Figures in the Painting

This week I have been doing a series of painting figures on the beach. Adding figures in paintings is a challenge. People move quickly but they can be treated the same way we treat landscape elements.

I started this painting treating the figures and boats as big silhouettes. Painting the negative space first helps to set up the action of the figure, and their placement.

I then fill in the water, beach and sky around the figures and boats.

It's just a matter of developing the painting from those simple elements, once you have the structure down.