http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistMarch 2020 25
PRACTICAL
p Oicina Municipal de Turismo de Granada,
gouache and acrylic, 7 3 10in (18 3 25.5cm).
The mid-afternoon light created wonderful
cast shadows on this building. I drew this out
with a pencil and ruler and went over it in
the pen. I made a wash of my two favourite
darks, French ultramarine and alizarin. The
light areas of wall are French ultramarine and
a cool white; at the base I used cadmium red
and a warm white – about 80/20. Next the
tree was painted in about three shades of
green: dull, duller and grey. My Caran D’Ache
box has a pleasant mid-green that I mixed
with cadmium red or French ultramarine to
warm or cool it according to the light source.
Finally I added some very dark accents
and some highlights. I like to apply a small
amount of black gouache – as under the arch- which sets my other darks apart as being
more colourful
u Hotel Reina Cristina, Granada, gouache
and acrylic, 7 3 10in (18 3 25.5cm).
This may look complex but I simply focused
on applying thin darks, followed by juicy
lights. The shadows moved quickly so I gave
myself an hour to complete the painting. The
sky is warm and dark: French ultramarine
and white. The dark shadow areas are French
ultramarine and alizarin, which does make
the painting a little too purple but it’s a go-to
combination I’m loath to change. All the dark
areas were washed with the same 2in lat
brush. Its sharp edge makes for speedy line
painting. The light-struck walls are cadmium
red and white in a variety of combinations