It’s now a few weeks since I completed the watercolour course and received tutor feedback. I was glad to read that assignment 5 was well received and about the generally positive tutor feedback.

Looking back over my work for the course, I think that I made progress in some areas. When starting, I had practically nonexistent experience with watercolours, and feel now much better acquainted with the medium. I also like the departure towards some mixed media experimentation. But I also think I may not have given myself enough opportunity to play around with watercolours beyond course exercises. It is certainly due to my overall very tight schedule and the necessity of focused time management, but I rarely do things “just for fun” and this playful aspect is missing in my work for the course.

I wasn’t aware of it during the course, it has only recently dawned on me that I’m in no way obliged to do only project-relevant exercises in my sketchbooks. I’m currently studying printmaking as an extra, on-top module besides the courses I’m doing for the painting degree. Only now I’m beginning to become a bit looser, experimental and more playful in approach. It may also be related to my mature age and a life dominated by my non-artistic full time job. It requires much effort to develop my creative activities and the different mindset that’s needed.

It’s a pity that I have no “official reason” to continue with watercolours. I feel there’s still so much to learn and to discover, but the courses I’ll be taking subsequently do not develop watercolour painting any further. I was hoping that I might integrate the habit of regular sketchbook work using watercolours, will see whether this is going to suit me in future work. I’ve recently began researching into chinese and japanese ink paintings and found the emphasis on expressive brushstrokes very interesting and worth further exploration. I’ll also get back to the human figure and life drawing (or painting) classes, because I would like to take the subject of my final assignment further.

So overall, I’m full of ideas and topics for continued work with watercolours after the course, curious where this might take me in the future.