Back to Watercolor

On Day 3 of the Plein Air class, I went back to watercolor paint, and was much happier with my work as the afternoon progressed. (it's a three-hour class). Both of these paintings better convey the mass of this tree trunk than any of my previous paintings.

Getting Grounded
I prefer this one to the next because it's conveys the quiet of the place and it's more grounded, however, I could probably fix that problem (on the second image here) by adding some dark color to the area around the base of the tree. Right now, it appear to float and have little connection to the ground.

The Tricky Phase
There's a tricky phase in painting when the image is coming together and you need to tweak a few things. As you work, things are getting better, but if you go too far, you can ruin it. Just like that. (That's when I think, "I'll hit the 'un-do button'", which of course, I cannot do!)

Working in the Details

Working in the details changed the image a lot and it was fun. Most important, the details help convey the scale and mass of the trees. I had to wait for the paper to dry before I used really concentrated paint and a small brush. I'm so in love with my large brushes that I sometimes forget to use the other ones!