This drawing just wasn't working. I was in West Virginia with my friend Joy and I spotted this group of trees beginning to turn red. There was almost an even mix of red and dusty greens and the light was very overhead. I worked on it and got disgusted. With a paper towel I wiped out my feeble efforts. Yes, sometimes it's a good idea to just start over.
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| "Red Autumn" wiped out |
Back in my studio in Kentucky, I was determined to make this image work. First I studied the photo and did another black and white thumbnail sketch. (I did one on site also, but worked harder on this second drawing and you can see where I erased some of the sketch and redesigned the location of the shapes.
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Thumbnail sketch of "Red Autumn"
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Next, I started reworking the image focusing on the values from my sketch and changing the main tree to a dominate red.
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| "Red Autumn" midway finished |
In the final image I focused on developing the brilliant reds with late afternoon light and made the tractor path a secondary element.
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| "Red Autumn & Tractor Path" 12"x16" pastel |
