It seems to me that a painting of an urban scene must have a people or two. A painting is just not finished without.
just like a rural scene might need a cow/goat/sheep - some life! the problem is they must be credible, they must be drawn and painted well - if not ... well ... lets not go there! so how to start? start by drawing, get lots of photos of people walking/standing and drill them down to basic shapes - geometry! I can't tell you how many pages of people drawings I have done - page after page after page, then I do more pages and pages and pages. In other words you can't draw them too much. i found this online years ago: think of these three basic shapes U W O U - turn upside down, it becomes a torso W - legs O - head once you've done lots of practice getting the ratios right (length of leg to body, size of head etc) you will naturally start to loosen up, let them merge, make a crowd etc. relax your hand and let your hand/eye coordination work for you. Keep your pencil marks light, fluid, gestural and lyrical (only use sharpened "B" pencils). Avoid erasing pencil marks see my youtube video on this subject, let me know how you get on 
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 sigh!!!
bit of a sod but we're not all good at everything
as usual, most of my new students are reluctant to draw I mean super reluctant i dont know if they can't or think they can't draw. I can sort of understand it now that i have my own disability. Some of it is attention-seeking, a battle of wills which i am unlikely to waste class time on, I'm there to teach everyone. a man came up to my teaching group and made jokes about what id drawn to show my students. i was so angry i actually told him to shove off. I'm so embarrassed by my inability to draw and write to my pre-stoke level. it is deeply humiliating and frustrating. the only way forward is to practice in private, keep it small, the size that is right for you. I say small because small drawings are quicker, quicker results and quicker gains. it takes focus and determination, but like me, you'll get better and better. we'll do it together. learn from all the good tutors you can find. be proud of small gains. good luck to us both!! ciao ciao cari amici xx 
Every person I talk to, as soon as I tell them I paint watercolour, responds “Oh that’s the most difficult medium!” What no-one mentions is that EVERYTHING is difficult at the beginning – learning to drive a manual car, knitting, golf, baking a sponge cake, cryptic crosswords (strike that!! They’re still my enemy!!).
How has this daft idea become so pervasive? It’s been around a long time, probably perpetuated by people who want control and find they can’t. I find the comment to be exceedingly boring and have to stop myself rolling my eyes. I will have to create a witty response that gets them thinking or running! For people like me, we like a little mess, I like watching the paint and water run, I like to watch the colours collide and bleed into each other. I love a little (or big) special nuance borne out of a brush misstep. I love making something out of nothing. I love the lyrical and poetic nature of watercolour. The missing link here is expectations. I expect watercolour to do what watercolour does, what it’s designed to do – run in water! I don’t expect (or want) it to act like oil or acrylic paint. I love the true beauty of watercolour with runs, bleeds and blends. What brought this about was a video “15 mistakes and how to fix them”. There was actually only one true “watercolour mistake” (can’t remember what it was!). The “mistakes” were about fixing compositional problems, the enemy of all artists and not relegated to only painters of watercolour. HAPPY ACCIDENTS – beautiful running and bleeding of colour – NO PAINTING OUTSIDE THE LINES!! OMG!! WHAT A DRAG!! 15 mistakes and how to fix them tells us that virtually every time our brush hits the paper, we’re making a mistake! We start looking at everything as if it were wrong, it sets us up to feel anxious and fearful. Imagine feeling frightened at every step? Every brush stroke? Lets remember there are no mistakes in watercolour – just a few surprises along the way! I say “Bring back the happy accident!” What is missing for many of you is the fun and discovery of NO CONTROL! Learn to watch the pigments and water react with each other, set aside time, your warm-up maybe, to play with the paint and discover the amazing effects you can get! I’m going to repeat myself: BRING BACK THE HAPPY ACCIDENT!! Lets not focus on fixing what’s not broken. Start looking for the beautifulness in your paintings. Let the water carry the paint where it wants to go – use lots of water and when it’s summer, use more! You all know this – stop touching and overworking – the fewer brushmarks the better. If you can’t stop fiddling – ask yourself “what does my painting need?” Put your brush down, hands behind your back – get some thinking time. The best next skill to develop is to learn how to use or ignore “wrong marks” as the creative foundation of your paintings. All members welcome to the Happy Accident Club!! 
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AuthorPaintBox Tips, secrets, random thoughts, 
Poetry in watercolour is made in the freedom of the here and now. Amanda Brett Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working - Pablo Picasso 
There are no mistakes in watercolour, just some extra surprises!! Categories
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What my readers and viewers have to say
Your emails are so informative! I must confess I've watched a couple of your demos from beginning to end, and it makes me want to watercolor!!! I've only ever painted with oil or acrylics and haven't know how to begin with WC. Your content is excellent!
Susan VN Hi Amanda
Thank you for your tips. They inspired me to practise and I realised I haven’t been loading the brush properly. I learnt about adding more paint, and not water, to washes. In today’s tips I like the idea of painting with purpose. Your tips are very helpful. I very much appreciate receiving them. Elizabeth Hi Amanda I enjoyed your post and generous tips. Looked up Dan Burt I begin to see that you can colour any subject to give it pizazz so long as the tone and form is correct Certainly adding value now to my attempts Thanks heaps Annie
Yes very wise words. Agree with not fussing and agree with comments about good quality paint. Well written and inspirational as always. Cheers Janet xxxx Archives
May 2026
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