Catch that wave!
As soon as the weather ‘turns nasty’ I head for the sea with a sketchbook. To catch something as elusive as wave motion is not easy. The temptation is to take a photograph and copy that, but that misses the whole point of illustrating an experience.
For this type of drawing I like to work A3 or larger, even if it flaps around in the wind! I usually work with a felt pen or Fude (ink brush), which produces particularly expressive strokes. I like to use a variety of gestural strokes to suggest movement, rather in the manner of Rococo architecture. Van Gogh was very good at this. I know the crashing wave is a much-used convention bordering on the hackneyed, along with sunsets. However, you should not be deterred from putting your own observations down, if only to enjoy the exhilaration of doing so. I have witnessed
