Watercolor Rose

I think there is always a tendency to compare one's art with someone else's.  Is their composition better?  Are the colors clearer?  Are the brush strokes freer?  

I'm in a watercolor class with 18 people this winter/spring and I would say, in comparison, I'm about in the middle of the pack.  A comfortable place to be since I know I have SOME skills but I know I can achieve more.

This is actually a painting I did with a Craftsy teacher online.  I'm happy  with the petals because of the different values I was able to paint, giving it a 3-D feeling.  Less happy with the yellow middle -- I think I used too much pigment!  One should ALWAYS be careful using yellow!

The painting I did in my in-person class this week, I threw away.  I really find it hard to paint in a 3 hour class.  So much pressure!  But as a beginner, I also find it hard to paint without a coach by my side.  

​Lesson learned?  Just keep at it, no matter what!