Based on this photo reference, trying to warm back up my watercolor skills after a few years hiatus. I feel like this isn't my best but I had fun and finished it anyway.
Suggestions for improvements welcome!
this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2025
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Yes I see the value differences now.
Maybe I will try the wash. I'm not sure why but this piece just it felt like every stroke would lose so much value as it dried. Maybe that's normal for watercolor, I'm still really struggling to transition from oil and digital.
I watch folks like James Gurney though and am super inspired. He does such a good job. It's a big bonus to able to do a little painting like this in a small pocket notebook in a hotel lobby while traveling.
I also just got what looks like a really good book on watercolor that I'm starting to read, that will also help. It's a really hard medium! Feels like if oil and digital is a bicycle, watercolor is a unicycle. Just much more tricky to keep my balance. I'll mix what looks correct on the pallet, but as it dries it fades so much. Almost feels like I have to think in 4d, imagining how each value will fade in advance and pre-darken it? Or maybe there needs to be more layers?
Yes! Saturation and contrast tend to "fade" a lot in watercolor, but with practice, you'll start to get the feel of how much pigment you need to get the results you want once the paper is dry.
You can try experimenting in some paper with different amounts of humidity, ( and different amounts of pigment in your brush. And adjust accordingly.
I' m no expert or anything but I use watercolor a lot to sketch outside, you should Try it! I've learned to not be afraid of adding color, also to work with shadows first to stablish value, etc. Granted my approach is with mixed media so not pure watercolor but point still stands.
Have fun and I hope to see your future works!