Win Some ... Lose Some

The hibiscus turned out quite well. I am not sure about the brooding background, but it is a good  foil for the  light flower.

The aeonium was an interesting challenge. A bit more forethought on my part would have been good.  I painted the background first, and got swept away by creating soft, graded washes. The dark would have been better on the bottom half. Then the darker leaves would not look so out of place. 

I tried to rescue it by cropping.

If the bottom had been dark, I could have blended the shadowed leaves more readily into the background. There are a few spots I really like - all of the greens turned out well, and the one red leaf going from yellow to red to violet. My glazing proficiency improved. It was wonderful to watch the green/gold alter with applications of yellow, alizarin and violet; it certainly does increase the depth of color. So, as far as technique goes, it was time well spent. But you'd think by now I'd have learned to PLAN from beginning to end!
As always, please feel welcome to leave your comments - love them!