i so wanted to do more but it was hard to do anything with details as I couldn't print off any references to put side by side as I worked. I managed to baslance my monitor to one side and selected a simple reference. I need to have ref and work at same visual length because of my eyesight.
i have been reading some articles in magazines with tips for watercolours that I wanted to try.
I tried them but they didn't work.
I'm not too hapy with it. It seems 'muddy' and overworked'. I spent longer on it than I should but, as always with the WDE, I use it to experiment and play and learn. So I messed about with masking tape and used a 'technique' with wet spononges where I'm supposed to be able to smoot and soften edges below masking tape with a wet sponge and a brush.... but it didn't work. So i had to add more paint to try to cover up the horrid hard white edges and lost some of the highlights which I then had to replace by wetting the area and dropping white gouache on top. I don't know if it is because my paints are so pigment strong that they just won't lift, or the technique doesn't work or the paper stains easily. Anyway, I found it all frustrating. I also had to work in my chair balancing palettes and pots of washes on the arms of my chair because I couldn't put them on the table as the laptop was there......
Anyway
here is the FINISHED PIECE....AND as for the challenge...a SHORT story.......
'There's a Storm Coming'
Qtr Imp Hahnemule CP 300gsm paper
St Petersburgh White Knights WC pans
Ink pen and gouache
'This morning he awoke. It wasn't like an ordinary morning. This morning he was alone in his bed. It took a while to sink in. Where had she gone. He shook his head until reality awakened. Last night he said goodbye as they left. Last night he knew it would be a while before they shared time again. He got dressed, he left the house and sauntered down to the beach. He wandered, looking down at the sand, shells here and there, rocks, shingle and tide marks, making ripples and ridge patterns. As he approached the sea he looked up at the sky before kneeling on one knee. He looked out across the sea, to the farthest horizon, all the time thinking about last night. Then he looked once more to the sky and thought to himself, 'there's a storm coming''
Here are some
2 hour and 2 hour detail shots...
2 hour detail
2hr detail
i can't be sure of how long it took, because of waiting for paint to dry and placing the mask and drying betweem etc. I did stop after 2 hours to take shots... then worked the next day for a couple of hours but that included drying breaks.
My WDE Sketches: 
Linear Mode
