The Black Faced Sheep Strike Again

I have a small sketch book of painting ideas and other odds and ends. One of the doodles in there was of this image (below) - but Hawthornes, and each hand doing something a bit different in the branches above. I like the early spring feeling of this piece, and the sheep, but I feel the sketch book drawing had them more sheltered by the hands, and the hands more basket-like. So I might attempt this again with Hawthornes, and probably horizontal format.

18 x 24 inches, watercolor, ink, and a little pencil (mostly on the sheep).

The black faced sheep, including some of these individuals, showed up previously in a painting recently sold to a good friend in VA. That image is also below. You can no doubt see which sheep I borrowed…

I also borrowed some sheep from a book illustration I did (also below) - and I changed the sheep variety…