Last of the spring blooms

Another chilly day at my local park. I sat with a hot coffee and a warm buttered rock-cake, and sketched, while Harindra went off on his walk. Most of the spring blooms are gone now, aside from a bed of tulips,  

and a solitary tree covered in deep pink cherry blossoms. 

I painted the pink flowers, brown tones of the trunk and branches on location. Line work and shadows were added later, at home in front of the heater, while my fingers and toes thawed out. 

I also took the opportunity to test a new pen today - the Zebra Manga G fountain pen by Ackerman pens. I was intrigued by its flexible nib when it was initially reviewed by Shari Blaukopf. The Zebra Manga G nib gives quite a different sketching experience compared to the Sailor Fude and Lamy Safari I’ve used before. It takes a bit of getting used to though. I’ve only been using the pen for just over 2 weeks. I will do a more detailed review once I’ve had time to master sketching with it.