Pastel Demo part 02

Step 02

Now the fun begins!

I block in the local colours 

like greens for trees and blues for water

but I use  stronger values than I intend to see at the end

This gives me somewhere to go.

In other versions I might use complementary colours 

as the under layer for an added glow.

Step 03

Believe it or not. .. the only thing I've done here is to soften/blend the colours.

Step 03a

It may seem obvious but always blend 

keeping in mind the texture of the sky,trees, water,etc.

I am very careful in the transition area 

between sky and trees or water and shadow. 

I like to see some soft edges in the final piece

so here's an opportunity to create them.

e.g Distant trees along the skyline.  

I circled my focal point 

as I usually pick one area in which to begin.

This sets the tone (level of detail) for the whole.

 

Jobes Woods Pastel

One of the spring sketches translated into pastel.

I think this is more successful than my last pastel, 
looser and better use of colour.
I used a smooth, toned, sketch paper.

Previous examples have been 
on various textured pastel papers 
which I find difficult.
I'm always fighting the textured surface....
which can be a distraction.

Experience must count for something 
so I shall persevere!!

Spring run off

At last... a sign of spring!

Spring Runoff  - Pastel

 

Lots of limestone out croppings on my favourite walking trail 

 force the spring melt through openings in the rocky face.

Spring Birches in Pastel

One idea often leads to another.

 My recent post of the back lit cedar grove

was an experiment in dark against light.

 This grove of young trees in early spring
was an opportunity to concentrate on light against dark.

Here the soft light filtering through the trees emphasizes 

the shadowing growth under and behind the light coloured
 birches.

This was the photo source. 

I liked the interesting patterns
 of delicate trunks and spring greens.

In the photo below 

I've high-lighted the patterns I wanted to use.

The vertical tree trunks create a gentle rhythm 

across the page

and that is echoed 

by the line of dark shadows.

Patterns in nature

I'm less interested in a literal rendering of the scene

but am attempting to capture a certain quality.

The photo of my pastel slightly distorts the colors, 

the overall effect less harsh in the red/ green contrast.

Revisiting a favourite painting location

Backlit Cedar Ridge in Pastel on Canson

Although I take hundreds of photos 

there are certain subjects 

which keep drawing me back.

Here is a re-visit to that group of old cedars 

(near the marsh) at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.

Inspired by Van Gogh

As the temperature hovers near freezing in southern Ontario,

 I'm organizing 

(in the coziness of the studio)

that huge stock of photos 

I've accumulated over the last few months.

This springtime snap reminded me of a Van Gogh oil....

It is the pattern of filtered light and dark shadows

 that drew me to the composition.

I thought I could make the dark trunk balance with the bright whites of the trilliums 

scattered in the shadows at the base of the tree.

Trilliums are most abundant  in the rich composted soil 

at the base of mature deciduous trees.
 

Pastel Study - Ferns and Rocks

In this example I revisit a study from 2012. 

In the original pencil crayon

 I explored the textural differences of rocks, grasses and ferns.

In the pastel I eliminated the grasses 

in order to concentrate on the contrast 

between feathery  ferns and angular rocks.

In the process I discovered 

(much to my surprise!)

that I could get transparency 

with a lighter touch 

and layering pastel colour.

Old Cedar Trees - Pastel

This group of old cedar trees were full of character 

and a good subject for studying colour 

in the landscape 

as well as light and shade.

I exaggerated the light areas

 in order to create interest across the picture plane

and used the pink, turquoise green contrast as a colour scheme.

I perhaps made the trees too evenly spaced - 

the arrangement of trees is more interesting in the photo.

Maybe next time!

Landscape Pastel - Exploring Colour

This experiment began with a trip to the art supply store.

I had been using a rather basic set of student colours and felt it was time upgrade!

Starting with a limited selection of Nupastel and Rembrandt colours, 
I chose some muted tones,

white, cream and flesh (light oxide red), 
warm and cool grays,soft blue, violet,
 an expanded range of greens (from turquoise to bluish green) 
and one pure green.

This selection was based on this scene I photographed one foggy morning.

A quick pastel sketch proved successful in establishing an interesting colour scheme.

The final picture was a joy to work on 

as good quality pastels are much easier to handle and allow layering of colour.

My photography skills are rather basic 

so some of the subtlety of colour is lost.

But it was a successful experiment 

in becoming more sensitive to the

"color in the landscape".

Pastels -Landscape Painting - a beginning

Here is an early example of experimenting with pastels....

I immediately felt an affinity with the media. 

One of the main attractions for using pastels
is the ability to softly blend colours.
Whether it's the summery beach scene illustrated below
or a cold blustery winter's day 

I'm looking forward to learning how effective pastels can be in capturing 
that illusive atmosphere.

Presquile beach in summer