I'm beginning see things a bit more clearly now. I continue with the trees and then begin to add more greenery to the background. I decide I don't want a sky, I want some type of a cul de sac, a very private little area, somewhat like Monet’s original but not quite.
I continue to use sap green, mixed with a bit of Winsor blue and yellow, a little white here and there. I am trying to get the look of silver birches and am trying to follow the reference photo. I also decide I want a weeping willow in here somewhere, but in front of the bridge or behind? I’ll make that decision later, right now I’ll just try to get the willow in.
I use sap green along with permanent green light, cadmium yellow, burnt umber, and white. I try some different brushes; weeping willows are not easy to do and I haven’t the slightest clue where to start. I find a thin brush that works and continue to layer in colors. Oh dear, what an ugly tree! I will continue to go over it until I come up with something that looks somewhat decent, I hope. I am beginning to wonder what I got myself into...
I try putting in water plants here and there, to see if that is where I want them. I repaint the bridge, with sap green mixed with a bit of Winsor blue so I know where it will be positioned. I go over the pond again with Winsor blue mixed with yellow and take out the highlights. I try to lighten the background with some cadmium yellow mixed with yellow ochre. It still doesn’t look like much but it's coming along.
