If In Doubt, Get The Black Out...

One of my recent collages was a bit light; too 'pretty' - too representational and the colours weren't right.
I happened to be using black paint to produce some simple textured prints to collage with - and decided to slap on the leftover black with a roller - see how it goes - can't be worse...can it?:
   Now:

   Originally:

I tried a few extra touches of found paper collage; a photo of a blue leather handbag (similar texture to the rollered ink on the watercolour paper). This resurrected colour just a little, allowing it to stand up to the black.

Looking at them now - reduced by photography to thumbnails - it appears to me that the top left is the more successful section..?:

It's the abstraction, I reckon. 

Figurative elements are simply too attention-seeking - shouting "Hey, look at me, I'm a flower!" Whereas, take those shapes away (ignore the noisy ones) and it allows the process, techniques, shapes and colour to be equals. Funny, eh?

Interesting. 

Anyway - off to sleepy-byes for me...