Hello Fellow Artist!

Yay! I just finished the largest watercolor I’ve ever painted! And I almost didn't finish it. 😳

For months, it was sitting on a chair, out of the way of the main part of my studio, halfway finished. And when I would see it, I would say to myself, "someday..."

Then, thankfully, there was a call for art at my local art gallery, the theme was Spring. I glanced at the half-finished painting that had been waiting patiently in the corner of my studio to bring it to life.

Since I tend to work well under deadlines, I thought this was my chance to finish it.

This painting taught me three important things that I’m sharing with you today.

April Showers — Lucy reaching into the wind, trying to catch her hat as a spring storm rolls through — is a full sheet (30x22”) of Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Standing in front of that much blank paper felt exciting and intimidating, but I was ready for the challenge!

I'm sharing with you today what I learned and how I got the confidence to paint this painting:

1. Do the Sketch First. Always.

You’ve probably heard of “thumbnail sketches.” I’m always telling my students to do small sketches before putting paint on paper.

Doing sketches answers questions like the ones I had:

Where is Lucy (the subject) placed? How high do the storm clouds sit? How far down should I place the tree cast shadows?

On a small painting, a few thumbnails on sketch paper will usually solve composition issues.

But on a full sheet? Weak composition shows immediately — and it’s not easy to fix once you’ve committed a large shape to an area.

The sketch — plus using Photoshop to move some shapes around — gave me the confidence I needed. It helped me test balance, movement, and storytelling before committing to paint. That preparation made the actual painting process smoother, faster, and I felt braver.

2. Make the Shapes Connect

This painting had more moving parts than I realized.

The mountains. The storm clouds. The trees. The cast shadows of the trees. Lucy herself. Her cast shadow. The hill. The flowers at her feet.

Wow! That’s a lot of shapes.

If those shapes don’t relate to one another, the painting feels scattered. Disconnected.

So I focused on making them speak the same visual language — repeating angles, echoing curves, and allowing shadows to tie one area to another.

Once the shapes began working together instead of competing, the whole scene felt cohesive and alive.

3. Paint in a Comfortable Space (This One Surprised Me)

This lesson may have been the most important.

When I first started April Showers, I was cramped in my workspace. I use a gator board to attach my paper, and it was simply too large for the area I had. I couldn’t step back properly. My shoulders were tight.

I grew so frustrated that I didn’t enjoy painting.

And I left the painting unfinished for months.

Recently, I set up a new easel with more space to move. Everything changed.

I could stand back comfortably. Use my whole arm.

It was so freeing. Now I understand why artists need space — it’s so much easier to let creativity flow!

Sometimes we think we’re blocked creatively… when really we just need a little more room to breathe.

Looking Ahead to Spring

Now that April Showers is complete, I’m looking forward to heading back outside for plein air painting this Spring. 🌷

I’m excited to be outside in the breeze and paint nature, landscapes, and whatever is right in front of me.

This painting, April Showers, challenged me.

And I’m grateful for it. I learned so much — about painting and about myself as an artist.

I’m almost finished editing the April Showers tutorial, and it will be up on my Patreon Art Studio page soon.​

If you enjoy delving deeper into watercolor techniques, I would love to have you join me there! (you can follow for free!)

Your support there also helps me continue creating larger original works like this one!

You can learn more here →patreon.com/Mollysfineart​

Thank you, fellow artist, for following along with my work and growth. It means more than you know.

With Gratitude 🙏 and Happy Painting! Molly🌻

👇 Join me and paint with me!

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