Trading black ink for gray

This painting was a big shift for me. I usually reach for black fine liners, but the outlines can end up very heavy against watercolor. For this house, I found some gray fine liners instead. The gray gave me all the structure I needed for the rooflines and the arched dormer without dominating the page. It completely changed the weight of the painting. I really leaned into that lightness, and it is something I want to do a lot more of.

The client commissioned this as a gift for her family. When we were talking through angles, she mentioned she liked this three-quarter view because the house itself is pretty plain. I kept thinking about that as I worked. She was right about the architecture being straightforward, but the landscaping is what brings it to life.

The trees were a struggle at the start. It is always tempting to keep fussing with branches until you have overworked them. But once the foliage settled in, I loved how it grounded the house. Bushes and trees cover a good chunk of the building, but instead of hiding it, it makes it feel lived in and real.

Painting the reflections in the windows was my favorite part. Getting little glimpses of the sky and the greenery in the glass was the exact detail that locked the house into its environment.

I am still learning when to keep adding detail and when to step back. The gray ink felt like a real breakthrough in letting the watercolor breathe.