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![Creating a Sense of Depth and Believable Shadows](https://i0.wp.com/www.dragonflyspiritstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/shadows-on-yellow.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
Creating a Sense of Depth and Believable Shadows
Creating a sense of depth and believable shadows, especially on red, yellow and orange objects.
![The Lazy Way to Build Painting Confidence](https://i0.wp.com/www.dragonflyspiritstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2107-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1)
The Lazy Way to Build Painting Confidence
This article is the third in a series. The preceding articles are: Is My Painting Done? Are You a “Photocopier”? There’s a Better Way In response to the last article, a reader made a couple of excellent points about why it’s sometimes difficult to deviate from a reference photo: lack of confidence, and the planning…
![I used a spray bottle to soften and allow the color to run on the right side of the "background". I like how the yellow color of the lemon ran and softened, giving it some atmosphere and bringing the viewer's attention more to the crisper edges in the bowl.](https://i0.wp.com/www.dragonflyspiritstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/featured.jpg?fit=768%2C508&ssl=1)
Go (a Little) Wild!—How to Loosen Up (Just a Bit) in Watercolor
Are you a control freak when you make art? Or does your inner child go wild? Most of us want to make art that combines structure and spontenaity, but that’s not easy! In workshops and classes at all levels, when we go around the room and talk about what we want to get out of…
![The tan color in the background of this painting was an accident, but the piece that resulted is one of my favorite paintings.](https://i0.wp.com/www.dragonflyspiritstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/driplines.jpg?fit=768%2C760&ssl=1)
“No Mistakes” Art-Making
Do you ever make mistakes when you’re working in your journal? Or doodling? Ever put down a wobbly line? Smear some ink? Drip watercolor where you didn’t mean to? How does it make you feel? Perhaps a bit aggravated or disappointed? Do you ever want to tear a page out of your journal because it…
![Avoiding Pencil Lines in Your Watercolors](https://i0.wp.com/www.dragonflyspiritstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/from-design-to-plan-planning-marks-TN.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
Avoiding Pencil Lines in Your Watercolors
Some alternative ways to make planning marks to avoid visible pencil lines in the finished painting.
![How to Use Reference Photos More Creatively](https://i0.wp.com/www.dragonflyspiritstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/use-ref-photos-creatively-TN.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
How to Use Reference Photos More Creatively
Here are some ideas for breaking free from “the tyranny of the photo” so you can use your photo references more creatively