Pen and Ink with a Little Watercolor

Nothing like the directness of a sketch done of the outdoors with the use of pen and ink.  It is challenging to get the variety of texture required to  show the various plants without blending them together into one solid unidentifiable mass.  This particular sketch was completed in late February before the desert was in full bloom.  I learned much about desert plants during my two months in southern Arizona, watching them plump up with moisture and prepare to blossom.  But, unfortunately, that was to be in April when I would be once again in northern Iowa.  Maybe some year I will be able to witness the desert in full bloom.