Looking Forward to Summer with this Seaside Colour Palette

Now that the evenings are staying light longer, it's beginning to feel as if winter really is on the way out. 

At times, the past few days have almost tempted me to get out my t-shirts and flip-flops - almost! So spring has definitely sprung - before we know it, it will be summer! And don't you think these bead necklaces have a 'summery' feel about them? 

I suppose it's partly because I can't imagine wearing a sea-shell necklace with a thick, warm sweater, but it's also because the colours remind me so strongly of days at the beach.

There are the brilliant blues of the sea and the coral pinks of crabs and shrimps, contrasting so well with the light beiges and greys of the sea-shells and pebbles! They all add up to a day out at the seaside - can't you even hear the waves and smell the sea?

I think it's amazing that we can find wonderful colour palettes so close to home - provided we keep a look out for them. So there's never any need to lack inspiration.

Could you make a pattern using this colour scheme? If you do, I'd love to see it - perhaps you could post a link to it in the comments?

'Coastal or Seaside' themed Greeting Cards and Products created by GCU and Zazzle Artists

Here's this month's selection of greeting cards, gifts, clothing and household items from Zazzle and Greeting Card Universe artists who paint using traditional methods.

These paintings really need to be seen in a larger size so I strongly recommend that you click on the images which will take you to a size large enough for their work to be properly appreciated.

Greeting Cards from Greeting Card Universe

           

Marion Hedger          Barbara Schreiber                 Judith Cheng

Oil Pastels                     Watercolour                     Watercolour

A Variety of Products from Zazzle

 

Washington Coast by packratgraphics
View more artwork available on zazzle

Oil on masonite

The Caribbean by aquarelle
Design a personalized magnet with Zazzle

Watercolour

'Beach Huts, Southwold' fine art print by michelewebber
Browse all the artwork available at zazzle

Watercolour

More Greeting Cards from Greeting Card Universe

     

Valerie May Cuan               Carole Barkett                  Susan Alison

   Watercolour                     Watercolour                    Watercolour, 

                                                                                  pencil and ink

More products available through Zazzle

Secret Cove Mousepad by redbagart
Browse other Sea view Mousepads
Oils 

Tropical Island Paradise - Wedding Invitation by AudreyJeanne
Browse Tropical Invitations

Watercolour

shell seekers at sunset by folkrockartist
View other Shell Magnets

Watercolour

Greeting Card Universe again

 

 

Ernestine Grindal         Judy Adamson             Rod Hillen

Watercolour              Collage                   Watercolour

Zazzle again...

Hat Pink Lady by Patty_Gentile
Browse Hat Hats

Fighting Seagulls by ullahennig
Make personalized note cards on zazzle.com

Soft Pastels

Algarve Boat Tote Bag by helikettle
Design canvas tote bags from Zazzle

Soft Pastel

A 'late entry' from GCU artist, Pris, done on matboard in coloured pencils.

That's it for this month. If you have any requests for future themes for my monthly round-up of handpainted work, please leave a message in the 'Comments' box.

Do men go for beach huts?

I read somewhere recently that paintings of beach huts always sell. But that isn't why today's collage was a row a of beach huts - honest! I've had in mind to do some beach huts for ages! And the sailing boats got me in the mood for more coastal, holiday scenes!

I wonder what it is that fascinates us about beach huts. I've photographed them at Cromer and at Broadstairs and I made a pastel painting of the beach huts at Wells-next-the-Sea some years ago. Unfortunately I didn't scan it before it was framed for my daughter.

A dear friend of mine, a Welsh teacher living in Worcester, but pining for the Welsh coast, who sadly died a couple of years ago, used to frequently remind me that if we were down on our luck and times got too hard, we could always sell our houses and go and live in adjacent beach huts, somewhere down on the Gower! That was until we discovered the price of a beach hut.....!

I went about this collage in a slightly different way from usual. I think I've become more at home with the medium and that gave me the confidence to just do a very rough sketch and leave out the tracing paper stage altogether. Apart from making one paper template of the basic beach hut shape, to ensure that they all came out roughly the same size, I just 'built' them 'organically', as it were, making it all up as I went along. It still took a long time, by my standards, but it was a lot more fun!

I was disappointed that Thursday's sailing boats looked so 'bland' on the screen - the various shades of white in the sails didn't show up at all - although, thankfully they printed out much better. But this time the 'graininess' of the different papers seems to have shown up quite well. I don't understand it - same scanner, same process, same screen. Sometimes the technology seems to have a mind of its own  The only disappointment today is that the seaweed hanging from the green hut looks black, whereas it is in fact a lovely rich reddish 'bladderwrack brown'!

I left the lower third of the design fairly empty so that there is plenty of room for a caption -

I'm not entirely sure whether it's another design for my 'Cards for Men' category - but at least it isn't flowers!

I particularly like it on the mug I made on Zazzle.