Poppy centres

I really like the way the camera took this pic - it's almost vignette with the flash!  Unfortunately, the painting isn't quite that good, but this illustrates well how lighting can create mood in a picture :)

I couldn't quite figure out where to paint next, so I decided to add the poopy poppy centres.  I thought that maybe by working on the dark centres, I might better see what else needs to be added to the petals. Mostly what I see is that I need to add more definition to the centres before I go further, but I might put in the background next.

There's a certain level of graphic design to this painting I think.  More so than the feel of lifelike reality that I am typically drawn towards.  I think that may be due to the lines in the painting.  I also don't think there are enough midtones - too much hard light/dark placements.  After I lay in the background, I will have to take a look and see if there's anything I can do about that.

As far as the background is concerned, I'm trying to decide how best to go about it.  The flower is very bright and warm with all the reds and yellows.  To make the background stay in the back, I will need to focus on opposite colour arrangements.  They will need to be dark and cool, with greens, purples, and blues.  Sounds like fun!!