update on the inktense version of the Crowns at Botallack - making corrections

The Crowns, Botallack, inktense and mixed media

I wasn't happy with this and have worked on it a little more.   You can see the previous stage here.

  I wanted to keep the sky as it sets the mood and adds scale and distance  - but for me the composition wasn't really working as it was.   One change was to darken the sky - it needed to be darker to balance the tone of the lower part of the painting.   I gave the horizon a slightly lost edge against the clouds on the right to get away from that hard horizon line.  I also wanted that sense of light coming through a gap in the clouds to light up the cliff tops and sea, with passing shadows so it was important to see the clouds.   I do love that sort of light.

I lost the hard forward edges of the buildings where the ink lines were too heavy - watercolour mixed with white gouache helped me to lose them and allow edges to be softer and closer tonally to the sea in places.

Then I warmed up the colour of the cliff tops where the light hits.

The ochre/sienna colours in the clifftops is echoed a little in the clouds but doesn't show too well here.

I think it's better now.   Do you?

Comments

Unknown said…
Vivien, I did a similar exercise to this a little while ago with a CP sketch that I had posted. To compare them I opened two browser tabs, each one showing one of your posts, and then flicked between them, lining them up where necessary.

I think the darkening of the sky works and it now looks really broody. The warming up of the rocks makes the sea look colder. So I'd say, yes, I like the adjustments :)
1:38 pm
David said…
Nice work Vivien! I actually like both versions but the second has a notably distinctive mood/atmosphere that you often get around those Atlantic cliffs at Botallack. Interesting to read the about the thinking behind your decisions. After all, we generally get judged by the very end product so it's good to reveal something about the process behind it all!
3:09 pm
vivien said…
Thanks Michael and David :>)

I like to watch the process of other people and often work too fast to catch stages of development in my own work - this seemed a useful one to show

I agree about usually just showing the end product - which makes things look easier than they often are and doesn't show the endless decisions and editing on the way.
8:53 pm
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