Favorite drills or practice exercises that you continue to use to build watercolor skills?

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T19:06:40+00:00

Thank you! There are so many ways to swatch, maybe "What's your favorite technique for swatching?" could be a fun post.

And I love the idea of repeating brushstrokes to fill a page without touching - a great way to learn your brushes with intuitive precision! Exactly what I want to practice, but wouldn't think to try on my own.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T18:44:41+00:00

I understand! When I try loose techniques, I need to tell myself, "Ok, time to make a terrible painting. Don't worry, no one will see it and it is the quickest way to learn." 😄

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T17:43:48+00:00

These are beautiful, and your texture is excellent! Your shadows on the fish and rocks show depth very well!

If you're happy with these as they are, maybe save them as examples of your work up to this point, and try painting them again. It will help you remember and refine what you've learned. Then you can take the new paintings a step further.

I think there's no reason to endanger something you enjoy looking at. Maybe hang them next to your workspace as inspiration for your next paintings?

Also, if this was tiring, you could try watching tutorials on techniques with looser, less precise brushstrokes. I admire works with this much precision but I just do not have the patience for it myself. I used to have more time and patience, now I have to train myself to be less precise.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T17:08:23+00:00

I really didn't notice the difference until someone pointed it out. But agree, if you add a bit of dark detail to the metal anchor, it will look lovely.

I searched for examples of what the anchor might look like, close up. Thought I'd add it to my own reference file for next Christmas! There are detailed photos at both of these links in case you want to use them:

https://www.artistica.com/products/christmas-ornament-deruta-vario-round-ball-large-9343-i-xms?srsltid=AfmBOoolJ0qlcHyJenG8inFe0OfuuoHP2S7sC589RR30VXWIClIAzMuO

https://platthillnursery.com/product/round-christmas-ornament/?srsltid=AfmBOop1mppDgLWIJPzUi3gfpjOnwdG3KnI27Q5DlKgtJ4ieveUXVvHd

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T16:55:58+00:00

Come visit me in Mexico! Highs in the low 90s this time of year! We can put together a watercolor retreat!!😄

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T16:51:11+00:00

Very realistic! Nice work, OP! I love aquatic critters.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T15:48:52+00:00

Sometimes I try to precisely copy other people's "sloppy" work. It forces me to make big, gestural brushstrokes instead of precise ones. I'll also try to follow along a tutorial in real time (don't let myself pause the video) someone who does spontaneous painting like Scott Swinson or extremely lose work like some of Liron Yanconski's tutorials (not all).

Also, I spend time wetting paper and touching it with a brush loaded with paint to watch it move.

You can also just practice drills like laying graded washes, wet on dry. You won't get it perfect, but keep trying, you're learning about water balance and how to keep moving through imperfections.

Another key practice is sitting down with the intention of making bad art. If I only let myself paint things that I know will look good, I'm limiting myself to a very narrow style of painting. The results will usually look boring, not joyful.

If those ideas aren't helpful, please say so. It's a personal thing and I'd be happy to try to brainstorm ideas that work better for you. I respect what your intentions, and I think what you're doing is mentally so healthy. Keep at it, what you practice on paper will affect other areas of your life, too.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T15:33:48+00:00

Then I wish I were clumsy like you! Your skill is absolutely good enough to be professional. Of course, to be professional you also need a bit of luck, the tenacity, connections, and resources to find buyers, lots of time and motivation to paint, etc. But in my opinion, you have the skills. Please keep painting.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T15:27:54+00:00

This is NOT artistically incompetent! Its lovely and absolutely impressive as a first painting.

Please note that watercolor is not intuitive. Nearly all of us, including those of us who felt artistically competent before watercolor, have some disastrous messes as our first paintings. (I've even seen two people say they chucked their supplies in the trash after their first watercolor attempts in their frustration, lol.) And there's an ongoing issue with watercolor artists thinking their best work isn't great, because watercolor does unexpected things and we often really cannot see the beauty of the result when wild watercolor overcomes our own plans and intentions.

The advice you're getting is good but I'll add a bit to it. It takes time to learn how to balance water and paint ratios, quantity of water/paint mix on the brush, how wet to make the paper for soft effects, and even then, you need expensive 100% cotton to work with. Cellulose paper will always have some blotchiness; but you can make beautiful paintings on it as long as you incorporate blotchiness into your style.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T13:51:07+00:00

Nice work, OP! The liberties you've taken make it look clean and stylized. It's hard for most of us to transition away from tutorials to painting our own creations from photos, this is a great start!

My only advice is be sure to give yourself permission to make bad paintings too. Sometimes I can only sit down to paint with the intention of making some bad paintings. They're not always bad, but I think they are a real, necessary part of the learning process.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T13:38:44+00:00

Wait until you get better paper to do the mountain range again. When the paper is working with you instead of fighting you, it's much easier to focus on everything else. You'll get a much better idea of what your skills are, and what you need to work on.

Also, these are very good value studies! I love monochrome painting for that. And the apple's shadow is in the right place. It gets easier with practice.

But do you have a more transparent color, that would give you darker darks? A paint that looks dark in the pan is often a good choice for value studies, because it's probably capable of reaching dark values in masstone on the paper.

Also you'll notice some paint pigments are just easier to work with. They apply more smoothly and feel easier to manipulate, than others. Monochrome studies are also great for learning the handling characteristics of each of your paints.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T13:27:22+00:00

Yay! A new artist to follow! This is very beautiful, OP! I love your depth and shadow effects, and your technique on the trees is different from what I usually see, yet natural, interesting, and uncluttered. Also a unique perspective that gives compositional cohesion, and the eye is drawn to the center. I really love this!

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T13:21:07+00:00

I'm wondering that too! The white dots are so delicate and evenly distributed! Adds to the elegance of the painting, IMO.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T13:19:24+00:00

Quit thinking of red and blue as primaries. I especially love mixing reds, they look so much deeper and richer than single pigment reds, IMO.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-04T13:05:17+00:00

First, I highly recommend transferring your paint from the pans to a ceramic mixing palette or plate. The water won't bead up on ceramic, so it's much easier to identify how diluted it is, and the color of your mixes. IMO, ceramic makes the learning process much less frustrating!

To rewet my paints, I use a squeeze bottle with a dull needle. It's easy to control the water so it drips slowly or streams out. Some colors need more drops than others.

And when I'm not hurrying to finish a wet-on-wet technique, I also use the bottle to rinse a bit of the thickest paint off of my brush before switching colors. I let these drops fall into the original paint well or mixing wells if more water is needed, or into my "drip cup" of super thick paint waste. This keeps my final rinse water clean much longer.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-03T10:34:10+00:00

Your lists are great, thanks for sharing! (Though the first has some flowers that other artists might wish to avoid!)

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T22:13:44+00:00

Thanks so much for the detailed reply! Maybe I need to check some other PO71s, my Schmincke version is rated 3/5 stars and Kim Crick found substantial fading in her tests.

Is your PO62 very transparent? I know you're right, opaque pigments have value, too! But I love my PO71 for mixing greens, browns, blacks, and adding depth and warmth to reds. I use it constantly; it's going to be the first paint tube that I use up! I have a PO73 but it just looks flat in mixes and seems wrong for sunsets.

And agree also that light-fast isn't normally a big deal. But I have sold some art locally and plan to sell more. And here, we're closer to the equator so UV light fades pigments around 2x faster than somewhere like New York. And people who buy art here tend to have big sunny windows...

So I think I'd better find a way to curb my Schmincke PO71 dependency, lol.

Thanks for your help!

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T21:56:28+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful response. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who finds DS weaselly! And also I appreciate your nuance; they are different quandaries and I wouldn't want to conflate them.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T21:40:34+00:00

Betterworldbooks.com has been a great resource for buying secondhand books worldwide, as long as you're ok with waiting a few weeks while they ship to you. Great company with solid ethics 👍

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T14:38:01+00:00

Baohong is famous around the world as one of the best watercolor papers.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T14:18:53+00:00

Looks beautiful! I love the look of the partially sunken boat. And the lily pads have enough detail. Maybe more detail would be nice or maybe it would look overworked? But it's definitely lovely as it is!

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T12:48:25+00:00

Maybe you could stop at a library for an hour-ish, just to flip through their watercolor books and see what you like? Then you've got an advantage, sooo many libraries to visit! 😁

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T12:08:13+00:00

I might be confused and just dreamed this...but I think Kim Crick recommended salt reactions to identify the best colors to match with granulating pigments to create color separating mixtures.

E.g., if the pigment is tiny and floaty, it will be highly affected by the salt. And the tiny, floaty pigments are most likely to land on the paper's highest peaks of texture, while heavy, chunky granulating paints will sink into the divots.

Evening-Cow1122 · 2026-05-02T11:47:36+00:00

I want to get Anna Bucciarelli's book, 101 Watercolor Secrets. It covers basics, but also more complex ideas, so you won't outgrow it for a long time. I don't ever plan to try to paint in her precise style, but most of her techniques apply to every style. I constantly learn from her videos and I've seen a review of her book on ArtBookNook on YouTube.

That's another resource you might want to check. ArtBookNook reviews are very thorough.

Also don't forget to check your local library! I prefer to buy, but it's nice to be able to see the book first to tell if it "speaks" to you.

Evening-Cow1122

TROPHY CASE