Don't feed the seagulls! Sketches to final painting.

Don't feed the seagulls! Sketches to final painting.

I start by sketching all the elements of the illustration I think I might need. As you can see I didn't use all the ideas, but I like to start with all the options. 
I don't see this as a waste of time as I know I may use the elements in another illustration.

This was the original painting, however when I revisited the image I felt it was too cluttered and the composition not as pleasing as the others.
So I decided to simplify it.

Here you can see I gave this version more sky to allow breathing room. I also dropped the view point to accentuate the overall silhouette of the illustration for maximum impact.