Street Life: a step-by-step guide
Colours, shapes and details work together to create a good structure with a storyline.
After sketching out the image, I lay in the sky and block in a light
tone of the buildings using Cobalt Blue and Yellow Ochre. I take this
wash down to the canopies above the shops. I also lay in a suggested
shadow to give the direction of light.After duplicating the first stage I indicate the foreground building,
parasol and shadow using a mix of French Ultramarine and Alizarin
Crimson to represent one collective shape.Step 1 Step 2. Foreground
Shadow depicts
direction of lightBuilding, parasol and
shadow share the
same colour mixBrian depicts a sleepy
Italian hill town with
traders and their
produce. He says:
“Remember! Indicate,
do not state.“
Brian began his career
as a freelance illustrator,
then went on to choose
watercolour as his preferred
medium to work in. His
commitment to improving his
technique paid off, eventually
increasing his profile in the
fine art world with awards
from Bankside, The Mall Galleries in London, along
with RWA Bristol in recent years.
His passion for watercolour – painting architecture
and people going about their daily lives – has ledARTWORK: Brian Smith
OLD TOWN TRADERS