Watercoloring Drill Compound Strokes

 This week the Watercoloring challenge is taking part in the drill that is part two from the vertical hold last week to a sweeping compound stroke in the form of leaves. The video tutorial is found here on YouTube.

And so, I grabbed my strathmore pad I practice strokes in and did that for a page. 

And I thought Ok I am ready to do some leafy branches. and I pulled off some sheets from a small strathmore pad. and did 3 of those

And I was not really all that thrilled with these so, they went under the brush for another round of leaves over the top.

I tried to get some more shadow-y see through mostly water ones worked in. And I showed the pile to hubs and he said Oh, you made willow tree branches. ( which was not the look I was going for) so, I watched the video yet again... and I noticed that even though the drills are to do these skinny leaves. the branches have rounded fuller looking leaves. So, I grabbed more paper and started doing that, and one of them the branch just went wrong from the get go so I flipped it over to the back side. ( its just practice right?) and wouldn't you know it? the upside down painted one I actually liked the colors. 

So it became a Christmas card like so.

Complete with some splatters and a Stamping Bella Sentiment from the Festive Gnome Sentiments set.

This one finished out at A7 in real life. all the paints you see here are Daniel Smith and were all done with a size 6 round Neptune brush.  This is turning out to be my favorite brush of all the ones I have collected for the last little while. ( I have two of them now ) (yes, really)

So, I was pretty excited about this card and  then I looked sideways at it and I realized it really does not look much like the tutorial, so I flipped through the finished panels. ( there were two that went straight into the bin and I forgot to get a mug shot of them first) and then there was this one. which Finally looked kinda sorta the way it was supposed to.

The burlap string here is from May arts, the painted panel is up on foam tape and that whitewashed board looking printed paper is from Recollections. This one finished out at A6 in real life and there is no sentiment on it yet, as I do not know what I am going to do with it. You can find this tutorial challenge here at Splitcoaststampers to play along with us. Thanks for stopping by.