The Kent Cultural Baton, 5/5 Girl (Hannah) drawing

Hannah reading © Peter Gander

One of my favourite paintings of the day of my daughter Hannah joining in the spirit of the occasion and drawing alongside me, as my son Jack did, too. In fact the guy in the white hat soon turned round and started drawing me drawing them as well! I used candle wax to achieve the nice characterful texture of the harbour stone. It also helps portray the bright sunshine that prevailed on Sunday. Winsor & Newton (half pan) watercolours on Langton 100% cotton 300gsm paper.

The Kent Cultural Baton, 4/5 tonal sketch

Mono sketch of the Margate's Harbour Arm © Peter Gander

This small, quick study was painted by brush alone in about ten minutes on Langton 100% cotton (rough) paper in Winsor & Newton watercolours.

The Kent Cultural Baton, painting 3/5

The Turner Contemporary Gallery, Margate © Peter Gander

The main painting of the day was this one, drawn with a 6B pencil first. Painted on Hahnemuele 500gsm Andalucia rough paper. The thick paper absorbed the sky blue well in a flat way, yet was rough enough to give a good texture in the sea too, when a drier brush was employed.

The Kent Cultural Baton, painting 2/5

Old boat, Margate Harbour © Peter Gander

Using a bolder Pentel this time, I sketched this neglected boat, draped in a mesh over its front end that reminded me of a sheet over a dead body. Certainly this boat has long been forgotten, but gets an extra bit of attention today. My son Jack (10) said “Even an old boat looks good when it’s painted!” True enough. Pentel waterproof pen and Winsor & Newton watercolour (half pans) on Langton 100% cotton mould made 300gsm paper.

The Kent Cultural Baton, 1/5 The airstream

The KCB Airstream © Peter Gander

Easel set up, coffee at hand and the first trickle of lazy Sunday morning strollers investigated the galleries, shops and cafés along Margate’s Harbour Arm, just along from the shiny new Turner Contemporary on an atypically warm April morning. Artist Bridgette Ashton is shown in the painting and the Kent Cultural Baton’s lead artist Nicolle Mollet was at the helm most of the day, popping in and out of the water in her neoprenes to attend to cameras recording the event out at sea. Back on dry land, I penned the linework with a waterproof Pentel, leaving the passers-by until last as they needed to be captured with very fast lines and then applied the washes of Winsor & Newton watercolour via a half-pan palette. Substrate: Daler Rowney 100% cotton Prestige Mould Made (rough) 300gsm paper.