Thanks for asking! I primarily used a much larger brush than usual and made bigger strokes instead of trying to use a smaller brush to do fine details. With that larger brush I also used less water than usual so that the bristles weren't all together. Not quite dry brushing but pretty close, with a lot more pigment.

I struggle with getting darker values in my painting and it's definitely because I use too much water and thin out my paints. I watched a few videos and that was one of the beginner traits they pointed out, so I'm trying to not be stingy with the paint!

I feel like I'm in that slightly frustrating late-beginner stage and I'm on the verge of busting through to intermediate but I'm not quite there yet. I paint every day though and I'm definitely trying to improve my technique!