Limbering Up for the Sketchcrawl Tomorrow

Here are two pieces I did today (I can't call them drawings since one's a painting! lol), both were done in my garden.

The rose comes with a survival story. This is an old, well-established rose and that's the only reason it survived the neglect it suffered for several years before I bought the house.

It was being strangled byCampanula (Bellflower) on one side and Bearded Iris on the other. I've been spoiling it for a few months and it's come back to strength and glory. I thought it deserved a victory lap. 

"Fourth of July Rose," watercolor & gouache in a Moleskin sketchbook

This page is a quick series of sketches, really just to limber up my hand. Although they're in reverse order here, the pen & ink was done first as a warm-up.

Plant studies, pen & ink