Learning from painting

I have been busy playing tourist and having great fun with my husband's sister and her husband.  Got back to painting the other day.  I started a snow painting (from a photograph taken while we were out snowshoeing) on dark Art Spectrum burgundy paper.  The paper is 9x12 and the painting will be 8x10.  The edges allow me to try out the pastels before committing.  It's been a while since I've used dark paper and I'm enjoying the change.  And I'm enjoying the lessons I'm absorbing in this project.

What have I learned so far?

First, snow on dark paper requires pastels at least a couple of steps darker on the value scale.  In fact
everything requires adjustments of values.

Second, if you are painting trees on a slanted hill there seems to be a tendency to make them slanted.
I found that to keep that from happening I had to lay in some straight, vertical lines to remind me
to keep the trees vertical.

Third, painting small trunks in the distance requires drawing the trees in segments rather than trying
to lay in a long line.  I also found that I was gripping the pastel tightly to control it.  However, when I relaxed my grip the process was much easier.

Here is the quick sketch.

After sketching in the main objects I started laying in some pastels.  I decided not to do an underpainting.  Look at how slanted the trees want to be.  I find that taking pictures of a work
in progress allows me to see problems easily.

  And here's where I am at this time.

As you can see I straightened the evergreens and am starting to put in the aspens.