Watercolor Freak Out happens immediately when I start painting. My once pristine drawing becomes a wet and wild mess of colors. Shapes are flooding over their lines, stuff is mixing, no one's behaving themselves down there, I start to question why in the world I'm working traditionally.

What do I do now? I just look up one of those dumb Keep Calm and Carry On flags online and remember not to panic. I proceed calmly with more opaque layers of Holbein's Acryla Grouache. I then get into light prismacolor pencil action, subtly shading and lining where I need to.

In all honesty working traditionally can be a really relaxing endeavor. It allows, or rather you have to allow, time to think and evaluate your piece as it slowly takes form. I think of digital work like an action movie and traditional work more like a drama. Working digitally is expedient and puts tools at your fingers so fast that you simply can't say no to the "special effects." Working traditionally is can be more of a thoughtful narrative driven approach.

I think an answer to good picture making isn't so much concerned with the medium used but instead with the time allotted to make that picture good, make it say something and mean something. Next time: The Finish.