A year of watercolor

I thought watercolor would be an easy way to sketch with color on location, but I wasn't very adept at the color part of it...or the brush part of sketching.

From my sketchbooks in 2010 and May 2012.

I started in the summer of 2012. And practiced and practiced - times about a thousand.  I used the books of Charles Reid as a guide to learn to use lots of colors and be looser with brushes.
 (Reid likes splashes so I tried them, too).

I kept practicing. (without the splashing)

Using photos. 

Painting from my sketches.

Finally, in January 2013, painting from life (the backyard).