Buttercup Sardine presents a single fish laid horizontally across a ground of warm buttercup yellow, its elongated body occupying the centre of the composition. The sardine is constructed from layered strokes of oil paint that move between deep blue, turquoise and pale silver, describing the reflective surface of its scales. Short, directional brushmarks follow the curve of the body and tail, while the background is worked with broad, parallel strokes that leave the texture of the paint clearly visible. Ollie Tuck frequently works with a carefully structured palette derived from familiar domestic paint colours, including shades produced by Farrow & Ball.