For the love of colored pencils

It's amazing how much time there is that I DON'T get to paint/draw, but when I do, it's heaven. The previous work "Cherries" was a lot of fun and I think really successful.  As a result I decided to give the colored pencils another go.  This time I used my best friend's photo from this year's cherry blossom blooms (I won't post the original w/o consent of  the photographer).  I used the burnishing techniques this time as well.  Not quite as successfully as before, and my blending marker was too stained by the "Cherries" to use it effectively.  I went beyond nature's palette, with the inclusion of Light Ceruleen Blue, Prama Violet, and Canary Yellow.  I find it to be a rather pleasing "Spring" palette, since cherry blossoms bloom in spring it was appropriate.  I used Canson Pastel Paper again this time in Blue.  It's also executed in a 4x6 space.  I wanted to make it smaller.  It not only helps me keep things tight, but I think for composition and display purposes it would be suited better as a smaller piece. Enjoy!

"Cherry Blossom Buds and Blooms"
Colored Pencils (Prismacolor)
Canson Pastel Paper