There is nothing worse than being so inspired to make that watercolor painting, then having it die right in front of you. You will have to give up some control in order to progress. Often it’s because there is a hard edge around everything. Try planning before hand what will be in soft focus. Do a quick value study of the whole painting on a small piece of paper. Don’t use cheap paper. It will curb your enthusiasm. A tight drawing will not allow you freedom. Don’t use a drawing, or just lightly draw three main divisions of the composition. Be sure that some shapes just merge into each other, so the eye runs smoothly over them. Hard edges stop the eye from moving though the painting. Try doing the painting over again-now that you are familiar with it, you might make a better one. Let shapes bleed into each other, by placing one color next to something you’ve just painted. Try finding something less obvious as the focal point. Go back to dried hard edges and soften them- put a small amount of water on them, let sit for a minute, scrub off gently with the brush. Repeat as many times as necessary. Have someone look at your painting and get feedback.