Completed Composition Drawing.

Here is the approach I am taking for the painting of the photograph below. The early masters put great stock in their preliminary sketches, or "feuille d'études". This is an opportunity to work out any kinks in an idea before going to the final painting. In mine for instance, you'll notice the grid lines, which are an easy way for me to balance a composition. I also removed any elements that aren't crucial to a successful and harmonious piece, such as the telephone pole, guard rails and such. I also take the time before this drawing to do a series of smaller thumbnail drawings to experiment with different arrangements to see if any of them work better than my initial vision.