Suffolk artist Richard Nichols gets into holiday mode
![Great British Life: Candyfloss - try some sketches before you eat it, with whisped dry brush techniques over Bockingford rough watercolour paper after mixing some Cadmium red and Alizarin crimson, plus touches of blue mixed in for those shadowy swirls, and a little yellow added to achieve metallic grey]( "Great British Life: Candyfloss - try some sketches before you eat it, with whisped dry brush techniques over Bockingford rough watercolour paper after mixing some Cadmium red and Alizarin crimson, plus touches of blue mixed in for those shadowy swirls, and a little yellow added to achieve metallic grey")
Candyfloss - try some sketches before you eat it, with whisped dry brush techniques over Bockingford rough watercolour paper after mixing some Cadmium red and Alizarin crimson, plus touches of blue mixed in for those shadowy swirls, and a little yellow added to achieve metallic grey (Image: Archant)
July heralds summer holidays, and no matter what the weather brings, the county plays host to visitors from near and far with a fine array of coastal attractions from Lowestoft to Felixstowe.
This is where I headed to for some artistic inspiration.
Words such as ‘amusements’ and ‘pleasure beach’ harken back to a bygone age, and despite today’s hi-tech games, it’s the old favourites that draw the artistic eye for both content and colour.
Suffolk has a diverse range of coastal resorts, estuaries and inlets, each with their own individual characteristics, although few can compare with Felixstowe, home to one of the world’s busiest container ports as well as people selling seaside treats like candyfloss.
![Great British Life: Candyfloss - try some sketches before you eat it, with whisped dry brush techniques over Bockingford rough watercolour paper after mixing some Cadmium red and Alizarin crimson, plus touches of blue mixed in for those shadowy swirls, and a little yellow added to achieve metallic grey]( "Great British Life: Candyfloss - try some sketches before you eat it, with whisped dry brush techniques over Bockingford rough watercolour paper after mixing some Cadmium red and Alizarin crimson, plus touches of blue mixed in for those shadowy swirls, and a little yellow added to achieve metallic grey")
Candyfloss - try some sketches before you eat it, with whisped dry brush techniques over Bockingford rough watercolour paper after mixing some Cadmium red and Alizarin crimson, plus touches of blue mixed in for those shadowy swirls, and a little yellow added to achieve metallic grey (Image: Archant)
Sticky, sweet and pink, the delicately spun sugar fibres are a complete contrast to those massive cranes, containers and ships, fed relentlessly by trucks and tugs like worker ants. Both are great subjects to study, so take a little time out from the beach for some really different drawing and painting.
![Great British Life: Viewed in low evening light the strength of modern, man-made seafaring equipment is emphasised, so a quick pencil sketch can determine which areas to include. It became rather chilly while working so notes for colours and wind direction help to complete the atmosphere of a painting when it has to be finished off later at home.]( "Great British Life: Viewed in low evening light the strength of modern, man-made seafaring equipment is emphasised, so a quick pencil sketch can determine which areas to include. It became rather chilly while working so notes for colours and wind direction help to complete the atmosphere of a painting when it has to be finished off later at home.")
Viewed in low evening light the strength of modern, man-made seafaring equipment is emphasised, so a quick pencil sketch can determine which areas to include. It became rather chilly while working so notes for colours and wind direction help to complete the atmosphere of a painting when it has to be finished off later at home. (Image: Archant)
![Great British Life: A central section of this scene was turned into a simple inked drawing, and then developed into a coloured illustration with light washes to give an open feel to the study. The only equipment required was a 3B graphite pencil, size 6 round brush and four basic tubes of paint.]( "Great British Life: A central section of this scene was turned into a simple inked drawing, and then developed into a coloured illustration with light washes to give an open feel to the study. The only equipment required was a 3B graphite pencil, size 6 round brush and four basic tubes of paint.")
A central section of this scene was turned into a simple inked drawing, and then developed into a coloured illustration with light washes to give an open feel to the study. The only equipment required was a 3B graphite pencil, size 6 round brush and four basic tubes of paint. (Image: Archant)
![Great British Life: A central section of this scene was turned into a simple inked drawing, and then developed into a coloured illustration with light washes to give an open feel to the study. The only equipment required was a 3B graphite pencil, size 6 round brush and four basic tubes of paint.]( "Great British Life: A central section of this scene was turned into a simple inked drawing, and then developed into a coloured illustration with light washes to give an open feel to the study. The only equipment required was a 3B graphite pencil, size 6 round brush and four basic tubes of paint.")
A central section of this scene was turned into a simple inked drawing, and then developed into a coloured illustration with light washes to give an open feel to the study. The only equipment required was a 3B graphite pencil, size 6 round brush and four basic tubes of paint. (Image: Archant)
