UART Tip #58: “Painting the Sandscape” with Jane Robbins

UART Tip #58: “Painting the Sandscape” with Jane Robbins

Painting a large swath of beach, dune, or desert—what I call a “sandscape”—can seem daunting. Here are four steps that will help you produce a sandscape that captures the scene with interest and a sense of time and place.

1. EXAMINE THE FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE COLOR OF SAND

There is no single color for sand. To select your colors (and there is always more than one), start by familiarizing yourself with these variables that affect the color of sand:

Location. Sand looks—is—different depending on where you are in the world, and what it is made up of. A familiar example of this is Bermuda, where several beaches have sand that are rosey-pink due to the contribution of a single-celled foraminifera. Similarly, sand can be yellow, white, orange, grey, red, even black depending on its composition. So it’s good to get a feel for the “native” color and makeup of sand in your painting location, and the best way to do this is in person, whether you paint in the studio or not.

Time of day/Position of the Sun. Early and late in the day, the low directional rays of the sun color the sand more than at midday, casting a range of pinks, peaches, salmons, reds, and yellows onto the sand. Midday sun lightens and even washes out native color; sand is closest to that native color during mid-morning and mid-afternoon when the light is more diffuse. Pay attention to the relative warmth or coolness of the light: a warm color can lean cool, and vice-versa (see I Can See for Miles, below).

Note how the sun follows the contours of the sand and how it therefore sheds its warmth on some areas but not others, whether these contours are little divots or rolling dunes. On a “flat” beach, for example, light across divots or footprints can create a dappled effect of light and dark colors.

Sky Color (Weather). While not completely distinct from time of day, above, sky color is often reflected on the sand in a generalized way, almost toning it. This is particularly the case when, due to the terrain, we cannot even see the position of the sun from our vantage point (when it is still below the crest of a dune, for example), and when the sky has a lot of atmosphere/haze.

Light vs Shadow, Dry vs Wet. Whether sand is in the light or in shadow, or whether it is dry or wet, dramatically alters not only value but also color. Wet sand can be very dark—deep plums, olives, dark blues, cocoas. When that wet sand is covered with water, the sky’s reflected color dominates. Logically, sand in shadow is going to be darker value than sand in light. But it varies in color as well. Returning to the idea of direction of the sun, when the shadowed sand is toward the direction of sun, the color is warmer and higher chroma; when the shadowed sand is away from the direction of the sun, it is cooler and more neutral.

Magic Moment: The early sky with its low sun dominates the sand color and reflections.

2. PUT YOUR WARMEST AND COOLEST COLORS INTO YOUR UNDERPAINTING

Using your observations from above, select a limited range of colors to start. I prefer to do a wet underpainting, using 70% alcohol or water. I tend to put a more intense value of the reflected color down during the underpainting stage, and to otherwise emphasize the dominant colors of light and dark. As you work, layer color to achieve the correct color temperature for the time of day.

 

Untamed and Compliments of Canada (underpaintings and final) : Underpaint with the dominant colors at higher intensity and indicate direction. Shadows vary in color and value according to whether they face toward or away from sun direction; sun follows the contours of the terrain.

3. BREAK UP UNRELIEVED AREAS OF SAND

Both natural variation from grasses, wind, or erosion, and manmade variation from vehicles or walking, alter the landscape of a beach or dune. Each creates shadows and contours that provide opportunities to compose an interesting sandscape.

For example, lines of grasses or footprints, or a track made by beach cleaning equipment, can be important for leading the viewer. Man’s or Nature’s placement of these elements my not be ideal, so feel free to move them around, or add some elements if they are not there. Your goal is to have movement and direction in your composition. Do not overdo, and let them recede naturally.

Pay attention to these compositional elements while underpainting, moving your brush in the direction you want things (and your viewer’s eyes) to go; dunes slope or swoop up, grasses curve, bend, and spread in crazy directions (depending on time of day, grasses may cast very long shadows in the opposite direction). Try to get this sense of direction and placement down roughly from the start.

I Can See for Miles. A boardwalk breaks up a large mass of sand and adds interest and direction.

5. HELP TEXTURE ALONG

You can get a head start on texture by using a sanded paper, and paying close attention to varying coverage to allow some of that grit to show. I use UArt 400 or 320 Buff or Uart 400 Dark for many of my paintings when I want texture to boost the interest and direction of a true sandscape composition.

You can also select your grittiest brands of pastels for areas where you want the most texture, and to further help lead your viewer through your painting. Somewhat paradoxically, use lighter pressure and less coverage for more texture, heavier pressure and more coverage for smoother texture. In general, a close-up view will show more texture than a long view; the foreground more than the distance. Use mark making as another texture tool; this also breaks up unrelieved areas of sand.

The Glint: Foreground texture is achieved through touch, gritty pastels, and mark making.

While each of the elements I’ve just overviewed—color, light, shadows, reflections, grasses and other elements—involves its own further techniques and considerations, mindfully examining them as you plan and execute your paintings will turn those big “beige” masses of sand into nuanced and interesting paintings.

Jane E Robbins, PSA

View Jane’s website at www.janeerobbins.com to see her work, upcoming classes and workshops, and to read her newsletters and view painting tips in her blog .