Overview
This one’s lives in Imperfect Creations where it belongs. It didn’t make the cut and I’m fond of looking back at the messes I make to see where I progressed or regressed.
Painted on cold press watercolor paper (5.5 × 8.5), taped down with washi tape to create a clean frame and keep the paint from bleeding into the border (because at least something in my life should stay inside the lines).
Tried to paint the Susquehanna. Ended up painting the idea of the Susquehanna.
What I Was Trying To Do
This wasn’t a “final piece.”
This was me testing whether I can actually build minute details without turning everything into a soft blur of regret.
I painted a random landscape from memory, based loosely on what I see along the Susquehanna River when I pass through on the way to work. Not a direct reference photo — more like a mental scrapbook of river light, tree lines, and those little moments that stick to your brain without permission.
Process (What I Did)
- Taped the paper down first to keep edges clean and give myself a built-in frame.
- Laid in a simple sky wash (light blues shifting into softer warmth).
- Built a loose horizon + tree line from memory.
- Tested small transitions:
- soft background fading
- sharper greens in the foreground
- trying to suggest depth with value shifts instead of detailing every leaf like a maniac
What Went Wrong (Why It’s a Reject)
Somewhere in the process, the piece stopped being a landscape and started being a vague suggestion of a landscape.
The values don’t lock in the way I wanted, and the space feels unfinished — like the land is floating instead of sitting on solid ground.
It’s not terrible… but it’s not right either.
It’s the kind of piece that teaches you more than it impresses people.
What Worked
- The taped border stayed clean (small victory, still counts).
- The atmosphere in the distance started to happen — the “soft river memory” part.
- I can see the bones of the scene I was aiming for, even if it never fully landed.
What I Learned
- I can’t rely on “nice washes” to carry the whole piece — depth needs stronger value contrast.
- Memory-based landscapes work, but only if I commit to a clear foreground/midground/background structure.
- Minute details don’t come from micro-brush strokes — they come from controlled edges + deliberate value shifts.
Next Time
- Push darks earlier instead of playing it safe.
- Decide the focal area before the paint decides for me.
- Use fewer greens (or at least make them behave).
- Sketch the main shapes first so the land doesn’t drift off into watercolor purgatory.
- Or do what I do best, just make something and see which direction it will take me.
Some artwork under the Imperfect Creations collection will eventually become available for download.