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FIRST FIRE: SKY: wash sky with a middle value blue using long horizontal strokes... wash the color right over the edges of the roof line...wipe out clouds with a silk or tissue ROOF : Wash roof with a medium value gray .. using a wipe out tool , wipe out the ridge designs. ( Thatched roofs have sticks laid on top of the straw at the ridge line of the roof. The sticks hold the straw in place and add a decorative touch . The ridge line of straw is also trimmed in scallops and peaks to enhance the design ) . Wipe out some highlights in the roof. Wipe out subtle texture in the roof using a portrait hair brush or a stiff fan brush . Paint shadow up under the ridge line CHIMNEY : Stipple brick texture in using reds, oranges and browns. Wipe out mortar with wipe out tool . The easiest way to do this is to wipe out the horizontal lines first , then wipe out one row of vertical lines. The next vertical line of brick staggers...the vertical line of the 2nd row of bricks is in the middle of the bricks of the first row. Wash light blue on the tin flashing HOUSE: wash light blue uder the roof line ...Paint window and door frames in black mixed with a little blue......to do this, paint in rectangular window and door shapes, then wipe out a few highlighted areas in the windows ( these will be reflections in the glass) ... then , using a wipeout tool , wipe out the frames and cross-pieces of the windows. GARDEN: wash lawn with a couple shades of light green and chartreuse ...vary the color and value.... Using an old brush or a stippler, stipple on several medium and dark shades of green in the shapes of bushes and vines. Think in terms of large overall bush shapes . Using a wipe out tool, wipe out flower-ish shapes. You arent aiming for a lot of detail here. You just want light shapes that resemble flowers. Try to work in masses and avoid a polka dot look . You will wipe these out to the bare china at this point, so it will be very white shapes against very dark green leafy shapes.

BORDER: Wild roses are painted in several values of pink and red, wiping out highlights. Centers are mixing yellow and pecan with a little hair brown on the bottom edge. Wipe out stamens using wipe out tool and add a touch of green to the center . Leaves are several shades and values of green. Berries are different values of red,ruby, purple and green . SECOND FIRE: SKY: wash medium value blue over entire sky including clouds...and including roof...Wipe some highlights back into the clouds but don't wipe the clouds completely back to white.. HOUSE: Deepen values on roof , chimney and house as needed GARDEN: Deepen grass values near and under the flowers...Wash the flower shapes with a variety of colors and values BUT keep the colors in bunches. What I mean by this is : paint the flowers as if they were bushes. Do one area of, say, pink roses, using different values of pink on that bush and even in individual flowers...then make another bush, say, yellow roses... as oppsed to making each flower shape you previously wiped out as a seperate color. Painting each flower shape a different color will make the garden area look like polka dots instead of like a garden . Using white paint or base for gold, dot in some small white dots scattered throughout the garden to lighten up the shapes and make it more delicate. BORDER : deepen values on flowers , leaves and berries as needed

another thatched cottage painting of mine

This picture gives a good feel for how thick the thatching actually is and how it is shaped around windows and doors.

Rethatching a roof....after trimming, a wire mesh screening is used to cover the entire roof to keep birds and animals out

Anne Hathaway's cottage

shows how the thatch curves over windows

shows the design along the roof line