All that’s left to do is the river surface, which comprises most of the background of the 5 Remmys.
The pics in this post were taken in the studio with my phone, so they're distorted (Remmy looks shorter and wider) because they were taken at an angle.
Starting to fill in the river…. Blue sky reflected in the water nicely frames “Mona Lisa Remmy’s” head.
The slightly buckled top edge of the paper is visible, on my white work table.
Now laying in the ripples across the background behind the upper right Remmy. The ripples are made with strokes of colored pencil on the underpainting (green watercolor wash over the grey paper, that was done way back at the beginning of the portrait - one of the very first steps).
On the monitor is my Photoshop reference layout. I created the river scene by combining several of Walt’s photos, and extended it to the right with crude Photoshop “sketching” (so the clients could see how the artwork would look). While I work I’m looking at Walt's photos to get an idea how the actual ripples should look. I've also filled in the riverbank and trees in the upper right (from my imagination), finishing up that corner of the artwork.
My trusty pencil sharpener is just out of sight to the right of this picture. within easy reach of my right-hand, where it gets constant use as I'm working.
Putting in the river’s ripples around the upper right Remmy head and fading his neck and shoulders into the river.
That is the Credit River, within walking distance of Walt and Frann’s home. It was Remmy’s “happy place”. Many, many fond memories…winter, spring, summer, and fall. Now in this portrait Remmy is part of the Credit River….Forever.
Today’s ripples.
Moving down the right half of the artwork, filling in the river around “Mona Lisa Remmy”.
Putting in ripples with 3 shades of green and grey-green pencils over the green underpainting. In the lower portion mostly what you are seeing is the green underpainting, with scribbled pencil strokes on it.
