Tree Times Three

7/5/17 Gekkoso 8B graphite pencil, Baron Fig notebook

While the sunny side of Green Lake Park was getting on towards the low 80s, I found a lovely shady spot under the trees that was very comfortable, so I decided to try something I rarely do. I know that many painters make a value study, sometimes nothing more than a thumbnail, before they begin a painting. I spotted a composition of trees that appealed to me, but before I took out my colored pencils, I got out a soft graphite pencil and made a value study of the scene (above).  

Feeling like I understood the values, I got out my water-soluble colored pencils and went to town on the same scene (below). I decided to skip the cars in the background and keep it simple.

7/5/17 water-soluble colored pencils, 140 lb. watercolor paper

7/5/17 Gekkoso 8B graphite

I had sprayed water all over the foliage to activate the color, so while I waited for that to dry before continuing, I thought I’d work on another value study. In fact, the color version was taking so long (total of about one hour, interrupted in the middle by the second pencil sketch) that the sun had moved around the foreground tree, giving it a slim band of light on the left side. I wish I had waited a bit before starting the color version because I would have liked to put that band of light in (I only saw a tiny sliver of light when I had started the color version). 

Of the three, I think I like the last value study best. Which do you like?