Here is the development of my pencil sketch of ‘Winter Shadows’ Dun Laoghaire Harbour. You can see from here the finished painting on my shop page. This sketch took me a while to experiment on getting the right arrangement for the sun. I had to know exactly where the sun was going to be placed. It was afternoon, so if I’d placed the sun to the far left, obviously the viewer wouldn’t see the sun, and number two, it simply would be in the wrong location.
The sun is deliberately and strategically placed in the location I wanted: centre-left. Luminosity was my objective in this work! Light and colour was what I attempted to bring out. Here it’s visible and compositionally correct. The shadows play a vital role also – the elongated ‘Winter Shadows’ (hence the name) give depth and solidity to the figures and painting. The dark Victorian pier walls also play an important role, they encapsulate the whole watercolour and ‘frame’ the painting.
Sketch:Size A4.