Building Blocks

Landscape artist TOM HUGHES heads to the Devon coast to show you how to build a painting one section at a time.

The chalk cliffs at Beer in Devon and the red mudstone cliffs of Seaton beyond is a view so perfect, it almost seems engineered. I can’t think of a better coastal painting spot. It has a rare combination of elements – a view inland towards distant hills, providing aerial perspective in two distinct planes.

Rich greens are spread across wild grasses, trees and a manicured lawn. It has rich blue waters beside bright white cliffs that meet the shore in a sharp, chalk spine that catches the sun and casts a cool mauve shadow on the cliff behind it. It’s a dramatic and wonderful arrangement of shapes and textures that begs to be painted. There’s also a bench to sit on, which just rounds off the whole experience to a perfect 10. Providing the sun is out, of course – and you’ve brought along some fish and chips.

1 COMPOSE IN THIRDS

I wanted to compose this scene with the “rule of thirds” firmly in mind [see issue 405] to equally distribute sky, land and sea. I also applied the same rule horizontally, giving the chalk cliffs two-thirds of the composition, rather than half. I’ve never been that comfortable with putting a focal point in the middle of a painting, I find it just doesn’t read well.

The drawing stage for a subject such as this should be kept fairly simple, as there are a lot of masses, rather than many fine and distinct details. The curve of the shoreline was very subtle, but worth paying attention to, as angles that are just off horizontal or vertical seem to add dynamics and character to a painting.

2 SET THE TONE

I chose not to start painting with my darkest darks for this one, as I felt the most important value to establish first with this scene was the sky.