I’ve been experimenting on this big watercolour block since January. With each page glued together, I don’t have to worry about buckling, so I’m free to try lots of techniques. My goal? Work larger, work analog, work on one piece. And don’t remove a sheet from the block until… what? What IS the stopping point for this experiment? I forgot to specify!

Here’s how it’s been going, between daily visits, frequent pondering, small and big changes, as captured in these dozen iterations over the last three months.

Wow, some big leaps between versions there, not to mention wildly different lighting. Around #8, I decided I needed the shape of a large N, and then spent a lot of time obscuring it. Looking back through them, I think I like #9 the best, just before that. Dear me. How about yourself — any preferences?

That first image, the most recent capture, feels — not done, but… balanced? There’s nothing big calling out to me as off, and recent changes have just been me futzing around. But I don’t like it: it’s too busy, and I want to do something drastic: cover it all up? Cut it up? However, I’ve painted myself into a corner by using oil pastels most recently, which apparently should not be layered with acrylic. Rules are meant to be broken & all, but in this case, I think science agrees it’s not a good next move.

So, I’m calling it. Balanced composition and lots of iterations feels like a sufficient end point. Since I did want to move through this block, I think it’s time to free this first piece to its next life. Scans? Cut up? Reassembled pieces of a puzzle? Whatever happens next, I’m excited to keep the process going.