Background washes

Eddie had prepared a detailed sketch from a photograph of Robin Hood's Bay. Eddie prefers to work from his own photos and particularly likes painting outdoors.
He had used masking fluid for the figures and he then started the painting by wetting the sky area. Raw Sienna and then Cobalt Blue with a touch of Alizarin were used. He advised that watercolour paint dries paler by about 50%. For the grey clouds add in touch of light red to the cobalt/aliz mix.
The sand is a mix of orange and a touch of light red. The sea is same colour as sky. Eddie advised using a limited palette of colours in order to create harmony.

Enjoy a banana

The art group going bananas for Fairtrade!

Explaining a technique

Eddie used cobalt blue and light red for the cliffs, painting these in downward strokes. Whilst still damp he added in stronger tones.

For the cliff top he mixed a yellow/green and he recommended mixing your own green rather than using a ready-made green. For darker green tones add in a touch of red. The edges were softened with a clean damp brush.

The houses and pub on corner were painted with light red and a touch of raw sienna, next building along he used a yellow tone and a blue shadow colour for the background building. The roofs were painted with sand colour. Eddie built up layers of colour on the buildings to create dark shades, waiting each time until each layer was dry.

The rocks were painted with blue and raw umber and he then used a credit card to drag off rock shapes.

Painting the figures

Enjoying the moment

Finished painting

All the details now finished. Dry brush work was used for the foreground sand, cobbles and seaweed. A dark green was made with prussian blue and raw umber, this is also a good dark green for painting holly!
We all enjoyed Eddie's relaxed style and excellent technical advice. It is always a pleasure to have Eddie provide a demonstration and what a beautiful painting.