As we look forward to celebrating the Platinum Jubilee, enjoy Robert Newcombe's recollections of being one of 20 artists invited to paint the Thames pageant, part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

The Gloriana Approaching Southwark Bridge, 3 June 2012, watercolour, (35x46cm)

Preparation

I approached the day of the Thames pageant with excitement and apprehension about capturing the vast armada of 1,000 boats.

As I knew we would be painting from the Millennium Bridge I visited ten days before the event to assess the artistic problems and possibilities.

I had no idea whether I would be asked to face upstream to Blackfriars Bridge (the direction from which the pageant would come) or downstream to Southwark Bridge, nor did I know where I would be positioned on the bridge so I took photographs in both directions from various points along the bridge.

The view

I thought the view downriver towards Southwark Bridge, with the City and the iconic Gherkin building on the left and the newly constructed Shard Tower on the right, gave a more interesting backcloth to the pageant than the view upriver. I also thought the southern end of the bridge near Tate Modern gave a better perspective.

Timings

As I watched a number of ferryboats coming downstream, I calculated that I would have less than a minute from the time the pageant boats emerged from under Blackfriars Bridge until they went under the Millennium Bridge and the same time before they disappeared under Southwark Bridge.

How was I going to capture this vast armada in such a short time? I could use my digital camera, but the image would be too small to paint from so I decided to take my wife’s iPad and use its camera to give me a larger image and more detail.

Photos and sketches

I also searched for photographs of the royal barge and Gloriana on the Diamond Jubilee pageant website and made a sketch of each barge to help understand their construction and proportions.

Sketch of the Royal Barge

Given the scale of the painting it is only possible to give an impression of each craft, but it is still important that they are accurately drawn.

Sketch of the Gloriana

Planning for the weather

The day of my reconnaissance was hot and sunny; the sun moved from left to right behind Tate Modern, giving some pleasing shadows on the South Bank buildings and lighting up the northern City skyline.

As there is no protection on the bridge, a further concern was that the direct sunlight on my paper would dry my watercolour washes too quickly leaving unwanted hard edges – a laughable concern given the conditions on the day!

I searched online for umbrellas that could be clamped to the easel in case of sun or rain but, according to buyers’ comments, they all seemed to create stability problems for the easel in even the lightest breeze.

The big day

Easels were set up by the BBC at the Tate Modern south end of the Millennium Bridge.

The conditions were challenging – a strong, cold wind, leaden skies and damp, but from a painter’s perspective, very atmospheric.

I had been watching the weather forecast closely so dressed in thermals, waterproof trousers and anorak, and took a large umbrella to hold over myself and the easel.

Painting kit

I had considered using a large painting bag with wheels for my painting gear, but I was travelling by train and tube to the site and my reconnaissance trip had shown there were steps and escalators to negotiate.

So I kept my painting kit to the minimum and carried it in a flight bag with a portfolio for paper and painting frame.

Position on the bridge

Half the painters were facing upriver towards Blackfriars Bridge and the oncoming pageant boats, while the other half, including me, were facing downriver towards Southwark Bridge.

Overcoming the problems

As a watercolourist, the delights and drawbacks of en plein air painting rapidly became apparent.

We had a dream view of this historic spectacle, but the wind was blowing easels over, hands were becoming clumsy from cold, and the damp conditions meant the watercolour washes took an inordinate time to dry.

My reconnaissance had revealed that capturing the moving panorama of boats would be impossible in the short time they would be in my view so, as planned, I used the iPad to photograph the parts of the pageant I wanted to include in my paintings.

The paintings

In spite of the weather, I managed to complete two paintings: Painting the Diamond Jubilee Pageant from the Millennium Bridge (above) and The Royal Barge Approaching Southwark Bridge, 3 June 2012 (below).

I also completed a drawing for a third painting.

The Royal Barge Approaching Southwark Bridge, 3 June 2012, watercolour, (25x35cm)

Before the pagaent began

The lead boats of the pageant were not due to pass under the Millennium Bridge until around 3.30pm so with the easels in place at noon I had time to spare.

I used this for my first painting, Painting the Diamond Jubilee Pageant from the Millennium Bridge (below), of a view across the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul’s Cathedral with one of my fellow painters facing upriver in the foreground together with one of the many police officers on duty.

Painting the Diamond Jubilee Pageant from the Millennium Bridge, line & wash, (35x25cm)

This was done in Impressionistic line and wash style using a sharpened matchstick and waterproof ink for the drawing.

The paper was damp from the atmosphere and the initial ink lines looked as though they had been drawn on blotting paper, but I think the final result is pleasing.

Capturing the moment

The Royal Barge Approaching Southwark Bridge, 3 June 2012 shows the moment, around 4pm, when the royal barge approached Southwark Bridge, with the City and the distinctive Gherkin on the left and the new Shard Tower on the right disappearing into low cloud.

Given my earlier start I had already pre-drawn and pre-painted the background view of Southwark Bridge and the buildings on both banks of the Thames, but left the water as the white of the paper.

All I had to do was add the royal barge and its escort using my iPad photograph for reference.

The Gloriana at Southwark Bridge, photograph taken on an ipad

Both these paintings were done on quarter Imperial sheets of Bockingford paper, a good size for working on-site.

I then drew a narrower view downriver on a half Imperial sheet of Bockingford, The Gloriana approaching Southwark Bridge, 3 June 2012, with Gloriana approaching Southwark Bridge, followed by the cavalcade of rowing boats. I felt the larger sheet of paper would enable me to give more detail for the Gloriana and the small rowing boats all of which were conveniently referenced via the iPad photograph.

Packing up

It was 4:30pm when I completed the drawing and I was about to start painting when it started raining heavily and steadily.

With little prospect of the rain stopping, and at the BBC’s suggestion, I decided to pack up and complete the painting in my studio. But one or two of the oil painters were able to carry on regardless of the rain running down their canvases.

In spite of the weather, the unique occasion and ringside seat meant it was the most memorable en plein air painting experience of my life.

Robert’s top tips for painting outside

•  It pays to do a reconnaissance of a location before you start to paint in order to assess the direction of the sun, which direction will make the best painting, whether there is a shaded area you can set up under or cover if it rains, likely traffic problems, etc.
• Always check the weather forecast before going out to paint, and dress accordingly.
• If you have far to walk to the painting site, travel light and use a bag with wheels, if possible.
• Carry a piece of string to tie a weight or your painting bag onto your easel to prevent it blowing over.
• It is always difficult to paint wearing gloves, but in winter I carry a pair of fingerless gloves, which help. Alternatively buy some hand warmers as used by fishermen.
• Use small sizes of paper when working on-site unless there’s a good reason for using a larger sheet; you can always paint a larger version at home, using your small sheet as reference.
• Know when to pack up and call it a day, but note the colours and textures, or take a photograph, unless you intend to return another day.

See more from Robert on his website, www.robertnewcombeartist.com.