Another stab at the same motif

Another try at painting a stream in gouache. Trying to build it up in stages. This took about two and a half hours to do, and I think it might have been as well to put it down quickly. Although I mork carefully, I try to consider the large forms and hang on to the first impression.

In any case, here are a couple of steps to visualize the process...

Stage one. Cover the white. Indicate the main areas of color. Thin paint.

Shadows and large dark areas are placed, as careful and as close to actual value as possible (it always dries lighter). Dark areas are really what carries a picture, so important to get right! (this photo is a bit too light..). Light areas start to get modeled with thicker paint. Not too detailed. No highlights yet.

And a photo of the place. The simultaneous view of the reflections and the stones on the bottom is tricky to render in paint. Water generally is hard to paint or draw.