Abutilon Water Color-Final

© Ellen Blonder

Finally done. 

Abutilon Watercolor-Days 4 and 5

© Ellen Blonder

I forget what a difference a new brush makes; working out details of the flowers is so much easier when I can lay down a clean line. It has been so long since I last worked on this that the old flowers have shriveled and a new crop is newly budding.

Abutilon Watercolor-Day 3

© Ellen Blonder

Not a lot of time to paint lately, so I'm glad I snapped some photo reference shots. The actual flowers are long gone.

Abutilon Watercolor 2

© Ellen Blonder

Starting to layer color on color.

Abutilon Watercolor 1

© Ellen Blonder

I'm working from a photo I took when this abutilon plant was full of flowers. Here's the first day's outlines, barely filled in with watercolor underpainting.

Abutilon 1

© Ellen Blonder

Some dear friends brought a gift of an abutilon plant when they visited earlier this month. I sketched the flowers in my sketchbook, trying to capture the tangerine shades and rich green leaves with colored pencil, and with more than a little frustration. I'll try watercolors next, before I find the perfect place to plant it in the garden.