Trapani, Sicily, Watercolour, 15" x 11"

My demo painting from my recent online workshop.  This time a night scene and based on Trapani in Sicily.  Techniques covered included:

• Composition and doing a thumbnail sketch
• The outline drawing
• My normal materials
• Laying down the first wash
• Using masking tape to preserve the white paper for the lights
• Shadows and values
• Figures and details

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/november-2020-watercolor

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms.

#watercolour #StcMill #watercolorpainting

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Only painted 3 night paintings in my life.  Very difficult to do in Watercolour in my opinion, and the trickiest decision - how to paint the bright lights on the walls of the building.  Also, you would think the buildings will be lighter than the sky?  Maybe not in some circumstances as in this scene - really just after dusk rather than the middle of the night.  I might try again but find a different way to preserve the light of the lights.

Venice. 15" x 11"

I don't normally paint night scenes.  But I thought I might give it a go.  Having no reference photos to go by, I came up with this imaginary scene of Venice.  I just had to think about the main structure of my scene first - placement of bridge, buildings and boats.  Then decide where the light was coming from, to decide light and dark values.  Then just go for it.  Not sure it worked, or maybe came out too blue.

Painted on Saunders Waterford, Cold Press, 300 gms

Rethymnon, Crete, 15" x 11"

My first attempt at a night time painting.  It's the small bus station in the town of Rethymnon in Northern Crete.  I came to the conclusion that painting a night time scene it's even more important to pick out the colours even in pitch black areas.  It would have been easy to reach for the map black and plaster that all over the place.  Instead I used neutral tint for the sky together with Ultramarine Blue.  I think next time I would make the sky lighter at the bottom, to give the impression of distant urban lighting.