I don't often paint scenes of boats or the sea, but after seeing work by Robert Brindley and Haidee-Jo Summers I was inspired. I make no claim to have the skill or talent of those two I believe you only improve if you challenge yourself by trying. A scene looking directly into the sun (centre jour) allows for a dramatic contrast and some bright sparkle on the water. It also puts objects into partial or complete silhouette which makes for simplified shapes, something a painter often considers when composing. In my watercolour here, I have used an image shot on a telephoto lens, foreshortening the yacht into a dramatic vertical motif, leaning over to give a sense of movement with a few figures on the right to balance both the vessel and my painting. The palette was kept to four colours: cerulean blue, French ultramarine, brown madder and red. A touch of white gouache was employed to pick out some highlights. Overall, I'm pleased with the painting, but would like to improve the sea, to give it more sparkle. Onwards!

Recently I tried something from Australia (via Jackson’s Art Supplies, London) called Liquid Pencil. It’s graphite powder in some sort of acrylic medium, I chose the non-reworkable but they offer a range of tints - warm>cool -and a reworkable version. I spent yesterday at Chichester making a few sketches of the cathedral with the Gamma sketchbook, Faber Castell 8B w/s pencils and the pot of liquid pencil. Thanks go to Stillman & Birn and Faber Castell USA for sending these fine gifts. Below are some of the results, one or two more successful than others.