DEMONSTRATION

Low Light

This spot was nothing spectacular and most people would not even notice it. For me it was the play of light and how the low sun lit up the clouds. I also like an interesting foreground so together with the contrasting lights and darks, this view appealed to me.

STAGE ONE ▲

I loved the fence posts in the foreground and the low sun peeking through the trees. I used a charcoal stick to mark out a minimal amount of drawing – I wanted it to be loose, free and spontaneous, not a picture-perfect sketch

STAGE TWO ▼

I laid down the lights in the sky first, followed by the darker clouds, using cobalt blue, indigo, quinacridone gold, ruby red and Naples yellow

STAGE THREE ►

Next came the line of tree in the distance and the golden field of the middle ground. I loved the way the sun was lighting up the grass. This was a mix of quinacridone gold and a touch of indigo, using the side of the brush to pick up the texture of the rough paper and create a sparkling effect

STAGE FOUR 

While the paint was still wet, I mixed a dark green to suggest the foreground and then took a small palette knife and scratched into the wet paint to lift out

STAGE FIVE ►

For the foreground tree silhouetted by the sun I started with the gold, then dropped in some ruby red and indigo, using plenty of pigment, and let the paint mix on the paper. I used my palette knife to drag out some of the fine branches. I then added cobalt blue to the mix and strengthened the darks in the foreground

STAGE SIX 

Finally I used some pastels to add a few highlights to pick out where the light was hitting – adding some ‘zing’! Small touches of complementary coloured pastels, especially in the dark areas to bring out textures – made marks that suggest plenty going on

FINISHED SKETCH ▼

Low Light, mixed media, 8319¾in (20350cm). The completed sketch took 15 minutes! It’s captured the essence of the evening and it will definitely make a good reference for a future painting

Carole’s exhibition of watercolour and mixed-media paintings, ‘Emotive Landscapes’, will be at Patchings Art Centre from July 3 to August 15.

Carole Baker Is an elected member of the Royal Society of British Artists and exhibits in open exhibitions and art fairs throughout the UK. She also runs a busy programme of workshops (including online), painting holidays and demonstrations. www.carolebaker.com