MATERIALS
• Canvas
• Coloured pencil
• Pthalo Green
• Yellow Green
• Zinc White
• Pthalo Blue
• Yellow Ochre
• #2 taklon liner brush
• #12 soft taklon liner brush
• Small liner brushes
• Soft blending brush
• Medium flat edged taklon
• Small flat edged taklon
Note: Acrylics were used for the base coat, followed by multiple layers of oil paints over the top.
Size: 2000 x 700mm
STEP ONE
I start every painting with a trip to the location I’m going to paint – to get extra photos if needed, but more so to get a feel for what I want to express through the work. Once back in the studio it usually takes a few sketches before I’m ready to do a final, all-important draft. This is the foundation of good work, and should never be rushed or skipped. Hours of work can be wasted by working on a painting that hasn’t been designed properly. Each final draft should be scrutinised with each of the elements and principles of design before moving to the canvas. I usually write a few words on top of the sketch to constantly remind me of what I’m trying to express in the work.
STEP TWO
The sketch is transferred to the canvas with a coloured pencil ready for the first layer of acrylic paint. I always do an acrylic base coat to give the semi-transparent oil paints a good foundation. My paints are thinned down to a runny yoghurt consistency so that the canvas surface remains smooth. This allows me to work in multiple layers to build up the form and structure which gives the work the illusion of depth. Here I simply want to lay down the submerged rocks and map out the different elements in the piece with correct acrylic colours.
STEP THREE
Here you can see the piece is totally covered with an acrylic base coat. The foundation is in place and I’m working with the transparent oils over the top so I can easily see where I’m going. I constantly refer to my sketch for direction, and I’ve always got reference photos in my hand or taped to the canvas while I paint. When mixing the paint, I match the colours to the photographs, and always try to enhance the colours that are not vibrant-like the browns and greys in each piece. My aim is to improve on what I see in the photograph.
STEP FOUR
Here I have covered the canvas with the first thin coat of oil colour. This rich colouring can’t be achieved without that base coat. The edges of the rocks are feathered out with a blending brush to create the illusion of being submerged. The water colour is a mix of Phlalo Green, Yellow Green and some Zinc White. In the top right I use a little Pthalo Blue to cool off that deeper water. Working with oils gives you plenty of time to blend all of these colours for a smooth finish. I let this dry overnight and then come in with those sky colour ripples over the top. This can only be done once the green backdrop has dried, and this is just the first coat of sky reflections. I lay them in with a #12 soft taklon liner brush and gently sweep the lines with a soft blending brush, while still wet, to take off the hard edges.
STEP FIVE
Here you can see the second pass of sky reflections. This is done the next day once the first round has dried, using a lighter colour blue. I’ve also begun to lay in the colours of the breaking foam and peak of the wave, which really brings the piece to life. I use a method of dabbing an old worn out brush and I’m working with a pinkish off-white colour – and gradually increase the lightness in the colour. I run the brush over the barrel of the wave and knock out any hard lines with a small blending brush. The foam can’t be rushed if you want it to look real. So get in a comfortable position, put on your favourite music, and work the area – thinking about where the sunlight will strike and where the shadows will be cast. Keep referring back to your photo. I spent around four hours working this section of the painting.
STEP SIX
The foreground pandanus palms were mapped in with pencil exactly as they were in my sketch. The beauty of having a great designed sketch is that it takes the worry out of painting – that constant voice in the back of your head asking if it’s going to work out … You know that voice right? These pandanus are blocked-in with base colours first. I generally choose the main colour of the object and then go over the top and paint the shadows and then the highlights. Workflow is an important part of painting. It’s a bit like a pro golfer as he approaches the ball – he prepares the same way each time. The pandanus (and all the other aspects and components in my paintings) are done in an order that is pre-thought out before I mix my paint.
STEP SEVEN
Here I continue to work on the pandanus – adding shadows and highlights and the branch is added with a cool flesh colour and some warm Yellow Ochre underneath to show the brightness of the sand being reflected upwards. The tops are painted with a light blue to show the sky, and it’s a matter of rolling the brush over and around, in the natural direction of the trunk. One of the keys here is to start working with a larger brush, and as you add more brushstrokes, begin to reduce the brush size – all the way down to a #2 taklon liner – adding various colours while maintaining those circular strokes.
STEP EIGHT
Here the piece is coming together as planned in the draft. I’ve tried to vary the colours in the pandanus leaves to give the foreground some more variety. At this point, I mix a variety of many greens and browns from light to dark: about 25 different natural colours for the foliage onto a large palette, and work the palm fronds and branches with small to medium flat edged taklon and small liner brushes for around two days. I add highlights and shadows to give the plants as much depth as I can. These hard, dark and light lines contrast really well against the soft blends of the water.
FINAL STEP
Here’s the final piece, and you can see I’ve added some spray back to the wave to add that sense of motion to the painting. I’ve added slithers of sunlight to the branches and fronds which emphasise their shape. There has been a few days’ worth of detailing in this piece. I think a lot of artists finish their work too early. Highly detailed work commands attention and a higher price in the marketplace.
