Commission: final result

 

Rocky shore                                                  © Elizabeth Tyler 2021
The final result after hours of contemplating,
taking a long break, making new decisions, altering and painting again

This was what the painting looked like before the final adjustment

Close up of the dark flat stone with a surface structure of wavy patterns, dots and moss. I thought this was interesting at first but it had the effect of weighing the subject down in a negative way.
People say you can't change a watercolour once its painted but I'm stubborn and won't take no for an answer.

The same area after much of the pigment was absorbed by washing, scrubbing and dabbing with tissue. This lightened the whole area and it was then possible to add grass and reed reflected in the water. I now felt the composition was more homogeneous and harmony was restored.

Splashing stream in pastel

The finished pastel painting  Splashing Stream  50 x 65 cm    ©Elizabeth Tyler 2021

Step 1.
Just a light sketch of the subject with a white watercolour pencil. Paper: Fabriano Tiziano Caffe.

Step 2.
Using Faber-Castell soft pastels I filled in the lightest areas of the water and
where the light catches the branches and twigs. Also the various blue and green tones were added.

Step 4.
I created some texture to the nearest stones by scraping a white pencil over the dampened surface.
Then I added more light and shadow to the twigs

Step 5
Here you can see how I worked a great deal with the rocks in the foregound,
covering the white dots with a layer of smudged green pastel.
Then I added the leaves with their own shadows to bring them into relief.
More blue in the water gave the painting some depth.

Step  6
I was still not quite satisfied with the result so I finally toned down the background with
a layer of blue. This created a contrast to the white splashing water and more harmony to the painting.