I started with an idea of magpies and magnolia flowers, but decided magpies are quite divisive, and maybe I should pick something cuter! I tried squirrels, but settled on long tailed tits, which are basically a ball of feathers with a long tail. 

On to the painting. It's quite tricky to work out what needs to go where, and I'm not really happy with the placement of the magnolias. One I think needs painting again. Next I'll work on the birds, then the stems and leaves.

One magnolia updated, 5 birds added. I wish I could paint more, but my south facing studio turns into an oven by 10am and paint is drying too fast.

A bit more progress, final bird added, main flowers finished, first stems and leaves painted. I'm still getting used to this paper (Baohong Masters cold press), it doesn't behave like my favourite, Fabriano Artistico.

Finished! I had to work out how to do the computer work using Affinity Photo, as I don't have photoshop. Eventually I got there, and I'm really happy with how my design turned out! Thank you Catherine for your very clear instructions,  I loved doing this class, and part 2, and will definitely continue using this method.