Hi Reader,

I recently completed a painting of an autumn stream for our latest class inside Paint With Me, my watercolor membership.

This painting turned out a bit more detailed and realistic than I initially envisioned. When I paint, I often have a loose, expressive style in mind, and I always aim to make progress toward that. But that’s the beauty of the creative process—no single piece is ever ‘final’ or ‘perfect.’ Each painting offers something to learn, a step forward on the journey.

Even when a piece doesn’t quite meet my expectations, it becomes a marker of where I am now and a reminder of how far I’ve come.

I think it’s natural to lean toward a more realistic rendering of subjects, especially with complex scenes. For me, it takes intentional effort to step away from the instinct to include every detail I see. My goal is to capture the essence of what I see—keeping it loose yet with just enough detail to convey what it is.

What you see—and what I share in my classes—is part of this journey. Moving toward a looser watercolor style is a process, and I hope my approach helps others bridge that same gap as they learn.

I just uploaded an abbreviated overview of my process for this autumn stream on YouTube. Even without the full version of the class, I hope a peek into my process will give you ideas for how you might approach your next painting.

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If it interests you and you want to check out the full class (along with other watercolor classes) inside Paint With Me, I’d love to watercolor with you. Click here to learn more!

Susan

P.S. If you're excited to dive into a year of painting and growth, keep an eye out—I’ll be sharing a limited-time discount for annual members soon 😉 !

P.P.S Happy Halloween 🎃 ! Creativity comes in many forms. This week, it meant turning 30-year-old felt my mother saved into last-minute skeleton bat wings for my 5-year-old.