My project for course: Creation of Color Palettes with Watercolor

I used only a few complementary and split complementary colors from my personal color palette, since I wanted to focus on just a few blooms with a darker background. I drew only a handful of blooms compared to the many flowers in the original photograph. The final piece was the fourth version that I started - I kept simplifying each one, realizing that it would take longer than I wanted to complete them. I wanted to capture the magical feel of the flowers in a summer night, with soft moonlight and dark sky. I am going to photograph and sketch real dahlias from life, so I have a better understanding of how the petals fit together, and the shapes are shaded in the lighting conditions I wanted. I experimented with different color wash techniques for the background, including using salt and spattering white paint. Not really happy with the outcome - the colors feel dark and muddy, although there are some parts that I like, such as some of the petal details. I will practice in my paint sketchbook until I am more satisfied with the results, and then try the idea again.