Loose Looe. Early Morning At Low Tide

I painted this one in the studio, not plein air. It is East Looe seen from West Looe, looking down the river towards the sea at low tide. A lovely view but the perspective can be tricky with all those small boats resting on the mud and the bright green seaweed. I kept the drawing short and simple, found the main eye line along the quay on the right, and let the boat angles lean gently to that line. I marked a single vanishing point out to the sea and echoed it with the roof lines. The masts stayed straight and light, so I left them to the end and did not overdo them.

The sky was a quick wet in wet. I laid a soft wash of yellow ochre into cerulean with a touch of cobalt blue for that early light. While it was still damp I dropped in a few slightly darker patches to suggest soft clouds. Keeping this stage simple helps the eye travel down river to the distance.

For the mud and seaweed I mixed spring green and viridian with burnt umber, then used dry brush to drag texture across the surface. I broke up the greens with little pools of cerulean and ultramarine so it feels sticky and wet. Dark tracks over the mud were a mix of neutral tint with burnt sienna, pulled in with the side of the brush. These marks guide the eye and add movement at low tide.

The boats can get fussy very fast, so I looked for simple shapes of light and shadow. Cabins and the undersides of hulls went in with cool darks, then I used negative painting to cut round the light decks. The quay on the right is a big anchor shape that frames the scene, so I pushed it quite dark with burnt umber, neutral tint and a touch of ultramarine, adding plenty of dry brush for the vertical posts. Final touches were the sparkles and the masts. Loose Looe felt a good title for this one