Draw the figures on the surface.

Apply masking fluid onto the sunlit areas, using a ruling-drawing pen.

Click here for a guide to using masking fluid.

1. After the main drawing areas are complete, squeeze out colours into a Stay-Wet palette and, using a medium-sized hog brush, apply a dark blue set of wavy shadows beneath all of the figures. Notice how they roughly follow the body positions above them.

2. Apply more masking fluid to form the swirling surface patterns that connect both the front figures. Leave the painting to dry.

Paint a mixture of turquoise and white over the entire water surface and, with circular movements, apply slightly darker blocked areas using turquoise with a touch of cerulean blue.

Mix burnt sienna and a little yellow ochre for the paler flesh tones and apply over the figures.

Add touches of raw umber and alizarin crimson for the darker shadows.

Paint the bathing suits using mixes of cobalt, dark blue and raw umber. The highlighted colours include white with yellow ochre and a touch of burnt sienna.

Darken more of the shaded areas.

The final stage of this section is to draw more definite masking fluid lines over the pale turquoise areas to form light zig-zags, especially in the foreground.

1. Mix a combination of turquoise and cobalt blue with accents of the darkest blue and use a large hog brush to cover all the masking fluid and entire water area. Splashes of water at this crucial stage allowing the areas to gently merge into one another.

2. It's at this stage that the changing shapes and patterns that form the water’s surface need attention, but not too strongly or detailed. Leave to dry.

3. Strengthen the dark shadows under the figures, emphasising their shapes even more. Rub off the masking fluid from the figures to bring them in sharp contrast to their shading already placed on them.

Rub off the last layer of masking fluid, revealing two colours within the exposed areas – one pale turquoise and the other the white canvas.

You will need to have the choice of the two different tones at this stage. These need slight alterations, such as placing some white and pale blue on the front wavy rectangles, with the smallest soft brush and thick white acrylic, to emphasise the action in the water by the moving figures.

The finished painting

Heavenly Memories, acrylic on canvas, (51x51cm)

1. Using a larger hog brush, swirl bright iridescent green yellow around the top right-hand figures and echo the colour in small flicks throughout the painting, to add more contrast and vibrant flashing lights.

2. Add more activity within the watery area around the figures, which gently scatters and breaks their images into movement, colour, and contrast.

Recreate more holiday memories...

CLICK HERE FOR IDEAS FOR PAINTING MEDITERRANEAN SCENES

Learn how to add figures to a beach scene with Paul Talbot-Greaves by clicking here.

Find out more about Wendy and her work by visiting www.wendyjelbert.co.uk

For more demonstrations from Wendy

CLICK HERE

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