A Pomegranate and Paisley Lizard

This is a watercolor painting I made as a sketch for a jewelry box.

I bought a round box in the flea market; it was nice, but the painting was extremely ugly. This was, hands down, the ugliest painted wooden box I have ever seen.

I took it home and decided to repaint it. Choosing a subject was not difficult; I thought that a coiled  lizard would fit in very nicely. I love lizards. However I also love paisley and pomegranates and would like to have them on my box. 

A brilliant idea then came to my mind: I decided to make a lizard with paisley and pomegranate pattern. I made the sketch within about one hour. Of course, I can see many deficiencies in it, but this was my first attempt at drawing after about 18 years. It took me 15 minutes to get adjusted to the brush - I forgot the feeling completely. 

Unfortunately, I have not finished the box. I decided to paint it with acrylic paints but did not like the way they behaved. This was my first experience with these paints, and I did not expect them to give me so little flexibility in mixing and making smooth transitions, as well as very low tolerance for mistakes. Oil paints are so much more flexible, obedient, smooth and forgiving... I almost finished the lizard itself, but now I do not have the desire to finalize the whole project which is unfortunate. I do not like leaving unfinished work. I might force myself to finish it and give as a gift to someone not too discerning... to my daughter, for instance. She would be happy.

...As for more down to earth things, I have just washed eight pieces of vintage silk satin with ikat pattern (khan atlas), one by one, so that if the colors run on one of them, it does not spoil the others. Washed them by hands, and hung to dry. As a rule, this silk must be dry cleaned, and that is what we recommend, but I still wash it once before making something from it. If colors run, it will be my loss and I will just use it for something else... a kennel mat for the dog? has not happened yet, fortunately. When they dry, we will examine them and decide which ones will be used for pillows or blouses or tops. I will take a photo of them as a bundle if I do not forget - they are very beautiful.