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.

Marine painting by Alan J. Benge of Hamilton Island, North Queensland.

This triptych panel was the result of a holiday that I spent at Hamilton Island, on the Great Barrier Reef.
The view from my hotel room was magnificent, so I was pleased that I'd packed my oil paints and brushes in case a good picture opportunity came up. I might add it was hard to find the time to do this trio because the beach beckoned, and swimming was an option I didn't want to miss.
However, after having a dip - the water was great by the way - I returned to my room and worked quickly on the panels.
Foreground interest was helped by the obliging white cockatoos which came and sat on my balcony. They were so friendly, that it was a job to keep them off the drying canvas panels which I put out in the sun on the balcony to dry.
I used a range of blues to depict the tropical surroundings. This view looks East towards the background, and when I painted this "en plein air" the hills in the distance were misty with haze.
The actual panel size was limited to what I had brought in my luggage, with each panel only about 30cm X 20cm.