House Portrait - how best to warm it up?

[Lausanne]

Gotta do this as a house portrait for a favorite client. I am going to use a sort of architectural illustration style - heavy on the drawing, then splashed with color. But I don't want to start on a white ground because I don't want it to end up too cold/stark. I'm trying to decide whether to start with a pale gold, pale pinky-salmon or a tan... ? Just having trouble choosing. Anyone have any druthers?

[lynne]

because of the style of house i might start with a peach or tan paper, but then keep all of the drawing pretty cool- seems more fitting to the style of the house. you could use a bit of brown with that and maybe wash a bit of blue sky overhead.

bernard maybeck made some really beautiful drawings on a light terra cotta colored paper, or sometime brown cardboard colored paper, with sanguine and brown charcoal, and a bit of white to highlight.
but then his style was more italian meets arts and crafts.

i love paper. there are so many gorgeous choices if you are going to start with a colored paper.

[Lausanne]

Thanks, Lynne. I too love working on a heavy WC paper but going to do this one on birch ply panel. I've chosen that so client can avoid framing. Would use a museum wrapped canvas but since I want to be fairly tight with the drawing I want the smoother ground of panel. Thinking of doing a trompe frame around. Going to be fairly large for a house portrait - 24x26. Kind of heavy for the ply but I'm thinking not much more than paper under glass/with frame. So, kind of a mix of styles - architectural drawing, splashy color washes then trompe frame....
Anyway, I'm learning towards the pale salmon/peachy base - letting the lower sky - through the trees - have a dawn glow then go up to blue. Otherwise, just too much blue, blue, gray and green.

Wish she hadn't put the fence so close. It obscures the lower part of the house/window boxes. I have pics of flowering vines spilling over the fence though so that will also add color.

[Lausanne]

OOoo, Lynne, didn't know Maybeck. Just looked him up. Loverly! Haven't found any color drawings by him yet but will keep looking.