Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

Over the next couple of days, I'm going to be playing a bit of catch-up on here. I've been working on developing my watercolor skills (and trying out some new techniques!) and I filled up my personal sketchbook more consistently than I have in a really long time by participating in Inktober.

To start off, here's some more of my watercolor work (I'm realizing how much I lover working with it). This class is absolutely zero pressure, so I'm trying to get myself more comfortable with unfamiliar methods AND letting myself make mistakes.

After trying to draw trees with pencil and ink, they had started to intimidate me. But doing paintings of trees allowed me to look at them in a different way. 

 I'd done mastercopies before, but never an interpretation of a masterwork. The original piece was "An Evening at Home" by Edward John Poynter. Without realizing it, I had started working in some German Expressionist elements into it.

 (Though it might have been because I had been engrossed in a project about German Expressionism in film for the previous six weeks...)

 The first "abstract" piece I've had to do since high school. Since I am so uncomfortable with the idea of making non-representational art, I really wanted to push myself with this assignment.

Basically, if it felt uncomfortable or incorrect, I put it on the page. That method seemed to work.

This project was a surprise; we got to work in the print lab yesterday. 

I'm preparing to take the CSET in a couple of months and had been struggling with coming up with a third piece that wasn't a painting, drawing, or digital art (which is what I've had experienced in). Because of the opportunity we're having to work in the print lab, I may have another piece.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll post the first few days of my sketchbook work for Inktober.