As with many of my paintings, I started by gridding out the photo and transferring this to my paper. On this occasion, I was using 200lb Saunders Waterford HP paper as I have found that this works well for my smooth washes.

With my paper taped to an inclined board using masking tape, I drew out the main elements of the composition using a Rotring drawing pencil.

Planning the colours

The unusual colouring of the sky required colours that I was less familiar with.

For the main sky/reflection colour, I chose quinacridone red and cadmium orange. For the frozen ground in the foreground, I used French ultramarine and for the darks I used mixtures of French ultramarine and burnt sienna.

The icy highlights were picked out with cerulean blue.

Using prepared washes covering a range of colours from quinacridone red to cadmium orange, together with a mix of quinacridone red and French ultramarine for the sky near the horizon, I used graduated washes to build up the sky and sea areas.

Each wash needed to cover the whole area to avoid concentrations of colour and hard edges. This process always takes time and is quite stressful, as most areas apart from these can usually be `resolved`.

I left the paper to dry after each wash.

Firstly, I used dots of Pebeo Drawing Gum that would represent lights on the far side of the estuary.

I then prepared a wash of French ultramarine that would provide a frosty background to the darker tones in the land areas.

Only the icy margins of the water were left unpainted.

Using a bluish mix of French ultramarine and burnt sienna, the land on the far side of the estuary was darkened in preparation for even darker details to be added. A darker, more opaque, mix was used for this, leaving areas of lighter tone.

Darker tones were also used to paint the nearside trees. Some of the quinacridone red/cadmium orange mix was added to give a `glow` to the tree on the left.

Finally, when dry, the masked dots were revealed on the far side of the estuary and a little yellowing was added using cadmium orange.

Using a bluish mix of French ultramarine and burnt sienna, the reflections of the trees on the left were added, together with suggested diffuse reflections of the far shore.

A wash of cerulean blue was also added along the far shore and in the mid-ground water, suggesting a more active flow of water.

I mixed up plenty of a strong wash of French ultramarine with small amounts of burnt sienna and alizarin crimson. This was washed over all the foreground area and allowed to dry.

I then prepared three washes:

• Bluish grey - French ultramarine plus burnt sienna for details/texture in the sand
• Greenish grey- French ultramarine plus burnt sienna and yellow ochre for foreground foliage in deep shadow.
• Very dark grey - French ultramarine plus burnt sienna in a creamy opaque mix.

With the above, I slowly developed the foreground tones and textures.

Finished painting

Frozen Arnside Shore at Sunset, watercolour, (26x35cm)

The final stage of my painting involved balancing tones and colours and adding more texture and detail in the foreground.

A bristle fan brush was useful for adding grasses to the foreground and, finally, the tall grasses in the foreground, extending in front of the water, were added - quite a scary process! These were painted using a rigger.

About Keith Hodsoll

After a career teaching Physics in Secondary Schools, Keith has enjoyed having the time to explore painting more seriously. Living in the Lake District and with Morecambe Bay nearby, he has been a keen amateur photographer for many years and enjoys capturing landscapes with dramatic lighting, often taken at dusk in autumn or winter. Many of these images have formed the basis of his watercolour work. More recently, Keith has tried to explore the use of other media, particularly pastels and acrylics.

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