Mooloolabah fishing boat painting by Alan J. Benge

Fishing boats at anchor form excellent subjects for the marine artist.  It was nearly sunset when I spotted this trawler at the Mooloolabah wharf area on Queensland's Sunshine coast. Ifelt it would look best if I tried out a pen and ink style approach, after establishing a dusky pink background initially.
Red and orange highlight tones were added along with white areas. My aim was to capture the peaceful anchorage at the end of day. I hope you like my original creation.

Moorish Idol fish illustration by Alan J. Benge

If you have ever snorkelled or dived in tropical waters like Australia's Great Barrier Reef, you probably will have seen these marvellous striped inhabitants of the underwater world.  From an artist's point of view, they are fantastic to draw.  In this original acrylic painting, I portrayed the moorish idol on a background of colourful abstract shapes.  Splattered texture was used for effect, along with bold primary colour 'blobs' to represent the incredible beauty of the reef.  

Stylised yacht in stormy waters painting by artist Alan J. Benge

In this whimsical composition, I have tried to incorporate the idea of a rough day on the ocean wave.  Design elements, suitably stylised include curly wave shapes, triangle sails and spiky fish with a fierce sun overhead.  Menacing seagulls soar above the turbulent sea.  Use is made of stripes, zig-zags and circles.  It was fun to produce this light-hearted work, and may well inspire all those who sail yachts to wear their life jackets, and also, to take seasick pills !

Hayman Island sketch in pastels by artist Alan J. Benge

Whilst on holiday on Hayman Island, Great Barrier Reef in Queensland Australia, I walked some of the marvellous hiking trails that criss cross the island. Along the track, there are viewpoints where you can stop and admire the view.
The artwork above was created as an on-the-spot sketch from one of the viewpoints I mentioned.  Fortunately, there was a small table at the lookout, and I was able to draw in relative comfort.  This view is looking towards other Whitsunday islands from Hayman. The islet that is prominent in the mid distance formed a handy triangular shape for my sketch.
The turquoise hues of the tropical waters were accomplished by smudging my finger across the illustration board to get variations in tone. The smudged finger technique was also useful for portraying some of the clouds. 

Anemone fish acrylic painting by artist Alan J. Benge

I like anemone fish. These cute striped inhabitants are the comedians of the undersea world that comprises Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Their immaculate yellow and black costumes are great attention getters.
On a snorkelling expedition in the Whitsundays, I spotted these colourful characters darting around the coral.  This proved suitable inspiration for the above original acrylic painting which I completed later, on dry land.   The fish itself has been treated in a realistic manner, but the background is an abstraction rendition of coral and shell shapes in a mix of different hues.
I envisaged this type of painting would possibly complement the decor of a beachside pad or apartment.  All artists can learn a lot from our undersea environment, as a source of creative ideas.

Sketch of Hobart boat harbour, Tasmania by Alan J. Benge

This is primarily a fairly detailed pen and ink sketch that I drew whilst on a visit to Hobart.  It is near the area where the yachts in the Sydney Hobart race come into Constitution dock.  If you get the chance to stroll along the wharf area at Hobart, it's a colourful scene full of interest and variety.
On a sunny day, there is lots here to capture the eye of any artist. 
I felt a birds-eye view of the wharves would be effective, so I took an elevator to the top of a nearby hotel overlooking the harbour.  A pencil outline established the basic composition, with the boats in the mid foreground, plus buildings and hills forming the background interest.
Later, my trusty artist's toothbrush was employed to create a splatter texture, and then a light blue wash was brushed over the nearly completed work.  Red highlights were added in acrylics to provide keynotes for this painting. I worked on good quality illustration board.

Yacht painting, Couran Cove, Queensland by artist Alan J. Benge

Pen and ink rendition, plus colour washes was the technique that I used on my sketch of yachts, anchored at Couran Cove, on Queensland's Gold Coast.
I liked the way the red lines of the yacht contrasted with the blue shadows and water effects.  The lines depicting rigging helped tie the composition together.  Boat harbours are excellent places to find subjects for your easel -  so to all aspiring artists - get on deck, and castaway your inhibitions.  Get painting, and "launch" your artistic career !