step by step watercolour

11 x 5.5 watercolour - Winsor & Newton watercolours, Dr. Ph Martin bleed proof white, No. 2 & 10 round brushes 
(from the top) 1). finished study 2). my first step is always to begin by painting several bold large shapes using all the colours in my palette (a golden yellow, aqua blue and an orange red), starting bold really helps get over the fear of the blank page, at this stage and through most of the study I use the larger No. 10 brush and save the No. 2 for only the fine details 3). I added leaves with branches purposely creating areas of negative space throughout the page 4).  I begin adding layers of watercolour (adding a new layer of colour on top of dry paint) and adding white details. Each new mark or shape leads to the next. These designs are intuitive and random and never sketched out first, which is actually really fun as you never know how they'll end 5). I rotate my page often so that I'm seeing the design from a different perspective as I continue to fill in negative spaces with colour, adding more shapes, details and marks.  6). the final repeated 7). a second study in the same palette

 I'd be happy to answer any questions in the comments, Susan