Along the Illinois River

Step 5
I painted the water and the opposite bank of the river first and then worked in all parts of the composition to establish detail and textures.

I scratched highlights in the water and in some of the branches with a mat knife and wire brush.

Every paper is different. The Khadi paper, because it has little or no internal sizing and because it is made with little or no long fibers, tears very easily, revealing a white that is whiter than the surface of the paper. So any scratching into the paper has to be done carefully.