Mondo Peony Two Ways

I've been a lucky girl this week because two new colouring mediums (media?) came to live with me - the new Altenew Watercolours and a 60-set of Faber-Castell Polychromos pencil crayons (coloured pencils if you're outside of Canada!)

I swatched them both and then looked around for something else to try. I chose Mondo Peony because I think it's a really great flower for practicing your colouring - it's big, with large and small areas to colour, and lots of nooks and crannies to practice shading. 

First I did the watercolours. I stamped with Versafine Clair (Nocturne) on Arches Cold Press paper. I laid down a flat layer of pink on the flower and light green on the leaves, and then went back with a number of different shades to try and create the shadows and dimensions. I used Black Velvet brushes.

Next I tried the Polychromos. This time I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black on Stonehenge paper. I tried to choose similar colours - dark pinks, yellows and purples, and even a brown, and I tried to colour it in a similar way.  I see lots of 'learnings' and 'areas for improvement', but that's what it's all about, right?

I just love the look of the texture of these pencils, but I do love the bright colours of the watercolours! What about you?

I finished both cards with the same sentiment, some sequins and an Oyster card base.

I wasn't ready to do a video with these yet, but maybe soon......