January 2025 Recap — Watercolor Practice: Skies

January is finally over! Whew, that felt like the longest month of my life — anyone else?

I feel like a bit of a broken record in writing this — life was busier than expected this month. Between the usual work fun (annual performance calibrations, goal-setting, kicking off the year strong, etc.) and the kids coming down with bad illnesses (back-to-back RSV then Flu A), my spare time was limited. However, I did put that small amount to good use by sticking to my watercolor practice plan!

Watercolor Practice Update

In my last post, I shared my intentions around my watercolor practice. Specifically, I committed to practicing for 20 minutes each day, and organized around how to spend that time based on my energy levels. Well, I’m pleased to report that I did it! I practiced for at least 20 minutes each day, save one. I’ll give myself a pass on that one; that was the night my son came up with a 106-degree fever.

Although I did practice daily, I didn’t have too many high-energy days. Only a couple, in fact. So most of my practice time was either following simple tutorials or swatching. I’m fine with this — because utilizing my energy in this way enabled me to gain new skills and find inspiration for the moments when I did have more time and energy to paint!

In all, I’m super happy to have set up this watercolor practice plan. I’m going to continue to organize my watercolor practice in this way, so I can continue to develop my skills intentionally.

Skills and Growth Reflection

I’ll be honest — I find it really difficult to judge my skill level in watercolor painting. I’ve been painting for years, but still feel like a beginner in many ways. So when it came to painting skies, I really zoomed in on the basic watercolor techniques to develop my skills.

I noticed in my first few attempts that my washes were challenging. I don’t know whether it was the paper going off or the change in humidity in my house (winters here are rough in that department!), but I struggled to get a clean, flat wash. It was a little disheartening at first, but I was soon able to find my way again.

I mentioned previously that my skies were relatively formulaic — I was using the same colors, same application, every time. I stretched myself this month by exploring new color combinations, more vibrant hues, and different kinds of skies (different times of day, different weather, etc.). This was, I think, the most valuable aspect for me — just breaking out of my usual rhythms, and finding new ways to be inspired!

With all of that said, I do still have a lot to explore in this space. I barely scratched the surface on skies — I kept to relatively simple scenes, little-to-no perspective, and focused primarily on color and foundational techniques. I find myself wondering whether each focus should span a quarter instead of a month? Even the longest months ever aren’t enough time to truly, deeply, learn something! Well, time will tell — and I’ll plan on a different focus for February.

Color Palette Update

I’ve decided I’m going to add Indanthrone Blue to my palette, at least as a “guest”. I used this color in a few of my paintings, to deepen the zenith or to get clean, deep darks for twilight scenes. I have played with this color here and there over the years, but it wasn’t until this month that I really began to enjoy it. We shall see how it goes!

Tutorials & References Recap

As a reminder, I created a Pinterest board to capture reference photos, artist inspiration, and tutorial links. Feel free to check it out!

If you prefer direct links (where available!) instead, here are just a couple of the tutorials that I found to be especially useful:

• Claire Giordano’s Winter Sunset Watercolor class on YouTube
• Jared Cullum’s skies demo
  

Well, with the month over, I’m excited to begin with the next focus practice! Look out for a post coming soon.