I really didn’t want to share this one, but it’s all part of this exercise, so…

I tried using the new squirrel quill for as much as possible on this one. I really like the way it adds movement because the soft hairs sort of do their own thing under pressure. But, I have to keep a careful eye on water, since it holds SOOOOO much. I�like the shadows on the trunk of the tree, and the dress on the lady, but she needs a bonnet. (I need to mask that.) The background hill is too much of a single note, and overall, there isn�t enough value contrast. I�m going to try to fix that by adding some darker shadows in the foreground. It�ll probably ruin it more, but that�s ok. The silo looks like a giant blue penis-which is unfortunate. The distant house was where is gave up on the quill for detail work, I can get a hairline with it, but it takes a lot of control, which I don�t have just yet.

The farm house walls are 100% wrong. I tried getting too much detail in them. It�s like I can�t decide what the focus should be so I try making everything the focal point. That does not work. I should be less detailed, and more loose on the elements that aren�t the focus. I should think – give the impression of a barn – not color the barn with pigment.

The figures need more light on the female�s shoulder to separate her from the man. And the highlights on the dress should probably go away.

I tried to give the impression of a hill that tops off at the figure�s feet. To achieve this better I should increase the value contrast in the grasses. Make the foreground warmer, and the mud ground cooler.

I also didn�t keep a careful eye on the dampness of the paper – which made the pigments blend too quickly. As a result, instead of multiple tones, I got singular notes.

The shadows should be about eleventy thousand shades darker. (Update: I did go in and darken the shadows. The image here is with the darker shadows.)