shelley scraps

I just finished inking in! And yes, it's from Jack and the Beanstalk as many people soon spotted. This is the scene where Jack ignores his mother's pleading and ascends the beanstalk for the third and last time. The brooding clouds and tossed leaves are to suggest the trouble that lies ahead. Can you spot something unusual about those clouds?

It looks quite flat at the moment, but the clouds, drawn in thinned ink, will blend into the watercolour washes, while sharper colours on the beanstalk will pull out. Often half the lines blend in when I lay on colour, it's a problem I always have with my watercolour paintings, but I try to turn this to my advantage and use drawing to anchor washes and provide some tonal range without relying entirely on paint.