By the sea - a water colour painting

Another seashore painting using water colour medium. This particular painting has been more of a study work in an attempt to get a better understanding of the wild weeds growing at the sandy dunes. I used a combination of fan brush, flat coarse brush and round brush.

In water colour painting, I have realised that it is all about the brushstrokes, the paper, the water content on the paper and the brush. It is a long series of experimenting. Every painting teaches something new.

For the shadows in the foliage I tried out new colour mix ie Prussian blue and orange which gives a beautiful dark shade.

For the sky I used graded wash using raw sienna and ultramarine blue.

By the sea

Water colour painting on hand made paper

Size 6"X 9"

My recent visit to Karnala Bird Sanctuary has inspired me to sketch my favourite subject "TREE " in charcoal medium. I love drawing and sketching a tree. Every tree has its individual character and personality. Trees fascinate me.

 It is a great way of doing tonal study and I enjoy creating it on a grey paper. So my next post will be a tree as seen at Karnala in the early morning hours. It will also provide me a break from my water colour medium which sometimes is so very necessary as it leads to a saturation point. 

The sunlit seashore - a water colour painting.

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016.

The new year has finally begun and its time to look back and analyse and evaluate. I have completed two years of BLOGGING and I need to write a post on the series of works that I have created and the mediums that I have explored. Will write a detailed post about it soon.

As of now I am posting yet another of my seashore paintings inspired by FLORIDA. In this particular seascape I have added a lot of warmth and since the colours of the sky always reflect on the land I have used raw sienna in the foreground as the initial layer. The light that falls on the grasses creates beautiful shadows. The footprints on the sand too add a lot of drama in the scene. Without these elements the seascape would not look so interesting and magical.

The Sunlit seashore

Water colour painting on hand made paper

Size 6" X 9"

When I started with the series on water colour seashore paintings my plan was to do a few of them and then change the subject. However I have changed my mind and I may do a few more beaches before shifting to another subject because there is a lot to learn and with every painting my knowledge and experience is adding up. 

Normally when I get into a new medium I start with landscapes, ie seashores and mountainscapes. Its much later that I jump to creating forests as the trees, the bushes, the perspective and all the greens is very very challenging. 

I believe in "TAKING ONE STEP AT A TIME" and I am doing just that.

Enjoying my art as I move on in life.

Morning at the beach

Another of my seashore paintings with reference to the beaches at Florida. I added a little warmth to the sands in the foreground before painting the shadows. The sand dunes help in creating a dramatic composition. 

Presently I am continuing to use the Camel artist's colour tubes but have plans to use my old collection of Winsor and Newton cotman colours too as some of them are drying up. Also the plan is to shift to Arches paper as it has more water holding capacity and is an acid free paper.

Morning at the beach

Water colour painting on hand made paper

Size 6"X 9"

I somehow feel comfortable painting on a common size such as 6" X 9". This kind of an arrangement helps because in future if I have to frame some of my works then I can go and buy Frames of a common size which adds to the convenience. Moreover this size is very easy to store in a Folder.

Walk to the beach - A water colour painting

The water colour painting as below is the second in the series of Florida beach paintings. My experimenting and exploring new colour mixing combination continues. In this particular painting I have used wet on wet technique in the sky using crimson, ultramarine blue and cerulean blue colour. I avoided adding clouds and wanted to keep the sky clear so as to keep the eye focused on the walk towards the ocean.

In the foreground I have made use of fan brush as well as the round brush to create the tall grasses on the sand dunes. The sand dunes have many different plants growing on it with extensive root systems.
Since I am painting lot of sand dunes in my present beach series, I decided to read a little more about it. More information about the subject that I am painting helps me to connect with it better.

Dunes play an important role both to the beaches that front them and the land behind them. Dunes act as a sand reserve for beaches. Dune systems act as a buffer between the high energy of the ocean and the land. Dunes provide a barrier to salt intrusion from high tides and storm surges, and it protects the land behind the dunes from erosion.

Courtesy: http://www.floridaocean.org/uploads/docs/blocks/175/sand-dunes.pdf

Walk to the beach

Water colour painting on hand made paper

Size 6" X  9"

The sand dunes at the seashore - A water colour painting

I finally started the Florida seashore painitngs in water colour medium after having done the water colour study works. The study works help me to follow the same technique as I applied while I was doing the small 4"X 5"painting. Most of the times it works.

The first of my Florida beaches is as below. Creating the grasses was a challenge. I used the round brush sideways dragging the colour upwards. The paint that I lifted from the palette was very dry or else it would have smudged a lot. Later I used the pointed brush to create the long blades of grass. I need to work on the sky and a few more elements and will experiment with some new techniques in my next painting. For the water colour painting below I have used Camel artist quality water colour tubes.

Sand dunes at the beach

Water colour painting on Indian hand made paper.

Size 6"X 9"

By December end I will have completed two years of blogging and a whole lot of paintings and sketchings. Blogging has got me more focused towards my art. At times I just browse through my older works and it makes me realise how one step at a time I have slowly moved forward.

I have some resolutions lined up for the coming year and will be posting about it soon

If you wish to see my creative side wherein I design some unique ethnic home decor 

products then please visit my blog www.ethnikhomedecor.blogspot.in