This scene was a challenge as I gave into my 'zesty color' method early on, later you will see I fight this strong color. Sometimes it's fun to push color however! A modified version of the demo is posted later and I narrate through the video the challenges and solutions.
This lesson will teach you about how you need value plus color, and must preserve the brightest color for a punch (not have bright color all over). Don't be afraid of scraping and the knife to create some texture. Often messy areas read well as textured rock.
Watercolor artists should create this art with a 'brights first' idea... this means that the strong red, orange, yellow and blue colors can be modified later with a contrasting glaze or partially lifted out if needed. This should be easier to create in watercolor as the bright color is very satisfying to put in first. (This idea is what caused me some issues in my oil painting.) Also strong sun/shadow is easier to do in watercolor. Have the scene as if there are no shadows... then use a second pass of color to put in the shadows when the first layer is dry. A challenge will be to allow some color migration for a unified look (don't have things too tidy, give watercolor some freedom) and to get the tree and shadow dark enough.
