Bird's Nest

A year ago,  I found a vintage picture of a bird's nest.  I fell in love with the picture.  Something about the clear blue eggs, the browns and greens of nature. 

Yesterday I decided to try it out with my own hand, pencil, ink, and watercolor.  I decided I couldn't have picked a more complex picture for a fairly novice watercolorist as myself, but by ten o'clock last night I was actually pleased and excited with the result.

I learned a lot while doing it, like why you start with your light colors.  After painting the first twiggy sticks (at the top of the picture), I did a yellowish wash over the rest of the picture.  Then a darker yellow wash, then a light brown, leaving the lighter colors showing through in various places.  Eventually I started filling in the detail.  I think this is what you're actually supposed to do, and I finally realized this and followed the directions.  (Yes, amazing what happens when you do that!)  Anyway, I couldn't be happier with it.

Now what can I try next?  :)