Another fun day, Heather! I think I'm hooked, and I'm sure I'll be collecting more supplies before I know it. As you know, I live in the Northwest region of the United States, where the columbine is native, including in my yard. I initially wanted to paint one of the flowers from my yard but changed my mind because I love the pointed columbine in your photo. I'm including pictures of the flowers in my yard because there are some real beauties that I plan to paint this year when they bloom.

I've found that pastels have been relatively easy for me to pick up in terms of techniques, and I truly believe that anyone who enjoys painting, coloring, or drawing can have fun with pastels.

I promised to tell you how the gloves in a bottle worked. I tried it today, and I'm pleased to say that my hands are no longer burning or itching like before, so it does help. While it doesn't protect my hands from the chalk as some claim, my main concern was to prevent my hands from drying out or breaking out.

I'm happy with how my columbine turned out, and I'm looking forward to the next animal pastel class you mentioned to Sowmya, that you plan in the future!

Collage of flowers from my yard spring 2024