Watercolor Sketching in the Garden

This morning, the sunlight spilled lavishly over colorful zinnias and purple coneflowers in the garden.  I couldn't resist taking my paints out to sketch the beauty before me (along with two of my cats).  

I gave myself the rule that I could do anything, try any technique, and reminded myself, It's just a sketchbook.

Those are freeing "rules" for me.

I warmed up by painting zinnias.

I discovered that I liked the sketches best that were laid in quickly and without too much fuss.  They weren't exact or perfect, yet they seemed more alive.

 I can see improvement between painting the zinnias and the coneflowers, which have more complexity and interest.

But, I'm happy with both pages of colorful sketches.

A friend shared the wisdom of Maya Angelou with me this week:

"You can't use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have."

I find truth in that -- the more we play with our art supplies, whether they be paints, pencils or collage bits, the more ideas we generate, and the more skills we build.

I invite you to make sketches or paintings from these photos.

Or better yet, step outside with your art supplies and find something that catches your eye. Sketch.  Repeat.

Happy Creating!