(House) Green Tree and (House) Brown Tree by Rachel McClelland Sutton show how an artist can paint the same subject yet depict it very differently each time.  By looking at these images side by side, you can see similarities and differences very quickly.  What things are the same in the images?  What things are different?  Now consider how each painting has a distinctly different feeling to it.  How does the artist use the differences to create those different moods and feelings in the work?

Since these are landscape paintings, look for some of the technical aspects of the work.  Locate the horizon line.  How does the artist show you something is near in the work?  How does the artist show you something is farther away in the work?  By training yourself to look for these types of details, it will be easier for you to create these illusions in your own paintings.

Both of these paintings are watercolors.  Did you already know that?  How could you tell?  Look carefully at the brush strokes.  Do you see small, detailed brush strokes?  Or do you see larger, bolder strokes of more solid colors?  By looking at the evidence of this brush work, you can see how an artist can use fewer markings on a page but still convey plenty of information about the subject.

Painting can be a very relaxing and enjoyable skill to learn.  But it is not easy to have great success the first or second time you try – so don’t be discouraged or get frustrated.  Practice whenever you can and remember it is not the destination but the journey that matters.