Fishing Boat and my Urban Sketching Palette

I’d spent a couple of afternoons on the fishing boat jetty trying to sketch the local seagulls, but decided it was about time I tried to master overcomplicated boats in a simplified style.

Sketching a Focal Point

To begin with I plotted up on the jetty in front of this boat and decided to focus on sketching a few key elements instead of trying to paint it all. On this first boat I sketched a couple of the buoy/floats, because that’s was captured my attention.

This approach of sketching a focal point, is a great way to capture some of the unique elements on these fishing boats. So rather than getting overwhelmed when faced with a large and complex vessel, focusing on a few elements is a great way to build your confidence, and get some much needed practice.

Zooming in to Sketch a Focal Point

On the neighbouring boat I focused on sketching and painting the fish traps. My initial ink sketch (see a glimpse of it above) was pretty uninspiring, but as soon as I added a limited selection of watercolours to it, the scene really came to life.

I really like how harmonious the colour combination is in this scene. The oranges and blues work really well together.

At first glance it might not be evident what I sketched, but the dock and buoy is there to give a clue about what the scene is about.

The traps were actually see-through, made with blue rope, but I painted them in an impressionistic and expressive way, rather than struggling with a realistic representation.

I think they work really well, and this is one of my favourite boat pictures I’ve created so far. I used a Sailor Fude pen, which gives lovely contrasting lines.

Sketching a Rowing Boat

I may not have felt ready to tackle of one of the complex fishing boats, but this little blue rowing boat was a captive subject.

It was marooned on a sand bank at low tide, which provided an interesting perspective to sketch. It also meant that I didn’t have to struggle with painting the surrounding water just yet.

It’s a simple sketch, and I wish I’d added a few darker shadow lines with my fude pen to make the boat pop out a little more that it is.

All in all, a good sketching day today at the harbour. And I know that each time I venture there, I’ll be adding to my arsenal of boat sketching skills.