World Watercolor Month: Day 13 — Progress Shows Up When You Least Expect It

This is Day 13 of World Watercolor Month.

This morning I decided to continue working on these small watercolor greeting cards, which have become so much fun to paint. I also enjoy them because they give me the satisfaction of completing a watercolor piece in a relatively short amount of time.

The last few weeks at work have been very busy, so having a small amount of time each morning to complete a watercolor painting has been exactly what I needed.

Today I decided to paint a small white orchid.

What surprised me about this particular painting is that I've painted orchids before and often became discouraged when they didn't turn out the way I had hoped. Even so, I've continued to paint them.

If you know anything about painting white flowers in watercolor, you know that white isn't really white. It's the shapes, shadows, and subtle color variations that create the illusion of white.

As I painted this orchid with my Caran d'Ache gouache pan set, I realized I was making progress. It almost felt like it came out of nowhere, but I know it didn't.

It was the result of weeks and weeks of practice.

Today's Thought

Sometimes it doesn't feel like you're improving.

But you are.

Every brushstroke matters.

Every painting teaches you something.

Every time you put paint on paper and take the time to really observe what you're doing, you're growing as an artist.

White watercolor orchid

You may not notice that progress from one day to the next, but then one morning—almost unexpectedly—it shows up.

That's exactly what happened to me today.

I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to paint this white orchid, and it reminded me that perseverance has a way of revealing itself when you least expect it.

One question I asked myself while painting was, Why orchids?

I think my fascination with them really began in March when I attended an Orchid Society of Memphis meeting at the Memphis Botanic Garden. During the meeting, we were each given two orchids to take home.

I'm happy to say that both of mine are still alive and are even putting out new growth, which has been such a pleasant surprise.

They've also reminded me of my mom, who always grew beautiful orchids in her garden. Seeing how these incredible plants can thrive both outdoors in tropical climates and indoors with a little care has inspired me to look at them more closely—and, of course, to paint them.

So that's my reflection for Day 13 of World Watercolor Month.

Tomorrow is Day 14, and we're already almost halfway through the month. Time really does fly when you're having fun.

If you enjoyed today's journal, I'd love to hear from you. Have you ever surprised yourself by realizing you've improved at something without even noticing? Or is there a subject you keep coming back to because you love the challenge? Leave a comment below—I always enjoy hearing about your creative journey.

Baby orchids