Lesson 1: don't forget the water
Last summer I was lucky to be able to 'borrow' a set of watercolours and brushes from my mum to get started. I say borrowed, but over a year later and they are still in my artbox... Sorry mum.
I started out full of confidence that not only would I be able to recreate beautiful photos with my sketching but also be able to bring them to life with my new paints.As you can see from the below attempts, years of sparse doodling had taken its toll! My pencil couldn't quite create what my eyes could see and I seemed to forget one very vital ingredient of watercolours, the water!
My second attempt was a little better, but it really hit home that you can't just pick up a pencil or brush and expect it to come flooding back. Disheartening to say the least!
As with everything I draw, I sent it through to my mum to ask what she thought; 'good use of shadows'. Even with these she found something nice to say :) and more importantly gave me the encouragement and confidence to persevere.