First Thaw
A broad, curled dark leaf edged with white frost holds a long meltwater droplet in warm side light.
Small 640×360, Medium 1200×675
Finished editorial gouache illustration, 16:9 landscape, with expressive marker-like contours and broad opaque painted fills. One comically broad, squat winter leaf enters from the right on a short cropped stem, its curled tip pointing down toward the lower middle. The near-black leaf has an oversized brilliant-white frost rim made of a few chunky angular shapes, not intricate crystals. At its lowest tip, the frost thins into one absurdly elongated attached water droplet, dark inside with a bold white highlight. Low warm light from the left adds a narrow pale-amber edge to the frost and drop. Flat muted warm-gray background, generous uninterrupted breathing room across the left half. Asymmetric silhouette, slightly wobbly hand-drawn edges, minimal leaf detail, subtle dry-brush texture. Legible at thumbnail size; one subject and one moment, no inset or diagram. No people, no text, no logos or watermarks.
