Boulmer beach, Northumberland UK

The lovely coast at Boulmer in Northumberland. It is such a quiet and peaceful place with a very traditional feel. In this watercolor, I wanted to capture the bright blue boat sitting on the dunes. The way the sunlight hits the side of the boat really makes it stand out against the soft greens of the grass. I think the North East coast of England has a special kind of light that is perfect for painters.

To start this painting, I used a wash of cerulean blue for the sky. I kept it very light and airy to show a clear day. For the boat, I used a mix of cobalt blue and ultramarine blue to get that deep, rich colour. I love how the blue of the boat looks next to the sandy beach. The beach itself has some warm tones from yellow ochre and a little bit of burnt sienna in the shadows.

I decided to add two people walking their dog along the water's edge. Adding figures helps to show the scale of the beach and the buildings. I painted them simply with dark blues and a touch of red. The shadows on the sand are quite long, which shows the sun was getting lower in the sky. I used neutral tint mixed with a bit of blue for those cool shadows.

The old building on the right adds a bit of history to the scene. I used some grey tones and a few sharp lines to show the windows and the roof. I also used a little bit of white paint at the very end to add highlights on the boat and the waves. It really helps the painting to pop and feel alive. Watercolor is all about letting the paper shine through while adding these little details.