Trees - exploring colours and composition

Exploring composition and colours in my sketchbook again. The subject this time is from a photo I took during our hot dry summer. I'm writing this as the wind is picking up outside and I can hear the rain falling. But I remember that day so well, and the strong contrast between light and shade, and that little yellow tree that stood out in front of the big dark trees all around it.

Again, I'm inspired by Anne-Laure Jacquart (Following the White Rabbit on YouTube), and her tips on greens!



In particular, I was reminded to use a warm yellow like Quinacridone gold (I got rid of Mayan yellow in my palette - it lacked punch for me), and most of all, to use Perylene Green for my darks.

Here are thumbnails and colour swatches. What I'm realising in retrospect is that the paper in this book that I use for trying out ideas behaves very differently from watercolour paper. It's a Strathmore sketchbook I think, and the paint always seems brighter on it than on watercolour paper.

And a few small paintings to try out different ideas. Some worked out. Most didn't!

Blobs of paint. Ugly.

At this point, I decided to change the composition, placing the little tree in a much more prominent position. I like how this worked out, so I decided to move to my normal size watercolour paper (about A4) after that