Walking out in the Dutch Polders all of a sudden about a thousand birds filled the air all flying in the same direction. I found out later on my walk to where - a large series of lakes north of Gouda, called the Reeuwijkse Plassen. It was a beautiful site, but it happens so quick and then is over, so you need to be ready to take a few photos that you can take home and work with later. I had no idea to expect them so it was a rather magical moment. This seems be how I find my subject matter, I find an interesting setting and then just wait a while for something to bring it to life, whether that be a cyclist, a break in the clouds or in this case a thousand birds.

Bockingford CP block 36x26cm. This is a reasonably forgiving paper, but I worked fast and got the sky down in a minute. I think one key component in watercolor is trust. Trust your first marks, make them bold and then leave them well alone. Trust in the paint to do the rest. I've been rewatching Edos YT videos to get a better sense of how to work with this paper. As soon as you start dabbing or fiddling in the sky and not trusting your first marks then its lost. I say this from many a failed attempt.