Demonstration, West Dartmoor Art Group

Yesterday, I did a demonstration for West Dartmoor Art Group, at Peter Tavy. 'Seascape in Watercolour' was the subject, so I did this rocky coastal scene of Lundy Island.
Thank you to Dick Brown, who recorded my progress in these photos.

Demonstration for Newton Poppleford Art Society

Did a watercolour demonstration for Newton Poppleford Art Society yesterday afternoon. The theme for this one was 'Rocky Coastline' so I chose to do a seascape at Bigbury Bay, which is quite near Burgh Island... reached at high tide via sea tractor. I don't think you could get much more rocky than this bit of coastline.
Painted on a stretched half Imperial sheet of Bockingford rough.

'View from Berry Head, Torbay'

This is a view I know pretty well. Berry Head, which is what I'm standing on, is a headland at the southern tip of Torbay. It is a national nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It's also a nice place to paint.

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'Durle Stone from Berry Head'

This scene is just a few miles south from us, Berry Head being at the southern tip of Torbay. It is a very rugged part of the coastline here, with tall cliffs and lots of hidden coves. There are many views worth painting along here. I've even brought painting groups here.

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'Looking Towards Meadfoot from Hope's Nose'

Now there's a title for a painting! Well, it wasn't me who named this part of the Torbay coastline. I painted this as a demonstration for Totnes Art Society, three weeks ago. 'Seascapes' was the requested topic, so this is what I did for them. Demo' paintings are always a challenge. Just two hours, from blank canvas (paper for a watercolourist), to last brush stroke... with the all-important tea break in the middle.
I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out, particularly the ripples on the water. I began with a pencil outline, followed by a 'controlled wash'* over the whole sheet. When it was dry, the painting was finished in a series of washes.

*This term was used by the late, great Jack Merriott (1901-1968) who was a master of watercolour and oil. His book, Discovering Watercolour, is long out of print. However, there are many copies around and it can usually be found on a well-known online store for just a few pounds. For anyone who is serious about learning the art of watercolour painting, it is a must have. The controlled wash then, is achieved by working in one over-all wash across the entire surface, to create 'a nebulous atmosphere in harmony with the scene'. This is then allowed to dry completely, before finishing the painting with one or two washes working from light to dark. Turner also used this technique to great effect but, as far as I know, it was Jack Merriott who put this name to it.

'Clouds over Torcross

On another painting trip to Torcross, in South Devon, the sky was a little heavier with a few interesting clouds. The wind was up too, hence the windbreaks on the beach. Light was still good though and, after bracing my easel with a heavy rucksack, I painted this on the spot. I must admit, as someone who loves to paint light-filled subjects, I do prefer a little drama in the sky as opposed to just a flat, blue one.

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'Rocks and Water'

This demonstration painting was done during one of my 'trouble-shooting' sessions. On the final day of a course I ask my students if there is any last thing that I can demonstrate for them. On this occasion I was requested to do demonstrate water splashing against rocks. Someone else asked if I could show how to portray wet sand. Luckily, I could do both of these in the same painting.

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'Looking Towards Meadfoot'

This is one of the views, in Torbay, which is part of the South West Coastal Path. The painting was done as a demonstration to my students, during one of my painting holidays this year. I wanted to show how to paint the atmospheric feel of the bay, and to portray a feeling of distance with the headland receding into the hazy background.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/david-webb-2640 

'Saltern Cove'

  This peaceful little cove is quite near to where we live. It was a warm, hazy scene and I wanted this to come through in the painting. After drawing the outline onto a sheet of stretched paper, I diluted several colours, separately, in the wells of my palette (cobalt blue, raw sienne, raw umber & alizarin crimson).

  I then wetted the entire surface of the sheet with clean water. After allowing this to settle in, I began dropping in these colours, wet-in-wet, allowing them to mix on the paper. This inititial wash creates a very atmospheric look, which will influence any washes that are applied on top.

  Once dry, I began working from the distant headland to the foreground, with wet-on-dry washes.

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Blue Mood Wins...

Well, I took my two sketches along to Bovey Tracey Art Society with the intention of painting the 'warm' scene. I showed the sketches and explained what I was going to do and several people voiced their preference for the other sketch. What to do? I decided to ask for a show of hands and, to my surprise, the 'Blue Mood' won by a landslide. I was sure that the warmer version would win the day.
Still, I went with the crowd and did this larger version in about an hour and a half. Stopping from time to time to answer questions and pause for the, all-important, tea break.

'What Mood Am I In?'

I have a watecolour demonstration coming up later this week, for an art society. The subject is 'Rocky Seascape'. I have a reference photo to work from, of this local landmark known as 'London Bridge' (even though it's in Devon!). Although I'll be using a photo, I will not be copying it. I'll only use it as a starting point. I want to put a little of my own personality into it, otherwise there's no point to the exercise.
For both these small colour sketches (6"x6") I first applied what I like to call a 'mood wash'. The one on the left received a pre-wash of raw sienna, with a touch of Alizarin crimson. Once dry, I painted the scene with a limited palette of Raw sienna, Alizarin crimson & Cobalt blue. As you can see, the effect of the 'mood wash' was to give the painting a warm glow.
The one on the right received a pre-wash of Cobalt blue, and was then completed with a palette of Cobalt blue, Alizarin crimson & Permanent yellow light. This led to a much cooler interpretation of the scene.
Still not sure which one I will choose but, having done the colour sketches, I am more sure of the outcome(s).

'Beacon Cove, Torquay'

Rocks again! Another demo from a recent painting workshop on the subject of 'Torbay Seascapes'.
I'm fortunate enough to live quite close to some impressive coastal scenery where the rocks are a beautiful red. This painting started with an all-over wash, mixing colours on the paper, wet-in-wet. Once dry, I built the painting up in wet-on-dry washes, from light to dark.

I think the rock on the right looks like some kind of sea monster, rising from the sea.

'Boscombe Skies'

On a recent painting course in Dorset, our subject was painting sea and sky. The last time I ran such a course we had an entire week of clear blue sky. Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't have much of a problem with that. However, painting-wise, it doesn't present much interest and a week of it can be pretty dull - even if the sky is not!
This time though, we had some fantastic clouds to work with and spent a morning on the cliffs just painting the view out to sea. I painted these sketches in between helping my students with their own paintings.
You just can't beat painting skies from life. If you want to create convincing skies, grab the chance to paint them at every opportunity.

"Broadsands Beach, Paignton"

I painted this small seascape one sunny morning, back in the summer. This spot is walking distance from the house, so I carried my paints and easel down the hill, under the viaduct (built by Brunel) and onto the beach. When I arrived, about 10am, there was almost no movement in the clear, blue water. The cliffs around the Torbay area contain some beautiful colours and when they're bathed in sunlight, they take on a lovely pink colour.