Choosing colours of pastel for my latest striking seascape

I thought you might find of interest one of the stepping stones towards a completed artwork - the choice of colours.

Once the reference photo is chosen then the next choices are paper colour ( my paper of choice is Artspectrum Colourfix paper ) and pastel colour. I am lucky to have accumulated a wide range of soft pastels and pastel pencils over the past 19 years and this provides me with a good variety of subtle shades. 

I experiment with these shades on the paper I have chosen - the background colour will be influenced by the paper colour. For example, the lions required a different coloured paper compared to this seascape.   

As I progress I keep checking, experimenting and comparing the colours with the reference photo ( taken by Steve Carter ) to get the best result and this is the procedure I undertake with all my artworks.

Rest assured you will be the first to see this seascape completed later in the week. Enjoy your day!