Cactus Flower Lesson 8

Now that I have my shadows developing nicely, I want to give them another glaze of a nice dark Perylene Green.

This is a gorgeous color that looks like a pine green to me. It has a bit of warmth to it, and it glazes nicely.

Now the shadow areas really have some punch. Notice the soft edges where the cactus leaves have soft, flowing nooks and crannies. I have applied the Softened Edge Stroke to the areas where there is a clear edge and to the edges of cast shadows. If you hold it away from you, you will begin to see the illusion of depth and perspective! This also makes the flower heads really POP!

It is really important to step away from your work occasionally and get a fresh perspective. I like to take the piece and stand in front of a mirror, or set it up in a different room where I can get about 10 - 15 feet away from it. Sometimes I turn the piece upside down to get a fresh look at the composition and to see more objectively how the piece is coming together!