Painting the Light at Lincoln Castle

The sun was shining directly onto the old stone walls of Lincoln Castle for this one. I wanted to show the contrast between the dark shadows on the ground and the bright, warm glow on the buildings. The gatehouse stands tall in the background and it is a great subject for anyone who likes painting history. I focused on keeping the shapes simple so the viewer can feel the heat of the day.

Many artists ask me how to make shadows look interesting rather than just grey or black. In this painting, I used a lot of Ultramarine Blue and Neutral Tint for the ground shadows. I let the blue dominate to keep the feeling of a clear sky reflecting on the pavement. Adding a few small figures in the middle helps to show the scale of the massive castle walls.

The sky is a very important part of the mood here. I used a wash of Cerulean Blue and Cobalt Blue, leaving some white paper for the clouds. It is vital to work quickly when the paper is wet to get those soft edges. If you wait too long, the paint starts to dry and you get hard lines that do not look like real clouds.

For the stone walls, I chose Yellow Ochre and a bit of Burnt Sienna. These warm colours work well against the cool blue of the sky. I also used some Viridian Green for the trees on the bank. The green brings a bit of life to the scene and separates the castle from the foreground buildings.

I used a tiny bit of white paint at the very end to catch the light on the people and the edges of the windows. It is a small detail but it makes the whole painting pop. This original painting of Lincoln Castle is currently for sale. Please contact me if you would like more information about owning this piece.