The latest in my range of coastal illustrations captures the view of this popular beach in Paignton, Devon. ‘Broadsands in winter’ shows the beach on a cold January day at low tide, with the skeletons of last year’s samphire flowers still clinging to the sea wall and the steam train chugging over the viaduct in the background.
The story behind the illustration
The inspiration for this illustration was back in January of this year, with a blustery trip to the beach. I have already illustrated this area from the coastal path above, but really wanted to capture it from beach level too. I was also really keen to capture Broadsands in winter, as my previous illustration had been a summer view.
In summer, the sea wall is normally covered in rock samphire, so was really hoping there might be something of interest that I could include. I was in luck! As well as the shoots of this year’s leaves, there were also the skeletons of last year’s flowers – perfect!
I must admit, I did wrestle with a few elements in this illustration of Broadsands in winter; the colours (that green must have changed about 10 times!) the wet sand, the steps and whether or not to include the steam train (it was a yes to that last one!)
I also debated about including some of the figures that I had sketched when I visited, as the beach is so well-known for winter walks, but decided against it. My illustrations capture that moment of quiet (apart from the steam train in this case!)
There’s always a moment of nerves when the prints arrive – Are the colours ok? Does the composition work? Will other people like it? I’ll leave you to answer that one yourself!
