layer upon layer: a painting story

i've recently been into painting with watercolor... which is funny because when i first started playing with it years ago, i made up my mind i didn't like it, i felt like i couldn't control it enough - like i could with pencils or acrylic paint. but lately i've really been taken by it. i love the color gradient and how free it all feels (ironic, right?). this is my first real, serious stab at it so i thought i would share it {and the process} with y'all.

first we have the tools.

{your basic watercolor set and my three favorite brushes of all time. i literally use them for everything! it must be a comfort thing...}

next, the bare bones.

{most of the time, i will loosely sketch out what i'm going to paint, just the bare minimum - a skeleton if you will - just to get a basic idea of where it's going to go and then start with the layering! i always start with the sky and work my way up to the front.}

then, fleshing it out.

{this is where it really starts to get fun... it actually starts to look like a painting! i just get the basic coloring and shading on there, slowly covering the blank space.}

and lastly, the final layer.

{this is my favorite part! this is where i get to go in and add lots and lots of detail shading. i could probably let myself indulge in this step for hours, but at some point i just have to tell myself to stop...
and voila! it's done!}

hope you enjoyed my short story and i really hope that it inspired you to do something that you love doing! :)