Rocky Shoreline Series part 02

Rocky Shoreline 03

I could have called this series

 "experimenting with pastel paper" 

or "how ideas develop"

This example is on my favourite paper, 

a 1000 grit automotive sandpaper.

But back to the process......

Wandering around the shoreline 

I began to notice little quiet areas 

where the water gently swirled 

and you could see patterns

 through the clear water. 

I stood in the water

(up to my ankles)

and took many more photos,

(mostly guess work) 

as I couldn't really see

 through the tiny camera lens.

Back in the studio

I studied these, found

a few with interesting possibilities

and this is the result!

I surprised myself with the 

abstractness of the design 

and think it's an idea 

worth developing.

 

Rocky Shoreline Series part 01

In August you'll find most people 

enjoying sandy beaches 

 but I'm drawn to the shorelines

where water and rock meet dramatically.

This visit prompted 

(what inadvertently became)

a series of pastels 

looking more closely 

at that fascinating landscape.

This first example is a sketch on

 " Brown Recycled Rough Sketch Paper "

(Michaels Craft Store).

It doesn't lend itself to fussing around

but really grabs the pastel

so it's great for quick ideas. 

Rocky Shoreline 01

With a bird's eye view

I concentrated 

on the bold contrast

 of black rock

and foamy surf. 

On closer inspection

I needed my camera to capture

the interesting patterns of surf and rock.

(Couldn't do this without a digital camera)

as you can be free 

to snap and snap and snap again,

until you capture the moment!

Rocky Shoreline 02

This pastel was on a finer grained,

 toned pastel paper (smooth).

"Strathmore".

There is a subtle difference.

More opportunity 

to tune into the nuance

 of colour and tonal contrasts.

Monthly Challenge

Something different this week

working from someone elses's photo.

This is an interesting challenge...

it might take you out of you comfort zone

but I also find it easier to be objective.

Don's view of Lake Ontario

A secondary challenge 

comes from the medium itself.

Paints such as acrylics 

are very consistent in smoothness

whereas pastel can very widely.

Although I work with a variety of brands

I find the darks and deep blues 

to be quite gritty and hard.

It's much more difficult 

to get those luscious textures 

one usually associates with pastel.

Don's photo of Lake Ontario