Last Page in a Sketchbook

watercolor, acrylic, ink in Moleskine sketchbook

This sketch started out as a plan for a collage. I have an illustration board prepared, and I've gotten the papers ready, but I realized that I needed to understand what I planned to do with this complicated shape. I played and played, and finally I realized I had to just step away from the whole thing. Maybe I need a closeup, something that isn't as confusing as all the droopy branches in this plant. I'll try again later this week.
I like the plant, when I'm not trying to draw or paint it. The Christmas cactus (Zygocactus) is originally from South American jungles. Unlike a true cactus, this plant cannot go very long without water. It loves our glassed in porch with its bright indirect light and cool temperature. I read that the Christmas cactus likes temperatures around 55 degrees at night in order for it to bloom, so the porch is perfect. I trimmed some of the bracts off last spring and just popped them into outdoor planters. They rooted and grew, though none of the cuttings is blooming yet. The plant does best with well drained soil, and when it is established and rootbound.

On another note, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I have lunch with some retired teacher friends, pick up a framed painting that I want to give as a gift, and get my Mac back from the shop. It has been gone for over a week, and I've been using my husband's computer. I can't wait to get my files and my playlist back home. I'm guessing he can't wait to get me off his machine.