Summer Quartet 8" X 8" Pastel on watercolor paper

                                                                               

 

As a change of pace I worked on a surface I haven't tried before. I used a sheet of watercolor paper and drew my design. I loosely painted it with watercolor to get the colors set. When dry, I coated the sheet with a clear gesso - just one coat - brushing my strokes in many different directions. When the gesso was dry I began with the pastel work.

I knew beforehand that the surface would be rough because of the gesso and the strokes going here and there, but it's always interesting to watch how it goes on. In some places I rubbed it into the grain with my finger. In other places I just let the pastel sit on the top (pressed in with my finger but not rubbed in.) It's a very textured piece, but I like that effect for this one. Oranges are rough, right?

The difficult  part was actually getting a photo that truly represented the painting. The heavy texture wanted to "sparkle" in the lens and getting the lighting correct was hard. Alas! I did my best.

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By Any Other Name 6" X 8" pastel on Wallis

                                                                               

I was taken with the light on these lovely roses. It created sparkles (reflections) on the glass vase which were fun to try and capture. Roses are complex little things. Sometimes, the artist gets lost in the maze of petals encircling the center. It seems that each individual petal has its own pattern of values which is not repeated by other petals. Therefore, you have to evaluate each one pretty much separately. When you finish you know you've been working hard.

Technical Note:

The background of this painting was done with Maggie Price's pastel set of "Essential Grays." It was the first time I had used them, and what a treat it was! There are six shades of grays - tan, blue, purple, brown, gray and tan. Each color has five different values. The colors are perfect for creating a neutral area to showcase the other areas of color. In the above photo you can see I scumbled a little gold and orange into the mix to carry the colors of the roses throughout the piece.

Thank you to all those that contacted me on my blog or by email regarding my last post about finding ways to lay down oil paint so that it flows smoothly. One response that came in by email suggested to use a small amount of linseed oil to wipe on the surface of the canvas or canvas board  before paint is applied. It makes absolute sense to me since you will be applying oil paint on top of it. Am anxious to try it.