Doing a little Chinese brush painting. I’m pretty bad at water color, but I’m getting better…

That second one is supposed to be bamboo leaves… I am alright at doing those, but the bamboo itself is totally escaping me… The directions aren’t much help either:

For the base of the stalk, hold your #3 brush upright, press the bristles down, and stroke from the bottom to the top. Each section of the stalk should be straight and of even width, with equal distance between each knot. As you stroke upward over the stalk, hesitate at each knot without lifting your brush off the page

Their result looks like bamboo, mine looks like a line with dark blotches on it…