Watercolor Sketching

Watercolor sketching is a wonderful way to not only get better at your art, but it is also a lot of fun.  When you are sketching, you do not have to concern yourself with how anything looks.  The colors do not need to be perfect, your composition does not need to be flawless.  Your sketchbook is your very own place to try new ideas, explore new color mixing combinations and play with things you would not try on a studio painting.
I keep my watercolor sketching supplies with me always.  I never leave my home without my watercolor travel set.  I found out a long time ago, you never know what you will see when you leave your home.  Even if you live in a busy urban area, you can see something you have never seen before and perhaps never again.  This is where watercolor sketching becomes invaluable.  Instead of taking a picture (which is perfectly fine if time is short) take a few extra minutes and use your watercolor travel set to paint what you see.  You do not need perfection, just the general mood of whatever has caught your eye.  As you begin to fill sketchbooks, you begin to realize the never ending supply of reference materials you have amassed.  Since you took the time to paint your reference material, too a degree, it is burned into your imagination.  When using your sketchbook material for a studio painting, you will automatically remember the day, the weather the general tone of everything around you at the time.  Those tiny details that you do not get from taking 2 seconds to snap a picture will become immensely valuable for your finished painting.  If you want to improve your art, try watercolor sketching.