Painting Beach Scenes 2 of 5
Here are some clear examples where you can see me using the opposites in the colour circle to gain an effect of light and time of day. Not only do the "broken colour" brush strokes fool the eye into seeing mixed colours, but the effect is to make a much brighter and more vibrant painting! You may also make the brush strokes swirl or take a direction that can emphasise perspective as I do later - in the painting under unusual view points. See the sky as the strokes lead the eye into the horizon?
Not just the hottest times but also hazy atmospheric moments. Remember that images also play a very important part in subconsciously adding to mood. The angle, movement, presentation of figures – are they relaxed or playing? So often I have seen artists with a syle that they keep safely to and wherever they paint - whether in England or Itally - their palette remains the same and also the light! I was bemused by some local artists in the Caribbean, where there is wonderful light and colour, who copied a horrible victorian watercolour method and palette. It was dead and had nothing to do with the wonderful local vibrance! You will see a pastel over acrylic ink that I did on these sheets that I feel does attempt to do justice to Barbados!
The paintings above are all worked from UK photographs; the next scenes using broken colour are all from New Zealand. Note the difference in the final one which has been taken far further into the abstract? Almost, just an effect of shimmering light over the beach. In the oil, below left, I enjoyed using an unusual grey that you may also wish to try out? Mix alizarin crimson with viridian, it makes a very useful grey for skies, but is not recomended in watercolour.
Of course you may wish to make the painting more figurative yet remain using broken colour, perhaps more gently? As you see in these paintings below I am still using broken colour and opposites in the colour circle as well as warms against cools, as with the fishermen? We do not require flourescent paint to paint a flourescent coat - it can be done by surrounding colours, tones and usr of complimentory colours.
Composition is vital; using a camera, it’s fun to take unusual viewpoints as well. We are always playing a balance between the figurative and the abstract. You are the artist, the boss, the creator, not your material. Change things as you feel, not just because you cannot do something, but in fact because you can! If you look at Constable’s "Hay Wain", in reality many of the trees still exist, but are not in the same positions he painted! No, they have not moved! He moved them in his work to suit his wishes. Hardly anyone is going to come up to you and say "hey, that tree is two feet to the left". It is the final painting that matters; change things if you want. BUT: don’t do a bad drawing or change things simply because you cannot get it right!
We have already looked at ways photographs may be joined together, but it’s also fun to add figures and groups together in a composition, here below left, is a painting joining up four different sets of figures from separate photos. The donkeys were also added into the scene, right.
Here are some unusual viewpoints? It is called foreshortened form. low view points, as below riight, can also be useful.
Nor do you have to always paint in a rectangle, framing is easier that way, yes, but circles or squares are equally fun.
