Stone Buddha with Red order Wall

order "Stone Buddha with Red Wall" is watercolor sketch I did as an exercise to integrate watercolor pencils into my "toolbox," so to speak.
I began with the red wall in the background, using multiple washes of pigment, layering them one on top of the other for depth and gradation After drying, I used watercolor pencil to deepen the gradations and add texture. Using "subtractive" techniques (removing paint with, in this case, a damp brush), I softened and extended the light around the statue. I finished the background by adding the "cracks" in the wall with watercolor pencil.
Moving to the buddha statue, I used multiple layers of light washes to build light and shadow of the carved stone and then finished up by using watercolor pencils to simulate the graininess of the stone.
"Stone Buddha with Red Wall" is an 8 x 10" image on 9 x 12" Arches 140#, fine grain, cold-pressed watercolor paper.