Day Thirty-nine

     Back home after a week on the road. We had the best time, but it's good to be home. 
​     I prepared for our week away so that I wouldn't fall behind on this challenge. I packed a separate "art bag" packed with pencils, erasers, sketchbook, watercolor paper, a travel box of paint, and water pens. I was ready!
​     This was my first experience with water pens and I have to tell you, I didn't love it. It may have been because the pens I bought were not the most expensive and perhaps not as well built as others, but they gave me so much less control than I had expected. The brush stayed wet. I mean REALLY wet. It was frustrating for the paper to become saturated, which extended the drying time and also disrupted the integrity of the paper.
​     This also led to results that were not exactly what I wanted. I liked the subject matter of each painting, but the lack of cooperation from the water pens and a bit of adjustment to pan watercolor created challenges to achieving the desired results.
​     Next time I go on a trip, I will take my art gear -- ALL of it -- for the project at hand. It really would not have been all that difficult to take the few brushes I use every day. That would have made the on-the-road painting more enjoyable for me and I think it would have really helped the outcome of the last six paintings. 
​     I enjoyed my special painting time at the end of each day even with the challenges. Those challenges taught me how to deal with things I haven't faced thus far in this project. I appreciate the hurdles because they teach me and that's why I started this to begin with! :)