Vashon Town watercolor

Fall Colors, Vashon Town

Finally getting back to the watercolor paintings I started on a few days ago. You may remember I only got this far on site:

Today It's dark and rainy, so I'm working in my studio. I'm using the photo I took as reference, but I'm not trying to duplicate the photo.

Masking over the areas where the darkest meets the light areas

I used painters masking tape to block out areas I want to remain light when I paint in the dark tree in the back ground and the darkest shadows. This works if you don't press too hard on the masking tape and if you wait until the paint is dry before putting the tape on.

Almost finished! Just need to add details

 The tree is painted in, the masking tape removed.

It is important to wait for the paint to dry after each step. The darkest shadows were added after the green of the fir dried. When all that is dry I can add a little color to the lamp post and tree trunk and finish the bank building.

Now the light is gone--darn these winter days! I'll finish this another day.