In watercolor, the act of observation continues throughout the painting process, from the initial planning stages through the observation of spreading washes, flowing water, and the mingling of wet pigments on wet paper. It is the act of observation that separates the deliberate act of painting from the habitual act of painting. Developing the ability […]

Most people begin to study watercolor painting and assume that improvement in watercolor painting is linear. You know, that if you put in the effort and time, that you will see consistent improvement in your watercolor paintings. I hate to tell you this, but that just isn’t true. Improvement in watercolor painting does not occur

One might think that the essence of creativity and freedom of expression is abandoning discipline, and creating spontaneously, but in the case of watercolors, discipline is the essence of freedom. Watercolors respond instantly to pressure, to water, to the amount of time allowed to elapse between strokes. This can be intimidating to the untrained painter,

Watercolor has a reputation for being a loose and forgiving media, but in truth, it requires a certain perspective, decision-making, and commitment. There is no going back to “fix” a mistake the way you can with other media, so right from the get-go, you have to pay attention to your brushstrokes. There are too many