I had taken a photograph of the sunlight gleming off the water shilouetting the cliffs and Lands End. I decided that it would be a real chalange to try and capture the sense of light as dramatically as possible. I used a pre-stretched canvass 10"x 12". I didn't do a sketch but just started with a wash of paynes grey and white spirit for the sea and lamp black for the cliffs. I wanted an early contrast of the silvery sea and the dark of the cliffs

Next, I started to add titanium white, mixed with a small amount of linseed oil, to build up the concentration of reflections. I also added a little cadmium yellow to the white to keep some warmth. Too much white can leave the painiting feeling cold. I also added some Burnt Sienna,Cadmium Yellow and Sap green to the cliff foreground to also help keep a sense of warmth.

I continued to build up layers of White, Paynes Grey, Ultramarine and Cerulean Blue to try and capture the sense of sun glare off the sea. Again the odd dash of Cadmium Yellow was needed to keep the painting alive.

Now it was time for a bit of artistic licence! Just a few hundred yards from this spot is a rock precariously placed on a stack. I wanted to add this to the painting to add a bit of drama to the scene, especially as this was to be the central focus of the work.I also started adding a view Yellow Ochre highlights to the rocks. The highlights are designed to give a sense of depth and focus the eye to the centre.

The finished article. I added more cerulean blue to the sea. I felt the painting looked a little cold and the blue warms the whole thing up. I also added more cadmium yellow highlights to the grass in the cliffs. I hoped this would give the impression of the sunlight shining through it and also lead the eye to centre of the painting.