When you're painting the random patterns of nature it is sometimes difficult0, r . Your brain says 123, 123, 123. It should be saying 436, 710, or 924. There are no two trees with the same branches. They are all random in every way imaginable. Keep this in mind when you paint, even all the are in fish books are similar. The same fish in different books are all different. There is no right or wring way to paint things of nature like waves, clouds, or rocks. There is only technique to learn how to create shadows, textures, or color mixing. A great way to learn this is to take a black and white photo class. The reason being is that it takes colors and turns them into shades of gray from solid white to solid black. You will be amazed by what a yellow filter does to the gray spectrum. Your brain will show you all the colors of the rainbow in you b/w photos. You will then see things differently when you paint in colors. We migh lose you to photography, but the instant fix of a photo is just that. I can't compete with that. I can sit all day photographing waves, and never find what I want but I can picture it in my head and paint it. Thus my giant blue heron came from a photo a friend gave me. The picture had in it a bicycle, rails, gas pumping dock, and a bait dock. None of which made it in the painting but the close up of the bird was perfect to use so I did. I have to tell you that I watched two ladies painting and discussing their experience. One of them went to a seminar to learn about her inadequate art. The artist told her that her colors were too vibrant and to paint softer. She was devastated and could not believe what she heard from him. Artist struggle with what other people want to buy. I call it whoring myself out to what I think will sell. I get a lot of people seeing my art every day. They all like different pieces for different reasons. It's as individual as the artisan who painted them. Be true to yourself, your art will be true to you.