Winter Local Tone Work in Progress

first draft, Winter Wonderland, 24x18

Second Round

I started this painting before Christmas. Half way through it I realized that my drawing was way off and I just had to rework it. In the first photo you can see that the bottom limb on the forward tree is just too large. That tree also need to be darker. The figure was not in the right place for good balance, so I moved him down and over to the right. The other things that were changed: the mass color of the trees in the background, widened the opening in the trees in the distance (not sure that is going to stay that large) and brought in more sky. This is the point where it was when it was critiqued. Kevin liked how I incorporated the figure into the trunks of the trees and lamp pole and darkened the tree that is the main focus. I have worked on it since and when it gets to a place where I am well pleased with it, I will post the finished piece.

My idea for this was to keep it simple and to think of it as a wood block print, with three values: light, medium and dark with the medium marrying into the dark group (visual approach: Local Tone). In the photo reference there is another figure right in front of this figure, just enough to be confusing, so I removed her. I like the solitary figure in all this snow. I want you to be able to hear the quiet.