Need help. Should I get darker in the water? Lighten the trees on the right? Play with the house

[GreenPartyVoter]

some more? It's a present for my Aunt. The lighthouse back home. She doesn't travel much any more and I'm sure she'd appreciate the memory.

This is watercolor. I do have gouache and pastels if I can't fix it any other way. (like the too dark trees on the right.)

[dweller]

1. The house

Is almost fading away, whereas the lighthouse is color/shaded, maybe more distinction btwn roof and house ?

nice work all the same

✌🏻

[Pobeka]

2. Nice work! A few comments.

Yes, some highlights on branches to the trees on the right. Just a little bit.

The house is getting lost behind the trees -- perhaps some fine line darkening of the gutterlines might be enough to carry it through.

The water -- maybe a little darker blue, but not if it doesn't keep with the integrity of the actual water color.

I'm always impressed with real artists like you. I'm neither a real one or a fake one!

I am sure your aunt will love this.

[LunaSea]

3. The water

could use more contrast. Perhaps find some reference photos with a similar lighting angle.
(think a lot of small patches of darker reflections across the whole of the water foreground as opposed to
a solid value change)
You've done a nice job of establishing where the sun is on the left and center, but the right 3rd is lacking the haze toward the back and no detail/highlights on those trees don't really match the 3 trees on the left. Left 2/3rds has a nice atmosphere. Assuming its watercolor, a little spritz on water and some dabbing would pull up some of the darkness way in the back.

And maybe the tree with ears above the little shed kinda bugs me.


I bet you're going to make your aunt smile!

[sinkingfeeling]

4. More shadows on house and a tad lighter trees on right. They

need highlights.

[Laelth]

5. I would darken the water closer to the viewer.

I would darken the shadows on the structure.

Closer = more saturation. Farther away = less saturation.

It’s beautiful. Best of luck. It’s virtually impossible to “fix” watercolor—unforgiving medium.

-Laelth

[fierywoman]

6. Water, sky and pine trees are really tricky to paint in watercolor, and you've done them

beautifully. I wouldn't mess with the water! If you want something in the foreground to be stronger, try the rocks (which are also very fine, btw.) Have you squinted to see where you might want to go from here? When I do, I would like to see some soft edges and some greyed-out places. But keep hard edges between background trees at the house on either side (maybe darken the background trees to the left of the house and keep the edge hard to make the house "pop.&quot I really like how you haven't gone into too much picky detail.

[handmade34]

7. few highlights

on trees to the right

stronger delineation between water and yard

a bit more color to the house

all that said, the picture is lovely

[secondwind]

8. If you want things to pop, if you have a Micron pen, fine line,

you can outline the rocks here and there, and the house...... it’s just another “look”.

I really like your very gentle way of painting....

[marble falls]

9. Not darker, but purer color. Deeper the closer to the viewer.

Last edited Mon Jan 18, 2021, 08:00 PM - Edit history (1)

[lunatica]

10. I would start with a bit more detail on the rocks

Then go from there.

I like the lightness and luminescence and glow.

[GemDigger]

11. I like it the way it is. It

looks like a very early spring morning when everything looks washed by the brightness of the sun. The grass is not quite the deep green of summer and the water looks like cold winter runoff.