Work in Progress: Dancing Tulip III, and the Start of a New Rose Painting

I took a break from the yellow rose painting so that I can go back to it later with a fresh eye, and worked a little more on one of my tulip paintings, mostly painting the various pedal shapes with shades of magenta and rose colors. It's going very slowly, since I am trying to get more control on rough paper -- lifting is hard so I am trying to be more careful with each application. Working in a more defined color scheme -- magenta red vs. yellow green -- makes me more confident about how it would finally turn out. I think I am definitely learning to plan ahead on colors after the numerous trials and errors for the yellow rose...

Dancing Tulip III,  Watercolor on Arches 140# Rough Press Paper , 7"h x 5"w, WIP 2

I've also started another rose painting, this time in a red vs. blue-green color scheme. I thought I'd paint the pedals with glazes of red to gradually reach the color depth, while in the mean time retaining more control of where I want each tint of color to go. But I want to do wet-in-wet in the background leaves to achieve a more out-of-focus look as contrast to the main flower. I painted one pedal to almost completion first, and then the rest are just first washes. I want to develop the whole flower to the same stage of completion, not finish pedal by pedal, but I do want to have at least one in place so that I can compare the other ones to it to decide whether the intensity and value of colors need more work at each stage... We'll see how it goes. Again, this is on soft Lanaquarelle #140 Cold Press paper, so I have to be very careful with glazes, not to saturate the paper with pigment too fast, not to leave a darker, shiny reflective ring at the edge of each wash... Hopefully I've learned these lessons in my last painting. Now let's see if I could avoid making the same mistake a second time... 

Summer Wakening,  

Watercolor on Lanaquarelle 140# Cold Press Press Paper , 10"h x 8"w, WIP 1