Painting the middle distance trees and shrubs
After making sure that the previous stage is completely dry I can work on the middle distance trees.
Watercolor painting of middle distance trees in rain fog and mist
I paint the trunks of the middle distance trees with French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna, with a little Cobalt Blue and more water for the lighter ones that are further away.
While the trunks are still wet I paint in the tree foliage using the side of my number 12 brush. I use a weaker mix (more water) for the foliage that is further away and the I add more pigment (thicker mix – less water) for the foliage that is closer to the foreground. The watercolor paints I used for the foliage are French Ultramarine and Raw Umber with more Raw Umber used for the closer trees.
I added a little Cobalt Turquoise and Aureolin to the foliage mixture and used this to paint the shrubs on the tops of the green hillsides.
Before the trunks dry I drop in additional watercolor paint to darken any I would like to bring forward or lift paint (with a barely damp brush) for any I would like to recede.
I let this dry completely!
Continue to: Painting the foreground gum tree
