Right up front I want to tell you that I struggled with all aspects of this painting, but I promised myself I would show them as I painted them, unless, of course,they were a complete and utter disaster, this one, not a total wash out, but was not where I was hoping it would be. I used somber tones of Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt and Ultramarine Blue and tried for a really expressive sky leading into the figures, and I never quite got the mojo working. Oh well, all days are good days if you paint and give it a go. Keep your brushwork lively, try not to over-mix the colors and have a good time with the painting.
15 x 22 arches cold press, make sure you put the figures off to the side and not in the middle.
Paint down to the top of the rocks, cutting around the figures, try to not use mask, it is better to learn to cut around the figures and not rely on a mask. Keep the paper damp not too wet and work from top to bottom staying really focused on the amount of water in your brush. Shake it out into a trash can to get rid of the extra water.
Raw Sienna, Olive Green, Burnt Sienna when applied fairly thick gives you a nice base to work against with a scraper, knife and splatters for the tangle of the foreground. Brush in the figures with Cerulean blue, a greyed blue for the pants and Cadmium Scarlet for the red shirt. Scratch out the fishing poles with a sharp knife. Go ahead give yourself permission to paint and not worry whether it is absolutely what you intended.