Painting process | Sunshine Yellow in Rhodes, Greece
While exploring Rhodes last year, I stumbled across this perfect scene. I was in a hurry, so couldn’t linger, but that bright yellow seared itself in my mind. I’m so happy to finally paint it.
The striking colours are what drew me to paint this scene, with the saturated blue and yellow contrasting with the muted greens and oranges in the shadows.
I wanted this painting to feel like summer. Imagine driving that scooter through these colourful stoney streets under a hot blue sky. Perfect.
Preliminary sketches and studies
Even though this painting is all about bright colour, I started with a black and white sketch to make sure I could capture the depth and light correctly. This, ultimately, gives it the glow and sense of realism, not the colour.
Next I worked on two quick little paint sketches, working out the colour combinations and mixes. I find this part frustrating because I just want to start the final painting, but it’s worth it as each sketch gets me closer to a better painting in the end.
Here’s my third and final paint sketch. This was larger, so I could be more precise.
The painting process
I decided to start on a blue ground to match the sky, to make the painting feel harmonious. It was a great way to accurately judge the colours and values of the first layer directly off the sky’s.
This is the first layer finished. I love how the temperature of the shadows varies, from a cool green to a deep orange- it was interesting to closely observe and record.
These walls aren’t square or smooth, so the next step was to bring texture into them where the light hits at different angles. Here I’ve started adding stones to the wall on the left and texture to the pebbled road.
I paid a lot of attention to the wall behind the scooter, finding temperature shifts in the yellow to give it texture and detail.
Next I finished painting the scooter, refining its form and how the light bounces off the reflective parts.
It helps to approach this as layers of simple shapes, rather than trying to paint the scooter as a whole. Then you can compare each small shape to each other, building them together to form an accurate whole.
Finished!
“Sunshine Yellow in Rhodes, Greece”
30 x 45 cm, oil on linen.
I’m so proud of this happy little painting!
Details
The scooter was such a fun shape to paint, and I love how it brings the blue of the sky down into the painting.
Those shadows- one orange and one blue! I think that’s so cool. I particularly enjoyed painting the orange shadows because it’s just so surprising. I love finding vibrant colour where you least expect it.
Here you can see the layers of different colours making up the texture in the stone wall. The colour of the door mirrors the blues on the scooter to tie the whole painting together. I found painting the lamp above the door and its shadow very fiddly, but I think adding those little details brings the scene to life.
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