Toadstools 1-3 - Three Works in Progress

The weatherman is right about predicting bad weather including freezing rain for the day.

There are warnings are in place about receiving up to 3/4" (20mm) of ice accretion which may cause power outages for the region. It is currently 24F (-4.4C) with the wind chill making it feel like 16F (-8.9C).

It started with snow this morning, changed to ice pellets and it will change to freezing rain for the rest of the day and overnight.

Toadstool 1

I decided to work on these three paintings that I started last year (see posts on 20 and 31 October and 31 December 2015 and 09 February 2016).

Working from one painting to the next, I the first thing I did was to remove the miskit using a rubber cement pickup and I have on occasion also used one of the white STAEDTLER Mars erasers.

Toadstool 2

Next I put each of the three paintings side by side and placed a piece of tracing paper over them.

With a pencil I lightly drew into the bottom of each piece the pine needles and curled, weathered birch leaves that with time would produce the rich loam around the base of the trees that Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) favour.

Toadstool 3

By using this method I make all my mistakes and erasures on the tracing paper and do not damage the watercolour paper.

I will post these paintings at a later date when I am pleased that the debris at the base of the toadstools flows from one piece to the next and I transfer the images onto the painting.