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edit:  after the epic frustration with the pastel version of this, I elected for a redo with watercolor marker. It is a bit more stylize, but I really am much happier with the out come. It was a very cute bee!

 

 

This drawing has ben a serious struggle. I was trying to do more layering with the pastels and ended up over doing it >.< After a while the paper just wouldn’t hold another layer. I ended up using a brush to take off layers because the whole thing was starting to look caked with pastel. I this point I decided to just spray it with fixative and move on. It it the worst thing I have ever drawn? no, but did work like I wanted? nope.

 

Apparently I’m still feeling the summer in Wisconsin vibe for subject matter as I experiment more with these pencils. it is quickly has become apparent, that you use a LOT of pencil for even some small pictures. With watercolour pencils adding water really extends the pigmented surface area. I also often leave large portions of paper white with water colours, not really and option with the smudging of pastel.

So this has now led me to ordering soft pastels, for larger background color areas, with the idea that the pastel pencils will be for more detail work… and more paper, and fixative, and more blurring tools (I was just using my fingers).

 

 

I was given a set of pastel color pencils for Christmas this year from my older brother. I have been trying to get the hang of them, I have previously done a few things with oil pastels, but not pastel pencils.

The fruit bowl and fish were real struggles as I hadn’t realized how  much the pencils would smudge. A little happier with the bull frog but still working on keeping my whites bright. I also need to go buy a fixative ASAP!

Nothing this is year painting wise, but I was excited to have some mugs and prints made on Shutterfly! I was really happy with how the colors came out.

After our trip to Hawaii I have had a bit of dry spell with painting. Its been a combination of family and very high maintenance new puppy. Yesterday I went to several galleries as part of small business Saturday, and while I did buy a paper collage, and some pottery for gifts, I came home with an itch  to paint like I haven’t felt in ages  ^_^

I have a couple “to do” paintings on my list, however I decided to ignore all of them and just have some fun.. I was inspired by this stained glass gallery we went to here in town, and of course used one of my favorite subjects – sea creatures.

 

Of course my own silly clown fish had to be part of it.

 

A small watercolour of  a humming bird moth visiting our bird of paradise plant

I have been a rather delinquent about updates, but here are some from this fall. I was lucky enough to go on a family trip to Oahu. Its impossible not to be inspired by the plants and animals there. I didn’t have a lot of time for painting but here are some of what I did at the hotel.

Plumeria

 

Heliconia spp.

 

View from long north coast

and finally some fish. I really loved the snorkeling, and I am sure more fish paintings are coming now that I am home.

Definitely feeling a little rusty, but keeping just keeping it small for this weekend ^_^

Definitely been struggling to find energy and time for painting this last month ^_^ the images above from today, trying a wet on wet technique after a visit to Lake Patagonia State Park.

The small hummingbird below was a card for a close family friend.

Again going for something a little more graphic than exact, working from imagination ^_^