MATERIALS
I use good quality canvas that is pre-gessoed and stretched by a professional framer! I no longer purchase pre-cut stretcher bars due to the fact that they still seem to warp when stretching a large canvas and they limit me for size choice.
On receiving my stretched canvas I apply a final coat of gesso to ensure the surface is as smooth as possible.
I tend to use round brushes rather than flat ones and stick with my old favourites for years!! They vary in sizes from #0 to #12. Of course I use much larger brushes to block in the colour of the sky and the water and sand in the very beginning. A flattish 25mm synthetic brush is perfect for this.
Occasionally I will use a Filbert brush for edges and tight areas which gives a rounded look to a flat stroke.
My favourite paint colours are:
• Atelier
• Naples Yellow
• Cobalt Turquoise Light Hue
• French Ultramarine Blue
• Pthalo Blue
• Raw Umber
• Titanium White
• Brilliant Magenta
• Liquitex
• Light Blue Permanent
• Cerulean Blue Hue
• Brilliant Blue
• Jo Sonya’s Prussian Blue Hue
• Matisse Primary Blue
STEP ONE
Blocking in the sky! I normally do at least three or four coats of the sky before I am satisfied!
A great sky will normally be quite light in blue on the horizon and gradually incorporate more and more purples (I add French Ultramarine Blue) to achieve a deep blue/purple at the top of the piece.
STEP TWO
My second image is a picture of my sketch book which shows how I tape together the photos that I take (sometimes four to six of them), and work out the framing of the actual piece. Generally I work toward having one-third of the painting as sky.
STEP THREE
This shows how I have drawn in the vanishing points (x2) that give the work perspective or depth. I use these perspective lines like a map or a grid to help me plot the exact points on the canvas using a calculator and measuring tape.
STEP FOUR
I’m gradually achieving the tonal range in the sky – it takes many coats of blue and careful working of them together, blending them with horizon or sometimes cross hatch style brushstrokes so that the sky looks as natural as possible.
STEP FIVE
This is blocking in the colour in the water – even at this early stage the mauve of the very shallow water hitting the sand is evident. I often find myself squinting my eyes to try to simplify which colours I am looking at.
STEP SIX
Perspective lines are then drawn up to match those from the photo image that I am working from. This way I achieve a truer likeness.
STEPS SEVEN & EIGHT
Directional lines in the water are starting to take shape.
STEPS NINE & TEN
Highlights and shade are starting to appear in the waves in the water.
STEPS ELEVEN TO FOURTEEN
Sometimes I find myself washing over highlighted areas to make them more subtle, then highlighting them once again because they need to jump out. It is a balancing act that is filled with frustration and sometimes hours of two steps forward and one step back … before things start to really do justice to the original picture.
STEP FIFTEEN
In this shot it becomes evident that the work is coming together – finally!! The right balance of subtlety and movement in the water. Here an aqua coloured wash is applied over the water and in parts worked back with a damp cloth to suggest areas of more translucency.
STEP SIXTEEN
Finally a wash of sand colour to slowly blend the mauve of wet sand closer to the horizon gives me the subtle platform I need to begin pencilling in the detail of the horizon line with the Norfolk pines and buildings, masts of yachts, and a suggestion of the Fremantle Maritime Museum. Once I am confident that this is all to scale I paint it in with a fine brush and mostly Raw Umber coloured paint.
STEPS EIGHTEEN & NINETEEN
Working the clouds in gives a greater illusion of depth to the sky too. In this example I have not represented the clouds as densely as in the photograph.But the shape I have worked with seems to balance the piece nicely.
FINAL STEP
The finished product! Phew! A long road but worth it! Once I have professional photos taken I will paint the edges of the canvas in Prussian Blue Hue and coat the piece twice in Matisse’s Polymer Satin Varnish.
