Painting Strong Sunlight and Shadows at Lincoln Castle

A bright sunny day gives us a great chance to paint big contrasts. In my painting Lincoln Castle, I wanted to show the bright light hitting the old stone walls. The deep shadows on the ground help make the scene feel hot and real. It is all about finding the balance between the light sky and the dark ground.

For this painting, I used a lot of cobalt blue and cerulean blue in the sky. I let the blue wash mix softly with the white paper to show light clouds. Then, I used yellow ochre on the castle walls to make them look warm. The cool blue shadows on the floor contrast nicely with the warm stones. This mix of warm and cool colours is what makes the painting pop.

I also wanted to add some life to the street. I painted a few simple shapes for people walking near the castle gate. You do not need to paint every detail of a person. A few quick brush strokes can show movement very well. The dark shadows under the people help to anchor them to the ground so they do not look like they are floating.