My first step was to make multiple trips to the site. I found the afternoon light inspirational so that's when I worked. I familiarized myself with the motifs; made numerous compositional pencil sketches; half-dozen plein air paintings in watercolor or oil; and observed the atmospheric effects and colors of the landscape.
These sketches and paintings were in preparation for the client's visit to my studio. Reviewing all of my work, they selected the singular oak tree motif to be recreated in a studio painting, and requested a few compositional adjustments.
The next step was to return to the site and make a fully developed charcoal drawing the same size of the final 22" x 30" watercolor. This was my opportunity to clarify my drawing, solidify the composition, and organize the values. While working on this drawing, I mulled over ideas of how I would paint it in watercolor: whether or not to do an underpainting; which pigments to use, as well as the technicalities of painting the large sky passage.
The drawing had a practical purpose too: I used it to make a tracing to transfer the most important outlines lines onto the watercolor paper.
