Drawing from nature, especially drawing inanimate objects (which you can work with indefinitely and rearrange) is the best way to train an artist to see and compose.  I began drawing still lifes in 1972, especially pears and peppers, which are good substitutes for the female form when a model is unavailable.  Looking back on my drawings, I see that I treat light and color separately in many of my still lives.  I used water color crayons on  many of my drawings. Here are some examples: