Page 4 - Unicycle

So Windy Hill, CA is the inspiration for this color scheme. I was having the hardest time coloring the hills...I wanted them to look like spring grass. In April on my birthday Matt and I hiked to the peak and took dozens of photos. You would be surprsied how close in value the hills actually are compared with the sky. I had to squint my eyes to check and see which one is darker. Turns out the hills do make a sillouette against a lighter sky. This illustration took almost 12 hours to complete...but believe it or not, Lily's house in the background took only half an hour! Its one of those things where you just feel it and you do it and it works! Rare moments in painting I must say. Also, this was my first for painting balloons. Balloons are cool. They reflect the colors of the sky and the colors of the balloons around them. They are transparent in the middle and opaque on the bottom and top. Who knew!