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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