Queen Conch

       Queen Conch is a watercolor demonstration done while teaching a class. I choose to demonstrate as well as discuss while I am teaching. I find it helps my students to understand what I am trying to teach them. I was explaining the process of layering, building washes and adding final color for details. I really enjoy teaching both adults and children, seeing the delight in their eyes when they finally 'get' what I am trying to explain. Hands down though, the best way to learn is to observe the technique, practice it in class, (if you are taking a class,) then go home and try it on your own! I learned more doing this than anything else! At home, you don't have the instructor telling you to stop, don't do that. It allows yourself to dig into a hole, (how did I get that color?) make mistakes and fix them. It adds to your frustration level, yes, but it also forces you make decisions on your own. (You really didn't want to take lessons for the rest of your life, did you?) Making the decisions yourself builds confidence, re-enforces what you learned in class, and allows you to make mistakes. You then learn from the mistakes and move on. When I teach, I tell my students every mistake I have ever made, hopefully so they will not do the same things. Invariably, there is at least one in the class that isn't listening and makes the mistake I have tried to get them to avoid. When they are blustered, the other students in the class tell them, yes she did say not to do that!

       Anyway, I guess what I am trying to tell you dear readers is:
1. Don't let minor setbacks pull you down.
2. Allow yourself to make mistakes.
3. Learn from your mistakes.
4. Don't make the same mistakes again!
5. Above all, paint, paint, paint-time behind a brush is worth more than any instruction!
6. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do that.
7. Try to do something new and challenging.
This works for everything I try, tile mosaics, stained concrete floors, tiling, designing, and too many building techniques to go into right now!

Posted today instead of yesterday because of continuing internet issues,
'Queen Conch' watercolor on paper,9 x 12, matted to 11 x 14 Day 8 of the 100 Days~100 Paintings