night painting on site --tree and sky in progress

I started a nightscape featuring a big tree lit up by the apartment lights right outside my door.

 First Step:

the vine charcoal general mapping of shapes. When I put the first wash of oil down, I completely lose the marks.

Second Step:

I covered the surface with burnt umber and start to pull out the most extreme areas with a "paint eraser" (a rubber chisel type thing) and rag. I went into the warmer areas (like the sky) with burnt sienna. Next session will go full on in with color and battle it out. Approx. 2'x3' oil on wood panel