Subject Studies and Floriography

Practice paintings of specific objects, creatures, textures, etc. With watercolor, I usually aim for a more abstract, loose and impressionistic approach. This is to train myself to observe things as they are, visually, instead of getting caught up in the details (which I have a tendency to). But as I extend myself to more topics and more intricate paintings, I find myself needing to understand the details before I can abstract, loosen and paint the impression of them. It's the natural progression to dedicate time to more object-oriented studies.

On an unrelated note, I am writing a novel with an element of floriography - the language of flowers. And as I aim to one day illustrate and/or storyboard the novel, learning how to sketch and paint flowers mentioned in the story seems like a must. I have a feeling I will be inspired to write with more visuals and poetry.