Capturing the Pattern of Coastal Life in Tenerife

Looking at this scene in the fishing village of El Tablado, I was immediately drawn to the repeating shapes of the boats. They sit in neat rows on the slipway, each one tucked under its cover to hide from the strong sun. In watercolour, repetition like this creates a wonderful rhythm that leads your eye right through the painting. I wanted to capture that feeling of a quiet afternoon where the only movement is the light shifting across the harbour.

The light in the Canary Islands is very bright and sharp. To show this, I used strong contrasts between the white tops of the buildings and the deep, cool shadows they cast. I used a mix of Ultramarine Blue and a touch of Neutral Tint for those dark areas under the boats. This helps the bright spots really pop and makes the whole scene feel like a hot summer day by the Atlantic Ocean.

People often ask me how to paint old buildings without making them look too messy. The secret is in the textures. These coastal houses are weathered by the salt air and the wind. I used some dry brush strokes with Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre to show the peeling paint and the rough stone. It adds a bit of history to the village and tells a story of the people who live and work there.

One of my favourite parts of this piece is the silhouette of the unfinished building on the cliff. It has such an interesting, blocky shape against the soft sky. I kept the sky very simple with a light wash of Cerulean Blue so it would not compete with the buildings. This large dark shape helps to balance the busy area of the boats at the bottom of the paper.

I also enjoyed playing with the greens in the foreground bushes. I used a bit of Viridian Green mixed with Yellow Ochre to get a natural, scrubby look. These pops of colour help to frame the slipway and give the painting more depth. It was a joy to paint such a classic island scene with its mix of man-made structures and the wild sea.