More Clouds

Today I am painting the same clouds and mountains subject on 8" x 10" watercolor paper with a watercolor underpainting

Cad red under the mountains, oranges, blues and greys elsewhere.

Blocking in the pastel shapes

 

Here's the finished piece - somehow photographing pastel isn't all that successful.  The cloud colors and values are much more pleasing than this photograph conveys. 

November Clouds

Back in the studio after a most enjoyable break teaching watercolor....time to reaquaint myself with my pastels!  This reference photo was taken a few nights ago with my phone camera.  Working on Kitty Wallis Belgian mist support, I sketch the main shapes including increasing the height of the foreground. 

I block in the main shapes with the darkest values I see within each shape.

With just a couple of later additions this is the palatte for this painting.

Further refining shapes I add some lighter values and soften almost all the edges and transitions.

I now realize that as usual I have made the mountains a little too tall and wide, so I carve some clouds into their shapes to make them a little shorter and narrower.  My awe of the mountains creeps in to my drawings.

Though the painting is signed, I think I will live with it a few days to see it with fresh eyes a few times...but it's mostly complete.  12" x 18"