Getting Ready

I have two demos and four workshop days in the next two days, so I'm getting compositions ready for all of them.  Here's one sketch I plan to use.  I'm also posting the original photo to show you what I was working with.  The farm is in Vermont. 

The barn in the middle ground is the main subject so I surrounded it with the greatest value contrast.
When I paint it, the barn will have the most color, with the background and outlying areas going to muted color.

I also made the ground an oblique for added interest.  I eliminated a few buildings, and emphasized the stone wall in the foreground. 

Go through your photos and edit them for subject matter and then eliminate anything that takes from the center of interest.