I finished! 100 watercolor paintings in 100 days! I am quite surprised at how much better I got over the course of the project. Not consistently, but definitely a 5 steps forward/2 steps back kind of run. Definitely learned a lot...thanks for the inspiration!

Painting and Connecting - image 1 - student project

Painting and Connecting - image 2 - student project

Painting and Connecting - image 3 - student project

Painting and Connecting - image 4 - student project

Painting and Connecting - image 5 - student project

Painting and Connecting - image 6 - student project

Week 9: continuing to take inspiration from other SkillShare classes. This time from Kolbie Blume's "Watercolor Misty Forest" class and especially excited about Julia Henze "giving me permission" to leave things out of building sketches to simplify them. Added bonus is going through my photos from previous trips to find things to paint. Two from Italy (Burano and Bergamo) and one from India this week..I really miss traveling!

Painting and Connecting - image 7 - student project

Week 8: Inspired by more Skillshare classe, this time by Giulia D'Andrea's Develop Your Style class. I am using ombre techniques for the background on all five of my "Fun Cats, and featuring something within the personality of each of these cats that makes them special.

Painting and Connecting - image 8 - student project

Week 7: Inspired by another Skillshare Class by Cat Coquilette, I started being a little "looser" with my style and not relying on being as accurate. That is reflected in the upside-down jellies (which really aren't blue) and by the scales on my merman.

Painting and Connecting - image 9 - student project

Weeks 4, 5 and 6 of my 100 Day Project. I've found myself getting 2-3 days behind twice now, but the promise I made to keep up with it motivates me. Visited a couple of art stores, bought some new supplies and am experimenting all on my own. I did take another Skillshare Class on watercolors yesterday, and am very excited to try new techniques and become less tied to making sure everything looks "right."

Painting and Connecting - image 10 - student project

Painting and Connecting - image 11 - student project

Painting and Connecting - image 12 - student project

Week 3 of my 100 Day Project included my favorite painting so far: a monarch caterpillar in my backyard. I really like how I did him in great detail, but his "world" (including the totally denuded milkweed in the back that he and his siblings devoured) is more suggested. The following day, the caterpillar had created a chrysalis on the fence. I was going to paint it in detail, but then decided to paint the whole fence with just that tiny green jewel instead. I have yet to learn how to make my colors smooth, as they should be across the petals of the beach sunflower and pineland heliotrope. I was not happy at all with the sea urchin...such a simp form is SO complex in shading. My zebra longwing butterfly is a bit stubby, as is my cat Amelia staring out the window at the blue jay (but I'm still fairly pleased with Amelia's portrait!).

Painting and Connecting - image 13 - student project

Here are images from week 2 of my 100 Day Project. I got fairly frustrated yesterday because I wasn’t at all happy with what I made, but I posted it on Facebook anyway and got lots of compliments from friends. I’m posting it here because I said I would and I’m sticking to it, but I am REALLY excited about TODAY’s painting (which is part of week 3)!

Painting and Connecting - image 14 - student project

Day #8 - Rainy Day in Amsterdam, painted from a photo I took last fall.

Painting and Connecting - image 15 - student project

I am a writer and storyteller, so I was looking for a project that would totally take me out of my comfort zone. I bought some blank watercolor greeting cards, a set of field paints and some brushes and am creating one card a day and sending them off with a written note to people I normally don't interact with regularly, especially people who have been supportive of my creativity. I am looking at things in a new way, chilling out from my normally hectic lifestyle, AND sending friends something very personalized.

I am posting a weekly image featuring 7 images.

Painting and Connecting - image 16 - student project

Gary Bremen

Ranger, Raconteur, Rabble-Rouser

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