Natasha Rajakariar

I first took a photo of this water reservoir in Sri Lanka when in 2012. The first time I sketched was last year. I just used pencil crayons as I was probably just looking through photos for some sketching subject matter.

Recently I thought about creating it with oil pastels in a larger format. I hadn’t planned on documenting the process, but I ended up taking photos as I went as a way to step back and assess my progress. The first sketches were rough as I was debating whether to try it in watercolor or mixed media, and whether to use smooth or cold pressed paper.

The first pass was on the right in a large 8×10 sketchbook. I wasn’t particularly happy with the color choices – they were a little too close to pure colors, and I wanted to used some muted tones. So I practiced a few combinations on the left side.

The second pass in my sketchbook involved watercolor, oil pastel, and pencil crayons, trying to determine what media worked best for the different elements in the composition.

I tried a third version attempting to use only watercolor. But I quickly moved on as I never get the depth I want in watercolor without overworking the painting.

Next I sketched only the structure, thinking about the final size I wanted the piece.

I eventually decided on using a quarter sheet of Fabriano Artistico Extra White Hot Press paper, after researching a bit into what other artists use. Starting with the clouds, I went a small section at a time.

I added some unexpected colors to the greenery to break up the solid feel in the final piece.