Artists & Illustrators — June 2017

2

Using a wash of Cobalt Blue with a little Quinacridone

Magenta, I cover the buildings and background trees,

except for the highlighted parts. I do not attempt to paint

individual buildings at this point. The key is to keep the

wash flowing by using a suitably large brush – I use the

mop, and only allow hard edges around the highlights and

at the junction with the sky and the ground.

3

Using my size 10 sable, I suggest the

specific buildings without separating

them. I try for soft connections within

and between the individual buildings,

particularly those further away. All the

colours are used to create variety. The

closer vehicles are suggested using

simple but accurate shapes, taking care

to leave some windscreens light. The sea

is repainted, not specifically to darken it

but to create the edge of the pier.

4

I add darker passages to the vehicles to

create the sides, wheels and the dark

shadow cast on the road with a mix of Cobalt

with Quinacridone Magenta or Winsor Red.

Care is taken not to completely isolate any

single vehicle. As with buildings, we see a

group, not a number of individuals. A touch

of darker wash is also added to the closer

buildings and figures, paying attention to

proportions rather than details.

5

I work the figures a bit more but try not to be too

detailed. I want them to complement the subject,

not take over. I paint the bollards with a Cobalt and

Burnt Sienna mix. The tops are left light and the right

sides painted with a darker version of the same mix,

while the left side is wet to suggest the cylindrical

shape. Winsor Red is used for the pier’s ladders.

6

This is the fun part where very little paint

is applied but the effect can be dramatic.

I add a few very dark touches to the figures

and the chains on the bollards. The

lampposts are added using my credit card

(see issue 377) and a few lines are added to

the ground to emphasise the perspective.

Finally, a little gouache is applied directly

from the tube to create highlights on the

vehicle roofs and on the figures.

Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour

paper is available at http://www.winsornewton.com/uk

RIGHT Donaghadee, W&N Professional paper,

51x36cm

Top tip

Don’t try to fix a

cauliflower. From

a mildly irritating

mistake, you will

produce a very

annoying fault

78 Graham Booth.indd 79 06/04/2017 12:46