On My Back Door-Step #8

Berries and Leaves (#8)
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Watercolor on paper, 11 in x 15 in
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It was a bright sunny afternoon after several days of overcast skies and rain, a bit windy, but there was nothing in the weather to interfere with a great painting session. I was ready for it, and I settled in to enjoy myself.

The sunlight was dappled all through the trees, and throughout the afternoon the masses of leaves I was painting shifted in color from luminescent yellow-green to inky blue-green and back again. The hill in the background did the same in tones of olive-greens and sepias. I was working back and forth to depict what I was seeing at the moment. And I was mixing colors on the fly to match the changes.

Well, now that this painting has dried, I find the colors thin and, well, yes, watered-down. I realize now that I would have had a better results if I had mixed larger quantities of the main colors I was seeing at the beginning, and simply dipped into each batch as the light changed throughout the afternoon.

This is part of preparedness, having enough containers and enough surface area to mix colors comfortably and efficiently. And also having the foresight to bring enough clean water to keep my paint from getting muddy. Oh and paper towels to blot up runny wet splashes that go in the wrong direction.

We learn from our experiences.