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just over the starting line

I first blocked in the sky, I will smooth out later. I wanted this to be the key tone that everything else hangs off. The left side seemed the trickiest, so that is where I am now, once I get past this my confidence should build. To help with the process I use photoshop layers with different curves so that I can see details in the dark foliage shadow areas, another layer to see the high key tones in the sky. I also use a black and white layer so I can check tones as I go. It also helps to photograph my work in stages to check with the original as I go. That is my evolving process in a nutshell.