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Project 16 – Robin Hoods Bay

Here is a view of the beautiful village of Robin Hoods bay in Yorkshire taken from the beach.
 

Essential Supplies

The items you will need to complete this scene are as follows:-

Watercolour Paint

Hooker’s Green
Yellow Ochre
Alizarin Crimson
Burnt Sienna
Charles Evans Sand
Charles Evans British Sea
Light Red
Raw Umber
Cobalt Blue

Brushes
 
1.5″ Wash brush
3/4″ Wash brush
No.8 Round
No.3 Rigger
 

Step 1 :

The first image you will see me outline drawing and the sky wash. It’s a very simple outline and the sky wash was done using my 1.5” wash brush with yellow at the base followed by cobalt blue and simply suck out my clouds in the normal way then drop in with a tiny touch of cobalt blue and alizarin crimson so its just virgin on purple but a very soft warm colour for my cloud shadow.

Step 2 :
 
For my cliff face which is a very important part of this painting, I firstly use yellow ochre followed by a little bit of raw umber both of these colours well watered down. Whilst this is drying I have done the top part of the grassy area using yellow ochre and hookers green mixed, making sure that again I am keeping this weak, but also dragging a little bit of it down into the rock itself.

Step 3 :

Once these washes have dried the important bit of this cliff face is the shadow that you add. For this I use cobalt blue alizarin crimson and a touch of burnt sienna, its kind of a dark plum colour, Make sure that your shadow varies in depth, stronger here, weaker there. All of this as well as painting the cliff face itself was done with my No 8 round brush.

Step 4 :

Now its time to start on the buildings and for these I have used raw umber stronger to one side, than to the other side (in other words more water in the weaker areas) this is all dependant on where you want your light tot come from.

At the same time I have filled in some of the roofs using burnt sienna. Again some weaker and some stronger with addition of more water and again I have used my No 8 round brush. But notice I haven’t filled in the windows yet, and also some of the buildings I’ve left as simply white paper.

Step 5 :

The next stage again with my No 8 round brush is to paint the shadowed side of those white buildings, and for this I have used a mixture of cobalt blue with a tiny touch of light red. I have also used the same mixture but slighter darker for all the windows that I have painted now.

For the main white building in the distance on top of the sea wall (which incidentally is a very nice pub) You will notice that I have also painted the roof a different colour to the other roofs and for this I have used cobalt blue and burnt sienna. Notice that here and there on the brown buildings I have put bits of shadow and again I am used that same plumy shadow colour. For the sea wall firstly raw umber, once dried a few touches of raw umber mixed with cobalt blue for a few details.

Step 6 :

Now we are getting closer and things are getting a little bit stronger. For the bushes and gorse going up the little hillside I have used mixtures of hookers green and yellow ochre followed by hookers green and burnt sienna then whilst it was all still wet drop in a little bit of my cobalt blue here and there.

For my rocks in the foreground I have used the Charles Evans sand colour followed by a little bit of raw umber simply splash these colours on don’t, fiddle around. Then scrape off them off with the corner of my credit card to give my rocks.

Step 7 :

For my sea I have used the Charles Evans British Sea paint (all of these sea and sand colours you can buy from the eshop). Notice that when I have painted the sea in using my ¾ inch wash brush I have left a few white bits. Some of these are for the waves and also that big lump in the middle which is going to be rocks going out into the sea.
For the beach I have used the Charles Evans Sand colour again with my ¾ inch wash brush just simply bash it on and then put a bit of yellow ochre on top of it here and there.

Step 8 :

To finish is off I have gone back into the sea again with my ¾ inch wash brush and add a little bit of the Charles Evans British sea colour but slightly stronger than before. A few touches of this here and there under the white waves will give it a little bit more movement.
For the rocks in the foreground and going out into the sea I have again used the sand but on top of this a little bit of raw umber and a little bit of cobalt blue mixed with burnt sienna for dark areas. Scrape off a little bit with my credit card to give some shape. Then drop in a little bit of my shadow colour once the whole lot has dried to give a little bit of dark shadow here and there. I have use these same colours for a few lumps and bumps on the beach. The figure in the middle distance, to be quite honest, you could paint this person in any colours that you want, it depends on what clothing they have on, the only important thing is the flesh tone. For this I have used yellow ochre, with a tiny touch of alizarin crimson mixed in and a pinhead of ultra marine blue. Plenty of water and there is your flesh tone. Don’t forget to tie that figure down to the ground with a little bit shadow.