Leaving white space is tricky

I was planning to leave some parts of the fabric unpainted (except for bleed), but it is just so much fun to splash color on there, that I forgot. I did a pretty good job keeping the colors from going muddy on the first dying, but on the second I was not as careful. I think if that white space had been there, I'd have managed it. Maybe. I also got some dark smudges in my first dying, I think by having a big blob of pigment on my brush when I first started to paint. I'm not sure that's what did it, but I was more careful on the second go, and I think I didn't add any new smudges. So, I'm getting better at it, but still working.

I'm still happy with my diatoms. Nice little beasties.