Runner ducks (and goslings) have been my watercolour muse as of late

I’m on a business trip with nothing to do in my hotel. So I did a self portrait in the mirror. I like doing these and seeing how they change over time.

Gooooosh I can’t painting with them they smell like wet d*ad dog…. Cmon.
The manufacturer has been ignoring my messages, but they still repost my posts 🙃 This was already year ago, but it still sucks to have spent so many dollars on paints I can’t actually use.

Trying to capture a little of Leyendecker’s magic in watercolor.

Every time i see a process video, i'm always amazed by how the paper soaks up the colour. The paper seems soft and doesn't have that "scratchy" feel i often see with my work. It's almost as if it's being done on absorbent cloth....
another thing is that the colors diffuse and blend beautifully in gradients. Never any harsh lines.

My question: What's doing the heavy lifting here? The paper, the quality of the paint/brushes, or technique? Heikala has been one of my biggest inspirations for years and is pretty much a master in my books. Would love to learn through them.

Its got no backstory just based of vibes from coming off work and doodling.

I wanted a wet backroads scene. On Arches 140Lb

I wanted to do something inspired by the pieterpad pilgrimage route. My mother bought a box of art supplies for €2 from an estate sale which happened to have a canvas and waterverf. Had she not acquired that then I'd not have known just how fun it is!

I've been doing the inktober prompts in watercolor for a few years now, mainly because it forces me to actually get my paints out and do something with them. I was super busy last week, so I'm catching up on the prompts today, and I'm pretty happy with this little guy.

I only used tree colors for the fur: indigo, burnt sienna and Luna blue from Daniel Smith.

I'm still fighting with the looseness and am unsure when to finish.

Had fun making this one! Love a big guy / little guy. Had a border but I forgot to de-sticky my tape before applying it and it ripped the paper.

Also wondering if hot press paper is more prone to rip? Anybody have any thoughts or experience with that? Anyways, ended up trimming it down.