An orchid at Grethe and Diane's House

We sketchers were invited on Friday to Grethe and Diane's magnificent art filled home overlooking the water in Langley. With so many wonderful things to see and appreciate, it was a real challenge to pick just one to sketch, but this orchid sitting in the middle of the table in their kitchen caught my eye immediately. I KNOW its sublime color is totally NOT natural, but I was so taken with it anyway. Such blues, violets and deep purple, all in one flower, all in one petal. Its name is "Black Sapphire" and it is a Phalaenopsis Orchid. 

MOM"S ORCHID

Today I went quite crazy and joined a WHOLE BUNCH of "groups" on Flickr, most of them "One-A-Day" groups for sketching and sketch journals. I really feel the need to make myself do at least one GOOD sketch in a journal -- if not every day, then every couple of days. I spent some time looking at work posted on the various groups, and felt pretty encouraged and got some good ideas. My stuff is not so bad, I guess. Probably good solid B+ material compared to others. That's respectable. 

So this is the first one I did specifically as a journal entry, just to try out the styling and "get my feet wet".  I think, after looking at a LOT of really good sketchbook entries, that I am heading in the right direction. Since there are a LOT of people in the groups I joined, hopefully I will get some useful critiques and feedback. We'll see.