Dawn, low tide on Samdsend beach

Dawn, low tide on Samdsend beach

Another from the archive.

All the way back from 2010.

It's been a long time since I did a dawn at Sandsend near Whitby, I think this could be on the cards in the next few weeks. If I remember rightly the sand ridges were a nightmare, trying not to get paint in the water. 

I'm not sure that the camera has given a faithful reproduction of the original's colour.

Chickens

Chickens

Waterfall below the bridge in Doctor's wood, Grosmont

I was just looking back through last years photo's and this one jumped out at me so I thought I'd share it.

Longniddry power station with Edinburgh's Arthurs Seat in the background

This is a commission of the now demolished Longniddry power station just outside Edinburgh. I have fond memories of windsurfing and beach parties in the area when I was a student. 

I tried to do a video of the process but hit problems getting my Android phone to talk to my Mac, I'll try again next week with my Nikon.

Phew

The lights going so I've taken the finished photo a little early.....just tweeking left to do.

My brain is a bit blown at the moment but I think I've done OK.

It's very difficult at this point from me to judge a piece, hopefully the picture fairy will come over night and sprinkle her magic picture dust.... I don't know where I'd be without her help.

A woodland study from scratch

I usually start with a very simple sketch just so that I can get a mental picture of where I'm headed. With this one I was wanting to draw the on looker in both with composition and colour. So the intention was to have dark cool greens in the foreground and shadows leading the eye up to the little clump of trees. In order to capture the vibrancy of spring time greens I wanted a grey background with quite a lot of purple in it.

First step was to put in the sky with the sun behind the clump of trees.

Now for the greys, there is a river off to the left so I've lightened the grey down there.

I've started stealing the grey paint from the background to take the tree branches up into the sky and warmed up the branches in the sunlit portion.

Now for more shadow and I've started defining the distant trees as well as putting the river in. I've also very carefully added some very grey greens. 

With the background complete it's time to get bold and put the foreground shadows in. Colour wise I'm using Winsor green, burnt sienna and purple, this will hopefully blend well with the greens to come.

It's going GREEN, make or break time. To keep the green realistic I'm putting in large anounts of burnt sienna and purple for the dark stuff. For the light I'm mixing lemon yellow, cadmium yellow, emerald green, cadmium green and lots of white.

Trees....time for lunch so I can stand back and come in clean for the final push.

Will post later to hopefully show off.

Request for small ones

In response to a request to see some small paintings I've put these up into the ether.

Evening study looking towards Sandsend from Whitby beach.

Holy island

Waves at Boggle Hole, Robin Hood's Bay

Sun setting over from Sandsend beach

Dawn , Sandsend beach

Great Fryupdale head

This morning I decided to see whether Great Fryupdale would work on a squarish canvas, I'm undecided at the mo. 

And before you ask the name is not after the breakfast but rather the goddess Freya (Freyja) 

This lovely view is on the coast to coast trail.

Two little woodland studies

Just a couple of sketches from yesterday

Springtime in Grosmont Woods

This is last weeks effort, I'm just tidying up before taking it to the Look Gallery in Helmsley. It's a little early for greenery but it was a request.

Two Edinburgh sketches

Just back from a little trip to Edinburgh, although it's very beautiful I find it a very hard city to paint as all the buildings are so high, I much prefer to be out in the open under a big sky.

This is of the old power station at Longniddry, it's no longer there but I have a deep affection for this scene as it was possibly the first water colour landscape I ever painted at the tender age of 21.

Some Lake district pictures from last year.

These are the product of a little escape to the Lakes in the Land Rover. I can't wait to get the roof tent out of the garage again. It is a bit of an insane way of doing the campervan thing but a lot of fun

 Great Langdale, from near Stickle Barn

 Over looking Great Langdale

Stream above New Dungeon Ghyll

Skelder woods

Autumn, beech trees, Skelder woods