Varying the colors within your shadows is important. Shadows aren’t just one solid wash of color. It’s much more interesting to push other colors into them, combining cool and warm colors within the same part of a shadow.

We’re also not only painting the color of an object. It’s one thing to paint a gray roof or a beige chimney, but to paint the light that’s reflecting off surrounding objects is much more interesting. To paint the temperature of the day, to paint the mood we want to convey can shift our thinking and add dimension to our work.

The key to improving at any skill is to develop the talent for improving technique. Fall in love with the process and the results will take care of themselves.