Leisure Painter — June 2017

44 JUNE 2017 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

Soft pastel

Step 4 Base colour

For the sea and beach, initially give the paper a layer of

dark Prussian blue using a harder pastel and finishing with

Additional 49 soft pastel (I used Unison). Apply enough to

give the paper a darker depth, but not too much as you want

to add all the other beach colours. Remember all the time

where the light areas are going to be then limit the amount

of pastel you put in those areas.

t

Step 1 Begin with the sky

1 Make a quick sketch with a light coloured pastel

pencil, just to establish the position of the horizon line.

2 Using the side of the pastel, create an underpainting of base

colours by introducing blues, blue greys, turquoise and Prussian

blue. Make sure you leave clear the area where the warmer

colours are going to be, as it’s always difficult to add light over

dark. Make the most of this micro-abrasive surface primer by

adding multiple light layers of pastel to create wonderful mixes

of colour and light. Take good note of how much pastel you

put on the paper. Remember, less is more.

t

Step 2 Layering colour

Apply and mix various blues, purples and

warmer colours into the sky then connect the

colours together. The dark Prussian blue clouds,

t

for instance, contain sky blues, purples, reds and

oranges.

2 After completing the darker layers of pastel, add the

warmth in the sky, beginning with deep orange reds and

oranges. Again, take note of how

much pastel you put on the paper.

3 Try to catch the tooth of

the paper lightly with an

ever-changing palette of reds,

oranges and cyans in a loose

and erratic manner. Remember

where the light source is coming

from and where it needs to be.

Step 3 Finishing the sky

1 Finally, bring the sky to

life with soft yellows along

with beautiful soft oranges

and rich reds.

2 Blending is a wonderful

technique, especially for

creating weather effects,

such as mist, fog, snow and

clouds, but you need to control

it. Ask yourself how much

blending do you need to

do here before you begin.

t

tYour reference photographs for this painting

Demonstrationcontinued

LP06 42-45 Darlow_Layout 1 05/04/2017 14:52 Page 44