La Plaza de la Cebada, Madrid, in Sunlight Watercolour City Scene

Here is my new watercolour of La Plaza de la Cebada in Madrid, a bright sunny morning with long café shadows and a lively square. I kept the centre of the plaza almost pure paper to suggest strong light, letting the eye walk across those sunlit tiles to the kiosk and umbrellas. The big dark shape of the parasol at the left frames the scene and pushes the light even more.

I painted large shapes first and kept edges soft where the light bounces around the buildings. The key was to leave the light areas unpainted and connect the darks so the figures and tables read as one simple mass. A few dry brush marks suggest people, steps and windows, then small calligraphic lines finish railings and balconies.

For colour, I went with cool and warm mixes to play light against shadow. Ultramarine with a touch of alizarin gave me those violet blues in the shade, while burnt sienna with ultramarine made rich neutrals for the café area and windows. I dropped in cerulean and a hint of lavender on the façade, with a small note of cadmium red on a jacket and a little spring green in the distance for balance.

If you try a scene like this, think values before detail and let the paper do the work for the light. Paint the shadow shapes confidently, keep figures simple, and save a few tiny sparks with a touch of white for glints on glass or chair legs. This original painting is for sale, so please contact me for more information. Do visit the rest of my website www.timwilmotartist.com and join my painting club on patreon/timwilmot for demos, critiques and a friendly community. Check it out for a free trial.