RSN Silk Shading: First large petal finished

This flower may be "white' but there are lots of threads in the stitch that are NOT white. I've used various greys, violets, a light clay color, and a bit of grey-green to achieve the shading in the largest petal. Here's a photo of my work in progress - look at all those needles! Analysing the colors in the photo and finding the right thread is so interesting! Kelly taught me a trick to make sure I was using the correct color: take one strand of the color you think will be right and hold it about 4 inches away from the place in the photo where you plan to use that color. If the thread "disappears" into the photo, it's the right color.It's really important to have the photo close at hand all the time so that you can refer to it constantly. As Kelley said "If you don't see it, don't stitch it." Below is a close up where you can see all the different colors/shades of thread that I've used. Another thing that's super important is to stand up, move away from your stitching and look at it from a distance. It will look quite different and you may find you need to adjust the colors you're using.One other thing I've noticed is that the kind of light I use makes a BIG difference in how the colors and shades of thread look as I stitch. When I stitch in the evening I sometimes use a high intensity light with an LED bulb. Other times I used my magnifying lamp which has daylight bulbs. Below, you can see two photos, the one on the left taken when I was using the  magnifier with daylight bulbs and the one on the right when I was using the high intensity light with an LED bulb.The daylight lamp make the threads look a bit less shiny than the LED light to me. The whites seem to glow less and the other colors seem to be more the same intensity as the white. The LED light, on the other hand, makes the white pop and the other threads recede a bit more. The best light for observing my work is during the daytime in natural light. However, my employer would frown on me explaining that I needed to stay home so I could see my stitching in the best possible light. Really, does that show any understanding?!