Here is what I like to do very quickly when I don't have much longer time to paint. Basically quick studies of values, colors, edges and proportions. But it can also help you plan your painting, especially if you want to paint in big size.

So I created this DIY sketchbook from watercolor paper and unused calendar. Here is a test.

After spending sometime in Lamongan and South Sulawesi, we finally went back to the capital city. This watercolor sketch was done after a photo reference which I took at the Sultan Hassanudin airport in Makassar.

This is my first self-portrait painting in watercolor.

So the most important lesson I get in painting, besides value principles, is the tonal composition. You have to be clear with your focal point. Do not let the elements in your painting compete with one another.

This mosque, called Masjid Shirathal Mustaqim, is located in the village of Cabenge in Soppeng, South Sulawesi.

I did this painting just for fun. Never did I think that it would turn out good. Happy New Year.

Again, as a way to learn composition in watercolor, I painted this from photo ref taken in Lamongan. The painting process however was done in the Bugisnese house in Soppeng, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

I was in the village of Cabenge, Soppeng, in South Sulawesi when I did this watercolor study.

These are some quick sketches done before the year 2017 ends. All sketches were done from life while I was in a mall, airport, in the terrace of my house in Lamongan, and in the village of Cabenge, Soppeng in South Sulawesi.

When it comes to composition, the easiest way is to manipulate tonal values to direct the viewers' eye to the focal point. In this case, I put the whitest value in the roof of the house as the focal point.

These are some quick sketches this week done from ref and life.

I've tried several painting apps on Android, from Sketchbook to ArtFlow. But this one called Painter, previously known as Infinite Painter, is the best, I think.

I decided to buy a new watercolor brush; this is my first squirrel brush in fact. The brush I have been using so far is just a waterbrush, which many believe is very hard to control. This brush is called Arte Kazan.

So after six months not doing any watercolor, here is a new sketch which I did after Joseph Zbukvic. Lesson from this sketch: focal point and brush work matter.

I did this after quite a while being absent from painting anything. Really fun to do and think of it as an exercise.