Winter dogwood branch - 3

The silvery branch is growing steady but sure on my paper.  I am nearing the home stretch!  I'm a bit disappointed with the quality of the photos that I'm taking of this drawing.  There must be a trick to capturing the subtleties of graphite in a photograph, but I don't know it.  Ah well, you will just have to imagine the steely gray bark, as smooth as you might expect on a young branch.  There are shiny dark brown patches in places, as layers of new bark grow over the old.  Scuffs and cracks and broken off stems reveal the harsh reality of living out in Nature. And the giveaway clue for tree identification -- those beautiful fuzzy gray buds at every tip, waiting.  Right now the branch is floating on the paper, but the next time you see it, I will have grounded it with a cast shaddow.  Until then, enjoy!