Summer Skies 02

In this example

 I'm experimenting

 with a brilliant orange

 underpainting.

 

Sharbot Sunrise Step 01

 

 I've used UArt sanded paper.

The surface allows

 you to use a wet under painting.

 

Sharbot Sunrise Step 02

Because pastel

 is an opaque medium

 most of the under painting

 will disappear.

It will show through 

here and there 

giving  warmth 

to the overall 

composition.

.

Sharbot Sunrise Final

A variety of pastels

the usual suspects....

Unison, Richeson Sennelier, Rembrandt.!

 

Summer Skies 01

As October colour gives way

 to November's

gray and gloomy skies, 

I'm looking back to summer

for a series

 based my on my earlier 

sky photos and sketches.

This first was an August morning 

that started overcast and moody.

But as the sun warmed the air

 over the lake

dramatic clouds 

gave way to a brilliant sun. 

Loughborough Lake

I used Uart sanded paper

as I wanted to build up 

 layers of subtle colour 

 and cloudy textures....

not very visible in the photo!

October Colour

A few outdoor sketches

celebrating fall colour.

Again working with pastel pencils

and a limited palette.....

trying to simplify the equipment!

 

September at the Lake

Three sketches 

from our most recent trip 

to the lake.

Experimenting with pastel pencils

as they are more portable 

and not as fragile as soft pastels.

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

 

En Plein Air Sketch - Leslie Snider

Sketching and Fishing

Summer Sketch 

- plein air pastel - 

-husband fishing -

- me sketching!-

What more can I say?

Buck Lake Fishing Spot

Working with a limited palette

"Brown Recycled Rough Sketch" paper and  a limited palette.

Calm Waters

After the vibrancy of autumn colours,

 it's time for a more reflective mood!

The Bonnechere River 

in the provincial park of the same name 

provides canoeing opportunities 

for less adventurous  paddler 

such as myself. 

Although a quiet meandering stream

 it still offers great opportunities 

for both pictuesque 

and surprising vistas.

Here's just one!

Calm Waters Leslie Snider 2016

Reference photos

Capturing a Mood

October seems to have disappeared rather quickly 

 with rapid changes in the weather 

from warm and balmy to cool and crisp.

The fall colours were late....my favourite maple

 peaking a few days after Thanksgiving 

rather than on the holiday 

as I've come to expect.

Autumn Pastel 2016 Leslie Snider

In this first pastel, 

I'm trying to capture 

the illusive early days of fall

where the light is soft 

and colours are just beginning to  change.

Autumn Pastel 2016 Leslie Snider

 In this second pastel 

the light is bright and sharp,

the leaf colours at their most intense.

Summer Skies

Two approaches to the same sky.

 

In this first

 I used the purity of pastel

to capture the contrasts 

of wispy clouds

 and the sparkling water of a summer day

on  Presqui'le Bay

This second is a charcoal sketch of the same sky.

The moody grays 

and more aggressive strokes 

contribute to a completely different feeling.

 

 

Summer Textures