Lots of roses

I drove around yesterday evening.
The sky was looking interesting.

I drove to the beach, but didn't stay.
I was shocked by all the people I saw.
Most were not wearing masks.

I don't like visiting the beach during tourist season.
It's too hot and crowded.
Also, the sky is much more interesting in winter.

The warm weather also seems to be bringing out the flowers.

Here are some roses I found in the front yard:

The red roses were so bright, it confused the camera.

I had to lower the brightness a lot, or it would just be a solid magenta blob!

My favorite is this almost lilac-colored bush.

It grows very slowly, and only blooms for a short time each year.

I picked one today, just to draw it.

I used a watercolor pencil to draw an outline.

This was a pretty result.

Good thing I took a picture of this stage.
Next, I ruined it by going over everything with a felt tip pen:

Most of the problem was that the color of the ink didn't resemble the outside of the pen.
I exaggerated the almost purple color with some fancy highlighters.

Finally I colored the background with a wash of watercolor.

I enjoyed this a bunch.
Now I need to try using some more experimental techniques!