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On to the Finish with Carrbridge!

3/2/2021

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When we last looked at this painting we had completed the background. Now to crack on with the bridge and foreground!

The most important element with the bridge and the foreground on the right is to maintain the light - so the first step to completing these elements is a very light wash to apply some colour without applying 'darkness'. The rock of the bridge, in real life, is a flat grey colour. This won't work in the painting, so to suggest warm sunlight across the scene we'll use a weak wash of warm raw sienna with a hint of the red colour in the sky - permanent rose. I followed this light wash with some shadows too. Here's the result of those first washes across these areas:

​
Picture
I carried this on with the rocks to the left. These rocks, in reality, are in deep shade, but this would be too dark. So I've used a bit of license to keep some light on them:
​
Picture
Now it's time to tackle the elephant in the room: the water. The pic above looks very weird, doesn't it? It's because the white is 'flat' as much as anything. So it was important to make sure that the water looks like a moving, active thing. To do this, I'm going to use a pencil to pull some lines of movement through the water then apply some masking fluid (liquid rubber) to the paper over them. These continuous lines will (I hope!) tie the body of the water into a single whole in the eye of the viewer. Once done, I then also mask the edges of the rocks, allowing a little overlap to allow a bright 'fringe' above the foreground rocks to suggest sunlight sparkling on the rocks. Now, I wet all the water area with clean water until the paper is soaking wet. This will keep the water area damp while I work, and allow washes to flow into each other, keeping the edges soft and natural in the water. Speed is of the essence here as once I start painting I have to finish before the paper starts to dry. I throw the dark washes into the wet area and stroke them into each other using primarily vertical brush strokes. The washes are very dark - partly to reflect the dark peaty colour to the water here in the Highlands but also to contrast with the lighter areas of land. Because the washes will dry lighter, I have to apply them really dark. It's a messy business!
​
Picture
Once fully dry, I remove the rubber and then go back into the water areas with a scrubbing brush and a tissue to 'lift out' areas of light highlights where the bright rocks on the far side are reflecting. I also enhance some of the darks to make them darker where I think they need it

Once finished, it's time for the foreground rocks. In real life they are incredibly complex, with lots of cracks and fissures, especially as the sun is from the side of the view and each crenellation casts a shadow! The effect, if I tried to copy it, would be to make the foreground rocks the main subject of the painting - and they aren't! So I'm going to simplify them a lot, with little more than some sunlit colours, a few big shadow areas, and a small amount of detail. I want to use them to draw the viewer into the painting and to make them look towards the bridge. So I'm going to highlight the lines in the rocks that help with that, and leave out the ones that don't:

​
Picture
I'm going to leave it there - I have to do something to keep the suspense don't I?

All there's left to do is to add some detail to the foreground rocks and then fuss around the whole thing to refine details and make sure the tonal values are right. I'll hope to publish the finished thing tomorrow once I have a properly scanned pic that represents the original perfectly. I hope you've enjoyed the process, and I hope you like the painting when you see it soon! All the best, Rob.


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    A professional artist living and working in the beautiful north of Scotland. My work is realistic and quite traditional, though strongly interpretational in nature. My inspiration is the beauty of Nature, and the wonderful colours and moods she shows everywhere.

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  • Home
    • Available Work >
      • Kingston Beach
    • Our Prints >
      • Coastline Prints >
        • Nairn to Findhorn >
          • On Findhorn Beach
          • Findhorn Shoreline
          • Nairn Harbour Sunset
          • Sunset at Findhorn Bay
          • Evening Calm at Findhorn
          • Findhorn Sunset
          • Looking West from Nairn Beach
          • Nairn Harbour from Central Beach
          • Evening in Findhorn
          • A Walk on Roseisle Beach
        • Burghead to Hopeman >
          • Burghead from the Beach
          • Hopeman West Beach
          • Burghead from Hopeman Beach
          • The Beach Huts at Hopeman
          • Hopeman Harbour Reflections
          • Hopeman Harbour and Beaches
          • Sunshine at Cove Bay, Hopeman
          • Burghead Harbour from the Sea Wall
          • Fishing Boats in the Inner Harbour, Burghead
          • Hopeman Harbour from the Headland
          • Ketches Unloading at Hopeman
          • Sunsrise Over Burghead
          • Cummingston Sunset
          • Low Tide at Hopeman
        • Lossiemouth >
          • Two Bridges at Lossiemouth
          • Lossiemouth's Old Bridge Sunset
          • Old Friends
          • Lossiemouth's Old Bridge
          • Fishing Boats at Lossie
          • Covesea Lighthouse View
          • Sunset Over Lossiemouth
          • Setting Out from Lossiemouth
          • Sunrise Just for Us at Lossiemouth
          • A Walk on Lossiemouth Beach
          • Covesea Lighthouse Sunset
          • Covesea Lighthouse from the Beach
          • The Old Bridge, Lossiemouth
          • Lossie Beach to Ourselves!
        • Kingston to Portessie >
          • Kingston Beach
          • Setting Out from Buckie
          • Memories of Portgordon
          • Over the Yardie at Buckie
          • The Rooftops of Portessie
          • The Spey Viaduct from the River
          • Strathlene Caravans
          • A Walk at Strathlene
          • Buckpool Shoreline
        • Findochty to Cullen >
          • Through Cullen Viaduct
          • The Two Kings at Cullen
          • Cullen Harbour View
          • Findochty Harbour
          • Over the Rooftops of Cullen
          • The Ruins of Findlater Castle
          • Findochty Shoreline
          • Cullen Auld Kirk
          • Portknockie Harbour View
          • Sunrise at Bow Fiddle Rock
          • The Harbour at Portknockie
          • Seatown from Castle Hill, Cullen
          • Cullen's Rocky Shoreline
          • Morning Light Above Cullen
        • Fordyce and Portsoy >
          • Portsoy View
          • Summer in Portsoy
          • Sandend Harbour from the Brae
          • Tom's Jetty, Portsoy
          • Portsoy Caravans from the Brae
          • Portsoy Memories
          • Portsoy's New Harbour View
          • Sunshine at Portsoy
          • Summer at Portsoy (Greyscale)
          • Fordyce Castle and Kirk
          • A Walk at Sandend
          • The Rocks at Whitehills
        • Banff to Pennan >
          • Banff Harbour Sunshine
          • Crovie Shoreline
          • Banff Links
          • Macduff Harbour View
          • Gardenstown from the Old Church
      • Landscape Prints >
        • Carrbridge
        • Pluscarden Abbey
        • Elgin Cathedral
        • The North Coast 500
        • The Old Bridge, Keith
        • Keith Town Station
        • Craigmin Bridge
        • Duffus Castle
        • Fordyce Castle and Kirk
        • Lochnagar
        • Glenfiddich Distillery
        • Evening Light, Craigellachie
        • The East gate, Lincoln Castle
        • Inheritance
        • Our People
        • Still Is Our Land
        • Durham Mist
        • The Canmore Engine Bridge, Alberta
        • Loch Maree Sunset
      • Aviation Prints >
        • Patrol's End
        • Homecoming
        • Pride of Moray
        • Jailbreak!
        • Texans over the Menai Strait
        • 51 Squadron 80th Parade and Flypast
        • Sea King Standby
        • Sentry: 30 Years of Service
        • Lancasters at War
        • The Airborne Technician
        • The Navy Team
        • Team Lossiemouth
        • Pride of Moray Comes Home
        • 100 Years of US Naval Recon
        • Jaguars on the Break at Lossiemouth
        • Shadow Over Lincoln
        • Coming Home
        • P8: Protect, Serve, Defend
        • Lossiemouth Departure
        • Spitfire
        • The Cabs are Here!
        • Top Cover
        • Where She Belongs
        • Buccaneer Home
        • 120 Squadron - The First Hundred Years
        • The Old Guard
        • 51 Squadron Centenary
        • 100 Years of 39 Squadron
        • Special Delivery
        • Sutton Bank, Northbound
    • The Coastline Galleries >
      • Coastlines One >
        • Strathlene Shoreline
        • Primrose Bay Sunset
        • The Old Boathouse at Binsness, Findhorn Bay
        • Lossiemouth Past and Present
        • Ties that Bind
        • Sunrise at Kingston Beach
        • The Bench at Portsoy
        • The Fisherman
        • Drying the Salmon Nets at Macduff
        • Lossiemouth Summer
        • Covesea Lighthouse from the West
        • The Old Harbour Steps, Portsoy
      • Coastlines Two >
        • The Wooden Bridge, Lossiemouth
        • Lossiemouth Harbour
        • Portsoy Harbour
        • Iona Shoreline
        • Brae View, Whitehills
        • On Roseisle Beach
        • Fraserburgh Beach from Tiger Hill
        • At Sandwood Bay
        • The Confidence
        • Findhorn Pier
        • Sunset at West Beach
        • Covesea Lighthouse
      • Coastlines Three >
        • The Hopeman Hutties
        • Two Kings, Cullen
        • Bosta Beach to Ourselves!
        • Race to the Surf at Sandend
        • Through the Arches at Cullen
        • Covesea Lighthouse Walk
        • On Findhorn Beach
        • Hopeman Wedding
        • Our Family's Special Beach
        • Among the Rocks at Covesea
    • The Landscape Galleries >
      • Landscapes One >
        • Edinburgh Castle from the Princes Street Gardens
        • A Walk by the Spey
        • Summer Wedding
        • Dad's House
        • The Falls of Tarnash, Keith
        • Raemore
        • The East gate, Lincoln Castle
        • The Forth Bridge at Sunset
        • The Cow and Calf
        • Eilean Donan Castle
        • The Shores of Loch Maree
        • Evening in Krems
      • Landscapes Two >
        • The Boys at Walla Crag
        • King's College Chapel, Aberdeen
        • The Old Town Square, Prague
        • The Eiffel Tower from Across the Seine
        • The Birch Woods
        • Woodhall Wedding
        • Spanish Villa
        • Harlaxton Manor Wedding
        • Mullagh Tower and Tullamore
        • Elsie's Croft
        • Honeysuckle Cottage
        • King's College Chapel Wedding
      • Landscapes Three >
        • Speymouth View
        • Jane's House
        • The Mormond Hill Stag
        • Climbing Mount Olympus
        • Idyllic Childhood
        • The Spey Viaduct
        • The Old Schoolhouse, Drumnadrochit
        • West Beach View
        • Father and Son
        • Elgin Golf Club
        • June's House
        • Our House and Family
        • Hill House
        • The View from the Garden
    • Aviation Gallery >
      • Nimrod MRA4
      • Continuity
      • Another Straspiration....
      • The Red Arrows Perform the Gypo Break
      • First Blood at Elham
      • Allies
      • Falcon Heavy's First Flight
      • Double Trouble
      • 29 July 1988
      • Typhoon Touchdown!
      • Saint's Return
      • Tanker Trail
      • Thunder over the Bay
      • Double Trouble
      • Storm Break
      • Home at Sunset
      • The Escaping Airman
      • Lt McLeod Wins the Victoria Cross
    • The Pets Gallery >
      • Laddie
      • Broxi
      • Chelsea
      • The 3 Amigos
      • Boris
      • The Boys
      • Izzy
      • Carrie and Flynn
      • Patch
      • It's a Dog's Life
      • Alfie
      • Jura
      • Arnie
      • Barney and Bray
      • Diego
      • Six Beagles!
      • Guess Who's in Charge?
  • Rob's Blog
  • About
  • Framed Prints
  • Buying Our Work
  • What You Get
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Lossiemouth's Old Bridge
  • Stretching Paper
  • Stretching Paper