Today I’ve completed the first wash on all the blossoms and then begun to build up some shading. Now I’m really beginning to discover how hard this paper is to paint on, all the edges are very soft and fuzzy, and if I don’t start off with water alone then the paint dries too quickly and I get hard edges… in places it almost looks like coloured pencil or pastel rather than watercolour.
I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet though, I’ll see how it goes tomorrow, and whether adding some more contrasty areas will lift others. I’m not confident of getting crisp branches though, when I reach that part.
I’m still feeling the benefit of working my skills though, and every little thing is helping me improve. I wouldn’t learn much if it all just fell into place without trying – although that might be nice occasionally ;-).