I wasn't always a watercolor artist. It is my biggest passion, but I also enjoy photography, movie, and video games. When I was working on video game art, we often told to research for visual inspiration through many different sources. I was told that if I only referencing from other video games, I am getting a distill downed source. Venture outside the medium you are working with is often a good thing to do.
Last week I watched Bladerunner 2049, and was blown away by the beautiful cinematography by the legendary Roger Deakins. It gave me so much inspiration for composition and imagery. I also learned a lot about lighting and scale by study and looking at many photographers' work. There are so many things out there that we can study and learn from, but the biggest inspiration that's available for all of us is the nature!
We are in autumn now. It is my favorite season in the pacific north west. Mostly because of the beautiful colors and the misty atmosphere that's perfect for watercolor. Just a few days ago I spent some time around the city just to enjoy all the beautiful autumn scenery that the city has to offer. I was inspired and my visual library was stimulated. I took several photos for reference. While most of them won't make into a painting, all the visual elements in the photos will triggers my memory. These visual memories will find their way into my paintings.
One thing about being an artist is that we don't have to limit our self to the medium and the subject of our choice. If you only look at other watercolor artists work, you are only drawing inspiration from others vision. While it is improtant to learn from other artists, inspiration can come from anywhere. They can often come from your everyday life if you look carefully. A good painter takes needs to develop skill, but a good artist needs to enrich their visual library. So if you are not painting or busy working, go out side and look around, really look and soak it in. You might be surprise how much you can learn and receive outside of other watercolor paintings.