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A Lesson in Observation and Composition

Our instructor set up a still life arrangement featuring a pot of roses, variously shaped wine bottles, mugs, and containers, all placed on a wooden table. We were asked to choose 5 or 6 objects from the setup to sketch and paint with watercolours.

With guidance from our instructor, I revised my sketch several times to fine-tune the composition. During the painting process, I struggled with mixing the watercolours, often making them uneven. I also had difficulty preserving the white space on the glass bottles, which affected the reflection effect.

Noticing that the brightness and details of the objects appeared differently when viewed in person compared to a photo taken with my mobile phone, I decided to continue working on the painting in subsequent lessons, focusing again on the spot. Despite my efforts, only the gray round container with the red floral pattern turned out well. 😔

Though the final piece didn’t meet my expectations, it was a valuable learning experience and a good attempt! 😊

“The result is nothing, but the process is priceless if you enjoyed it and learned something from it.”