Duck Stamp

This year I'm going to enter the Junior Federal Duck Stamp Contest,and have been working for quite a while on my entry. Here is a quick summary of my progress thus far.

Here's my composition--I cropped and combined 2 pictures and everything turned out great.











I primed my 9x12" masonite board with midgray (it's easier to get darks and lights to show up when you start with an intermediate color). I transfered my drawing and began painting the mountains using washes of color. BTW, I'm choosing to finish the background first, then paint the ducks--save the best for last. It doesn't matter if I paint over the ducks at this point.













I then laid in some colors for the trees and grass.













At this point I've begun laying in the blues of the water and sky, and have added more detail to the background--the mountains are completed.













This is where I am now.













The water is pretty smooth, and I'm ready to incorperate the reflections. The trees, hills and background grasses are almost finished--I think the yellows and reds need to be reconciled (the blues in the mountains are off in this pic, the last one is more accurate). I'm pleased with my progress, and am confident that I can finish by early March. From what I've seen, this type of painting is unique and should stand out. We'll see.