A Cabin in the Snow!

This painting was really fun to do!  A client contacted me about painting this sweet mountain cabin for a friend. What a wonderful gift!  I was so involved with "being in the moment" that I almost forgot to take pictures along the way!  So here are the only pics I took in the process of this painting.

"A Winter Wonderland"! 

First comes the drawing

Adding washes to define the surroundings

Adding light washes to the cabin

Adding the details

Darkening the details

The Final Painting!

Loved sharing with you.
Join me again next Wednesday!
Carole
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A Lovely Tudor in Pleasant Ridge!

A Tudor house is my favorite to paint! The detailing, the colors, the grandeur...large or small...a Tudor is splendid! So this lovely one in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan made my heart sing!

 There were so many details I've had to consolidate my pics as much as possible. I'm just going to add the photos that represent each step with very little explanation. I hope you enjoy watching it grow.

Of course, a detailed drawing comes first. This painting is 11 X 14 inches.

The first washes are light and slightly glowing, using various reds, golds and cobalt.

I masked the outer edge of the paper to avoid buckling.

Next step, adding suggestions of the greenery that will frame the house.

Darkening and shading to create perspective.

More bricks, more bricks, more bricks!

Continuing the bricks and adding detailing to window glass.

Next come the roof and stucco.

Often when I need to make precise lines, I cut strips of masking tape to mask out the areas

I want to avoid. I definitely used the strips in this painting once I began the Tudor details.

 Example of how I use the masking tape strips.

Adding the first layer of the sky and surrounding trees. Adding the Tudor details on the gable, 

porch flower pots and continuing the window reflections.

Painting the grass and sidewalk and detailing the sky and clouds.

Looking things over to be sure I don't leave anything out!

Laying down deeper washes in every area of the painting creating depth and perspective.

Once I get to this stage, I leave the painting in a place where I can "Watch" it!  It's true.

So many times, I'll notice something a day or so later that has been left out or something that just doesn't look right. The watching stage is the time to see those things. Photographing it helps too. 

I can look at the entire painting in a smaller scale and see it with different eyes.

 I decided to add a suggestion of the front yard trees on each side to frame the house. I'm happy with the outcome and ready to ship it to a wonderful family!  I hope they like it!

Join me again for Wednesday Watercolor! Follow my blog to be notified. 

See you then!   Carole