Our trek through landscapes that inspired Canada's Tom Thomson and The Group of Seven

Watercolour painting, whether done in the studio or en plein air, takes planning and part of that process for me is the creation of thumbnail sketches. Sometimes I take 30+ minutes or so at this stage -- the better the plan, the greater chance of success.

My first sketches are black and white thumbnails. Here, I try to decide on what to paint, what not to paint, my composition and focal point. Sometimes this is followed by a tonal study. In order to capture the colours I see or wish to interpret I create another thumbnail, this time in watercolours. I have found capturing colours can come in handy if I have to leave unexpectedly (an attack by blackflies for example) so that transferring those same colours onto my larger watercolour painting is made easier.

Here are thumbnails for my watercolour "Taking the 219 at Margaree Harbour". Of importance to me were the shadows across the road, the arrangement of buildings on the farm and the restricted palette of colours.

The final watercolour, as a result of this planning can be seen HERE.