Hoop Tug Boat in La Rochelle and 3 Towers La Rochelle

On our second day painting down by the Old Port area of La Rochelle, I wanted to show my group how to pick a strong subject to guide the eye. The bright seaside light here changes very quickly, but it gives you great dark shapes to play with if you look closely.

The first painting is named Hoop Tug Boat. This boat has a fantastic history because it was built in Holland way back in 1907 as a steam tug boat, but today it is used as a private pleasure boat. To capture its dark hull, I used a deep mix of neutral tint and burnt umber. For the water around it, I used a wash of viridian green and cobalt green to give that classic, cool Atlantic harbour feel. I left the white paper clean for the top of the cabin to show the strong midday sun.

The second painting is named 3 Towers - La Rochelle. These giant stone towers are famous because they are from the medieval times, and the city used to hang a massive iron chain between two of them at night to block enemy ships from entering the port. In this piece, I wanted to show the dark, stormy sky moving over the warm stone. I washed the sky with ultramarine blue and lavender, letting it bleed into the roofs. For the bright roofs on the right, I used a rich mix of cadmium red and burnt sienna.