Atmospheric Watercolors

I am in love with  a new art instruction book that I bought for myself .  Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolors is a delight to view and read, and had me reaching for my brushes and paints to try some of her techniques.

She encourages beautiful, loose washes of color for starting paintings.  She paints loosely, leaving much detail to the viewer's imagination.  In the book she shares tips and practice exercises.
Here is what I have done so far.

elephant work-in-progress

Another elephant work-in-progress

Sunlit daffodils-I think this one is done!

Venetian door-I'm going to repeat this exercise to try to improve it.

Colorful wash-might become a seated figure or an angel

Painting in this loose, juicy style is so much fun!  There is no sketching ahead of time, just applying paint to paper and utilizing the unique characteristics of watercolor paint, like the way it flows, forms blossoms, and blends.  

Jean Haines has several other books available, which are being added to my wish list!