DAVID Webb presented a Watercolour demonstration entitled “Seascape” to Newton St Cyres Art Group on May 27.

David used Bockingford 200lb NOT which he had stretched.

A pencil sketch began the process, using artistic licence to move a rock, to improve the composition.

He likes to use a limited palette of five or six transparent colours (two each of red, blue and yellow), and mix what he needs from these. He advised us to practice drawing as much as possible.

The first very pale wash used a mix of all the colours, to produce a harmonious painting, applied with a Jackson’s Raven brush, which holds a lot of water.

He doesn’t use masking fluid, preferring to lift out with a dryish brush.

The second wash began with the sky and horizon, wetting the area first then adding Cobalt Blue on the horizon line. The sea incorporated several colours, all mixed on the wet paper.

For the mid-tones on land and rocks he used the same technique, mixing the colours on the paper. He was very careful about positioning details like plants and crevices in the rocks, and currents in the water.

The third wash added darks and shadows, especially in the foreground.

The finished painting was a delicate scene in a traditional style.

Jenny Hallam