Watercolor Artist - USA (2019-02)

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Step 3

Once I’m happy with the overall value in the sky

and street, I add the traffic lights and more details

to the buildings on the left. I paint the trees using

richer values and subtle textures to maintain an

atmospheric feeling. Meanwhile, I use more intense

color in the reflections on the wet street. Next,

I determine whether the values are accurate in the

background, because once the masking is

removed, it’s difficult to paint back into it.

Final
I remove the masking from the highlighted areas using a shaped kneaded eraser.
I want these areas to be as bright as possible and to “shine” through the rainy
background. This requires colors like cadmium yellow light, opera rose and
cadmium red light for the warm lighting effect. I apply details to the cars, rewetting
them as necessary to soften them. In Cloudburst (watercolor on paper, 18x30),
I’ve worked to keep the focus softer, as it would appear on a wet day. WA