72 Artists & Illustrators
DEMO
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Once everything is covered, step
back and soak it in. This is
probably the most interesting stage
of the entire painting. Let it fire your
imagination and try to picture how
this process may be used for
other subjects.4
Still using the same large brush,
add lighter tints and begin
organising the forms. If you’re using
acrylic, you may want to allow layers
to dry before moving forward as it can
then be easier to remove mistakes
with a damp tissue.5
As you define certain shapes, use
colours already implied elsewhere
to create some consistency. In the
case of the windows, I shaped them
using the blues found in the water.
This links the painting together.6
Add order to the scene with
stronger lights and darks.
I shaped the tops of the buildings
and water with a light blue mix, lemon
tints, and strong edges to create
borders. These are underplayed
to let colours interact.7
Creamier tints pull forward
individual buildings and make
great reflections. If you began with
large quantities of acrylic, avoid
layering it for the sake of it – just look
for the essential marks to articulate
the features of your subject.8
I used a 1” brush to strengthen up
the tones and highlights, with
reds added to the foreground boat.
There’s still plenty of early chaos on
show and it only requires a few sharp
edges to crystallise the forms.9
The purpose of this exercise is to
see potential and with anything
that does not rely on a photographic
finish it’s a good idea to reflect on the
painting a few days later.