Clouds seem to be the order of the day , it has not stopped raining at all and we seem to just have one grey day after another. I think the light levels and the weather affect us more than we realise, but I use my art to help me negotiate these grey winter months, why not have a go at this relatively simple painting.
Today the sea is in my mind, we don't live too far from the Devon coast, but it still feels like a treat to me to see the sea, this is an imagined piece, but inspired by the sea
So here is how I painted my piece of a couple walking on a beach as the sun begins to go down and all is well with the world.
First I sketch the scene in my mind
Then I wet the whole paper with water, using my biggest brush.
Then I use a mixture of yellow ochre, with a touch of cad red to give the whole scene a warm glow.
I dried it this way round so it dried without puddles on the paper.
Next I want to hint at distant headlands, first in a pale blue and cad red wash
Then we get a touch darker but I want it to fade to nothing on the right.
The last headland is just a touch darker, don't paint the next one till the one before is dry or it will all merge together.
Next I move down the paper, hinting at the sea, using mainly indigo, and adding more yellow ochre and cad red as I go.
Now the blues are getting darker.
And I begin adding definition to the waves.
And darker, using strong indigo to define the waves rolling in.
Finally come the people in very dark indigo, and don't forget their shadows in the wet sand.
I can dry my painting outside to forget about it for a while and let it dry naturally .
So now it is dry I just add a few dots and splatters , step back and check if I need to make any alterations and my scene is done. A simple scene using just 3 or 4 colours, oh to go for a paddle now x
