Bird of Paradise

My neighbor has an enormous bird of paradise plant whose colors are particularly striking on cloudy days like today. I have been eyeing this plant as I pass it but have hesitated to sketch it because its colors are so uneven and my present skill set for dealing with color transitions is still shaky. I’m glad I tried it and I see how I would work with the color a little differently next time that I sketch something like this.

This is a pencil and watercolor sketch.