Familiar Subjects

This was actually the first painting I did this summer.  When getting used to painting outdoors again, it's helpful to begin with a familiar subject.  In this case, no drawing was required.  I just needed to get my brushes wet  again.  It can be scary when you've had to stop painting for a while.  Facing that white piece of paper is intimidating, even to the most experienced of painters.

But I did what I always do:  I think of the three major values and where to place them. Light, midtone, dark.  I decided not to draw first because I know the subject so well.  It was just fun to feel the slippery paint glide over the paper again.

Fear is the great enemy of the watercolorist.  Warming up with a familiar subject can help overcome that fear.