Starfish in Beach Surf

For a slow, small-scope coloring afternoon. A single orange starfish lies on wet sand at the edge of the surf, one arm pointing up into the receding wave, the other four splayed across the lower half of the frame.

The interest is in the water — clear, shallow, half over sand and half over deeper turquoise — and in the bumpy texture of the starfish's skin, every nub picked out in a warmer or cooler shade. Foam laces the wave's edge in soft cream.

A meditative piece with a tight palette: orange, cream, sand, turquoise, deeper teal. Best for colorists who like building a sense of wet sand and shallow water more than they like cramming in detail.