Mount Shuksan before Picture Lake a cooperative commissioned painting

Here is the fabulous reference photograph that my friend Laura Mackenzie took.

I chose to do the painting on a half sheet of 300# Arches watercolor paper.
I drew a simple line drawing indicating the big shapes.

I laid in the initial watercolor washes.

In the next painting session I added more watercolor to the under painting.

I laid in the pastel in the mountain and began adding the initial passes of dark pastel in the trees.

Some middle values added with pastels

The final painting after adjusting some details in the mountain and water.  

Finally, I added my signature as well as the name of the photographer Laura Mackenzie.

Swinomish Channel

A simple line drawing just "eyeballing" the elements from a reference photo.

First watercolor wash over the whole page.

Darkening the mountains and the walls of the house.

The dark and medium washes; trying different colors of the same value in the large tree.

Darkening the values of the mountains and the house....then (gasp) I noticed that the house was too large and prominent, so I repainted the large shrub.  I darkened the value of the brown wall to black.

And then, "presto change-o" I added pastel over the watercolor primarily on the left side of the painting; leaving the watercolor washes in the sky,  most of the water, and the mountains untouched.  I may darken the house yet again to get it to 'sit back' in the tree shadow better.

There are three man made elements (the house, the pilings, and the two poles in front of the mountains) that pull the left side of the brain through the painting.  There are repeated color elements (blue house, blue mountains, blue water) that pull the right side of the brain around the painting.  I hope you enjoy painting Swinomish Channel as I did!

Swinomish Channel

A simple line drawing just "eyeballing" the elements from a reference photo.

First watercolor wash over the whole page.

Darkening the mountains and the walls of the house.

The dark and medium washes; trying different colors of the same value in the large tree.

Darkening the values of the mountains and the house....then (gasp) I noticed that the house was too large and prominent, so I repainted the large shrub.  I darkened the value of the brown wall to black.

And then, "presto change-o" I added pastel over the watercolor primarily on the left side of the painting; leaving the watercolor washes in the sky,  most of the water, and the mountains untouched.  I may darken the house yet again to get it to 'sit back' in the tree shadow better.

There are three man made elements (the house, the pilings, and the two poles in front of the mountains) that pull the left side of the brain through the painting.  There are repeated color elements (blue house, blue mountains, blue water) that pull the right side of the brain around the painting.  I hope you enjoy painting Swinomish Channel as I did!