Siren of the Evening Star - stage 1

Another painting about skies, this one is going to be kept pretty simple after the recent more complicated ones and will be completely about the sky. There is a small figure of a mermaid lying in the shallow water looking out to the distance where there will be a sailing ship on the horizon, very small, positioned a third of the way along the horizon from the left. The mermaid is positioned roughly a third of the way from the right so The Rule Of Thirds is being applied to the composition with the sailing ship just breaking the line of the horizon. The Evening Star (Venus) will be centrally placed about halfway down the picture. The colours will be kept fairly subtle and real but still with plenty of atmosphere and Romance, the mood being quiet with the shallow waves gently lapping the shore reflecting the clouds above.
This stage was "drawn" up first with a small brush using a mix of Burnt Umber and Winsor Violet thinned with Liquin and turpentine and then in the afternoon the sky was washed in with a rag using the same paint mix but with more turpentine.