Red Roses-Final

© Ellen Blonder

The roses I used for reference are both the same dark red, but I liked leaving the one on the left lighter for contrast. Now it's done.
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Post p.s.-My friend Jeanette just commented on this post with a poem, but it's too good to be lost in the comments; I'm adding it to the post itself. 


ONE PERFECT ROSE

A single flow’r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet —
One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret;
“My fragile leaves,” it said, “his heart enclose.”
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it’s always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.

~ Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), American writer of poetry and short stories  

Red Roses-Day 4

© Ellen Blonder

This is fun, but it's fun in slow motion, without the anxiety of watercolors that might dry too fast in the wrong places. The challenge is to still to get the flowers dark enough.

Red Roses-Day 3

© Ellen Blonder

I'm wearing out my pencils trying to get the reds dark enough. Once I get these tones down, it'll probably take another round to darken everything even more.

Red Roses-Day 2

© Ellen Blonder

These roses will go way darker, but sketching in highlights and shadows helps me see where I'm headed.

Red Roses-Day 1

© Ellen Blonder

My friend Jenny gave me some red roses that were so dark and velvety they were almost black. I'm going to see if I can reproduce that color and texture with colored pencil.

Red Rose

© Ellen Blonder

I designed this rose into a greeting card that was never published. The watercolor was painted first, then the pencil drawing was done on an overlay. The drawing was to have been on the outside of the card, opening to the full-color version inside.