Still Shedding

Here's an update on the shedding bark tree. I don't think that this is a crape myrtle tree. But it reminds me of one and they have to be my favorite tree. I love the pink and green trunk, there is just something beautiful about that. Not to mention, they grow well here in TX and really serve to perk up the summer when all around is hot, hot, hot.

A quick review of what I'm learning CP-wise:

• Complementary color pairings for shadow or depth are amazingly effective.
• Using a color in different areas of a piece is a double-edged sword- it can create unity, but also can kill differentiation - that is, you can't tell the bark from the trunk if you use all the same colors!
• Warm grey is my new friend - I just love that color and what it can bring to my work.
• Failure may create patience in me - I read recently that you should create a palette before beginning a CP work - trying out combinations and orders of layers before you start. It sounds like an incredibly disciplined, honorable, sensible thing to do. But, frankly, I'm just a little too impatient to do it this time (plus I've got vellum, so I can erase to nothing.) Although, I can see myself wishing I had done more planning when I finish this.

Other than that, I am thinking about next month and what to study.