed painting this underwater whale scene.

The limited color palette made it approachable.

The techniques taught me more about light and value.

And, perhaps most importantly, it reminded me that progress doesn't happen by painting perfect pictures.

It happens by painting imperfect ones, learning from them, and trying again.

Will I follow more of these "10-minute painting" tutorials?

Absolutely.

Even if it takes me two hours.

Every finished canvas teaches me something new, and that's exactly why I keep coming back for the next challenge.

Have you ever followed a painting tutorial that took much longer than expected? Or have you tried creating an underwater scene yourself? I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments.

Until next time, stay spooky, keep creating, and never be afraid to dive into a new artistic challenge. 🎨🐋🌊👻