A Request from my Dad!
A lazy afternoon, as I was idling around, achan (Dad) walks to me with his phone... His whatsapp open!
"Why don't you paint something like this... The waves and the shadows..."
And, here I am...
"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, for somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid."
—Robert N. Rose
The sky is light... The sea is full of reflections... Reflection of the boat, the pink shade...
The image is a challenge for me because I have yet not mastered the lights and shadows and water is yet a mystery!
But let's give it a try...
Started off with pencil drawing of the outline keeping it as light as possible. One good thing with water colour painting is that the pencil lines can be erased off! Instead of normal pencil we can use watercolor pencil also (Thought of that later! But then if the colours are not pre-decided, as in my case, better are the normal pencils).
Next washed down the paper with water. And the result is this unevenness, more evident when put down a layer of colours. Don't know whether it's the paper or the brush or the paints that caused this effect! Anyways I hope there's nothing that can't be fixed later!
Well, the colours planned are:
I am using Brustro Water Colors that I recently bought!
For the sail, I have used Rose madder, yellow ochre. Sky is a combination of Prussian blue and cobalt blue and lemon yellow. Same for the waters. Other colours used are titanium white, burnt sienna, black.
I am using size 8 and size 16 round bristled brushes. Put down a light layer of colours and slowly building up the layers to get the shades of my liking.
Accidently I coloured the yellow sail completely. It was supposed to be ropes running down there.
Mixed a little Gouache with my colours and made an effort to correct the sail.
The yellow of the sky was an impulsive decision. Just felt that might go with the shades that I had put... Too dark! Using Brustro Gouache paints!
Tricky part... Putting the waves, the lights, shades... Totally sweated out!
So many iterations... Editing! Thank God, it's watercolor!
Last edits... Done for now!
Finally, used white Gouache for the sparkle in the water and, here's the outcome!
A little editing in Snapseed!
Of course it's no match to the original. But Dad's happy with this too!!
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
—Mark Twain,
Great American Writer
Practice practice practice. And someday, It would all turn out just like the original.
Till then ..
Keep painting... 🙏
24.08.2021
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