Misty Watercolors....

I've been feeling the need to find a new hobby so I can escape from the wedding preparations and my anxiety over the state of the nation, which is all I've vowed to say about the subject on this blog.

For years I have thought about taking up watercolor painting--something my mother also did-and decided that there is no time like the present.

I found a watercolor painting course online (Watercolor Secrets) and decided to sign up. Here's my first effort, which is a monochrome study of a lake in Italy. The idea was to learn how to do a wash for the sky and some dry-brush techniques for the hills. This is my second try at the exercise. In the first attempt I had too much water on the paper so my mountains didn't have any white patches on them which adds some interest and texture. I also improved the gradations of color in this attempt.

So just for fun, I will post some future efforts as I work my way through the course, learning the techniques.