Artists & Illustrators - April 2016_

54 Artists & Illustrators

SPRING PROJECTS

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

One important consideration is the

proportion of space devoted to land

and sky – in other words, whether you

choose a high or low horizon. Often

with a landscape painting in a portrait

format the emphasis is on the sky,

allowing two-thirds for this and

one-third for the land. The sky is one

of the most important elements as it

sets the mood for the whole painting.

Composition is crucial to the

ultimate success or failure of a

painting. I always make sure any boats

are placed in accordance with the

‘rule of thirds’ – in other words, they

will always be one-third of the way in

from two of the four edges of my

painting. Often these focal points may

be narrative, or in this case where the

strongest contrasts of light and dark

are situated.

HOW TO... PICK OUT DETAILS

1

For the masts

and rigging

on the boats, use

a small rigger

brush – size 2 or

similar. To keep

your lines

straight, hold a

plastic ruler at a

slight angle and

guide the ferrule

of your brush

along its edge.

2

Build up the

texture of the

foreshore by

‘spattering’ paint

• fl icking it from a
  size 2 short fl at
  hog hair brush.
  Pay particular
  attention to the
  initial colours and
  the way they
  might infl uence
  subsequent ones.

3

‘Scumble’ the

foreground by

scrubbing a thick

mix of Pale Umber

acrylic over the

area with a 1/2”

fi lbert brush.

Multiple layers

of scumbling not

only adds depth

to the colours, but

also helps to unify

your painting.

PAINTING BOATS

Painting marine subjects when the

tide is out interests me far more

than it does at high tide, as the

foreshore can add wonderful

contrasts of colour, texture and

shapes in the painting. I also fi nd

seeing the shape of the whole boat

is far more interesting than when

the hulls are fully submerged in

the water.

Observing both objectively and

analytically is something you must

learn to do if you wish to improve

your boats. A constant checking

of proportions and making

comparisons is vital and, with

practice, soon becomes automatic.

Checking the correct angle of the

mast, cabin or bow should be the

fi rst step. Making boats sit on the

mud or fl oat on the water is another

common problem.

This is usually because the

shadows or refl ections are not

stated strongly enough, so the boats

tend to appear to fl oat in mid air.

http://www.raybalkwill.co.uk

mud or fl oat on the water is another

stated strongly enough, so the boats

TOP TIP: Good composition is not

only about arranging the various

elements within your painting, but

also about choosing what to leave out

Notice how Ray

observed the

‘rule of thirds’ and

positioned his

focal point (the

largest boat) one-

third of the way

from the edge of

the canvas

43 Spring Projects.indd 54 18/02/2016 11:32