There are infinite ways to approach watercolor: Start with a pencil sketch, then paint; start with an ink outline, then paint; paint, then add lines; paint directly with no sketch; paint small areas at a time, or paint great swaths; add a sense of depth through layers of glazing, or by thick concentrations of pigment. Every painting calls for its own approach; there are no rules. Each painter finds her own style by painting and painting, learning by copying others and then circling back to an approach all her own.
In Spring 2018, my watercolor teacher, Ilah Jarvis, suggested that a good way to learn about form and volume is to paint “blobby fruits”–shapes that aren’t perfectly round (too intimidating) but that cast a clear shadow. That set me off on a journey that continues to this day.