Sand

Maldivian Beach Scene
Watercolour and Ink on Paper
26cm x 18cm (10" x 7")

Sand is the second topic in the Earth Textures chapter of Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice.

Claudia suggests sand can be represented with damp washes textured with spatter and stippling. The important thing is to keep everything light. 

British Beach Scene
Mixed Media on Paper
34cm x 44.5cm (13.5" x 17.5")

The British beach scene was inspired by a tile in our recently refurbished bathroom. I was lying in the bath and all the tiles containing horizontal lines conjured up imaginary landscapes - which was the first lesson in Drawing and Painting the Landscape by Philip Tyler (see Drawing and Painting the Landscape - The Evocation of Memory).

This painting had a difficult beginning. After the initial washes, I could see potential in the sky, but the sea and beach seemed beyond redemption. I painted over them with white acrylic gesso and started afresh. The second attempt looked better, but then I made the mistake of drawing around some rocks in the foreground with dark acrylic ink. The result was dreadful. I diluted the poison slightly by incorporating the lines into deep shadows, but in the end the only solution was to crop them out. Every painting is a lesson.