"Sketch of Marilee"

Here's a 7 x 5" Pastelbord sketch of the model Marilee that I did using Caran d'Ache pastel pencils.  I do love this medium  - the only problem for me with soft pastels is the framing.  And I really really love to work with the pencil version!  We didn't have as much time as I would have liked, but that's always my complaint and I think "not having enough time" pushes us to work faster, which is good practice.  Anyway, it was fun drawing her and I appreciate your stopping by my blog!
 

Clara's Hat - original oil pastel portrait

I used a rather casual approach to this little piece which always seems to be my best option. Loose and inexact makes me so happy - not just in what I do but in most all artwork.  Her pose was perfect as a design, I thought, so I kept her over on the side.   My tools were Sennelier oil pastels on 7 x 5" Ampersand Pastelbord.  Much fun.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

A Maiko in Pink and Green - original oil pastel portrait

 My all time favorite combination -  pink and green - Yum!  IMHO you can't have one without the other.  I'm continuing my obsession with maikos and geishas and their costumes - all of which have meaning rooted deep in their history.  I really hate seeing the geisha numbers dwindle, but of course, Japanese women have many more options now, which is a very good thing. 

This 5 x 7" piece is done on the ever wonderful Pastelbord (made right here in Texas) and painted using nearly all Sennelier oil pastels, with a few Caran d'Ache Neopastels and CrayPas Specialists.  My oil pastels aren't sharpened because I fear killing my art with overworking, but I'm kind of rethinking that approach because maybe a little sharpening would make life easier.  For now though, I use some Eye-Tees, those make-up things that resemble Q-tips, but have a very sharp point on one end for doing a little smoothing so they aren't too raw.  Perhaps a combination of sharpening and smoothing will be my new technique.

For exciting paintings that have lots of texture check out Victor Wang.  I love his work!

Thanks for stopping by - have a great day and happy art-making for all you artists out there!

Woman with a Fan - original oil pastel portrait painting

Here's one that I'm trying before painting the same pose in oil.  I'm pretty happy with it. A problem arises though, when I don't get the same feeling in the oil painting that I have in the original drawing - plus no more model.  I think there's just something spontaneous that happens in a drawing group but when I'm back in the studio, it's tough to reconstruct the emotion.  The artist's reaction to the live model is what painting from life is all about, I think (when it's not a commission and must look exactly like your subject).  And even with commissions, there's a bit of the artist's reaction, as well.  Hey, I think I just figured it out - I'm going to stop with this one since I'm happy with it.  See what talking it out can do? 😌  This piece was done on 7 x 5" Pastelbord using mostly Sennelier, with some Caran d'Ache, too.  Thanks so much for stopping by (and listening)!  

Floating Nude - original oil pastel nude

I loved the pose and painted it on 5 x 7" Pastelbord using Sennelier oil pastels.  This brand of oil pastels is like painting/drawing with a luscious lipstick, plus by not sharpening to a point, I feel it keeps my work from being too tight.  It seems that when I touch the surface with the blunt, unsharpened oil pastel, it's anybody's guess where it will land 😀 and that often works out well, I think!
When I looked at this piece later in the day, I realized I hadn't fully covered the bottom with the red rug and decided it looked like she was floating - sooo "Floating Nude" it was.  Thanks for stopping by!