Dunes

While I was working with photographs from Béal Bán, I decided to try out a view of the dunes just behind the beach.

I really wanted this one to be a "good" painting, so I spent the time doing thumbnails and trying out colour and value dominance options. Again, going back to another one of my bibles, Powerful Watercolor Landscapes, by Catherine Gill. A book more about choices than watercolour technique. But very useful. Sometimes you just need to go back to the drawing board and think before you paint. The eureka moment came when I tried a portrait composition, and decided on a light dominance.

Unlike sketching, this one was about product, rather than process. But strangely enough, having done the homework, the process turned out to be extremely enjoyable.

And, PS, I'm still playing with these yummy colours, some old (prussian blue, naples yellow), some new (buff titanium, perylene maroon), and what fun it is. Limited palette is definitely the way to go for me.