Back to Birchin'

I love watercolor. I love everything about it. I love that it's so challenging. I love that it's so easy to wreck a picture. Making mud on the page or putting in too much content is so easy to do. I respect that. I'll make a sketch in pencil, watercolor pencil and/or paint. Sometimes, if it's the first time I'm doing something, I have to do it over and over. Getting the pic the way I want it rarely happens on the first try. Of course, the hope is that I improve with each attempt. If it doesn't get better, if I'm no longer enjoying the process, I stop and do something else. I may or may not come back to it.

Here is a birch pic as an example.


#1 In this first try, I used masking fluid to keep the the trees white while I painted the background. The background also got some masking in random areas. I thought that might be interesting. It wasn't. It looked like the paper was torn. I also made mud out of the trees. So I decided to do it again.

#2 I can't explain this one. I just was not in the flow.

#3 Getting closer, but I went too quickly as I often do. I did not tend
to the little island part that should anchor the trees.

#4 Finally. I felt like I could live with this one. I like the more stark look
of the background and trees. I also like the little dots of red flowers. Less is more.