Practicing Watercolor techniques

It is good to try to keep watercolor as a fresh practice daily.  That way when you get out to drawing on site you have the muscle memory and experience to know how to handle what is presented before you.  These become in your memory ways of attacking a problem.

This is the same with line work as well.  Keep it fresh by practicing still life set ups at home if you can't get out. 

There are two ways I have been doing this at home.  I have been using Veronica Lawlor's book  "One drawing a Day"  which has drawing and painting exercise prompts.  I also look to Tom Hoffman's Watercolor Class blogs to get exercises to do.

The following paintings were about practicing soft and hard edges by copying a picture and trying to create the same affect. In these examples, I was just practicing on very cheap paper.  The paper as well as the timing, when you put color down with a wet on wet technique affects the outcome.  This would look totally different if I had done it on different paper,  if I had wetted both sides of the paper instead on one side, and when I lay the color down.  It is good to practice these and jot down your steps to remember how you created the affect.

Practicing edges Soft and Hard Edges.  Wet on Wet.

Soft and hard edges.