"More Country Music" - original oil pastel portrait

This 5 x 7" oil pastel is one of two of this "pose".  The other is an oil on stretched canvas that's still in progress.  I really do love country music and am painting some of the views I've had while at rodeo dances.  Matter of fact, I also love rodeos and this past summer got some good sketches while at the rodeo in Junction, Texas.  Most of the work I did was of barrel racers, but also got some bronc rider sketches, as well.

This drawing is really kind of left "raw" and not as finished as it could be.  This approach is what I love about oil pastels.  It's such an immediate type of media and I love capturing "moments" with it and just going with my reaction to the model (whether posed or not). And when I'm through drawing, I have a piece that's loose and not overworked.  Overworking is something I tend to do.

"Country Music 2" was done on Ampersand Pastelbord with mostly Sennelier oil pastels, plus a few Neopastels and CrayPas Specialists providing assistance here and there. 

 I'm experimenting with framing these small oil pastels painted on Pastelbord using Econospace plastic spacers and deep rabbet frames.  (That's "rabbet" not "rabbit", 😄which refers to the depth of the frame.)  Finding a deep enough rabbet is difficult unless resorting to frames for canvas works, so that's what I'm doing

If you've never used Econospace, it's easy to use and I really like it, especially for smaller paintings and drawings.  Click here  to visit FrameTek to see Econospace.  The company also produces Framespace, which I think is good for larger pieces.

And thanks for stopping by!

 

"Experiments in Drawing" - drawings from life and a color experiment

Here are a few things from yesterday's drawing attempts.  The one at the top with all the colors was one I did using a Caran d'Ache set of Oliver Jeffers colored pencils from Jerry's Artarama.  There are 10 pencils in the set and they aren't really colors that I would necessarily associate with a portrait, but I decided to try using different colors than usual.  I LOVE the colors and I had such a good time with them even though I might have gone a bit over the edge.  

The ink drawings are two-minute life drawings and I don't really know what I was trying to do in the one on the left, but I look at it and smile.  I guess I was using too much water with the ink - my pen was an Itoya Calligraphy Doubleheader.  They are just great.  Not made anymore, I fear, because I have not been able to find them anywhere but Amazon, and they don't have many left, so I laid in a supply!  

For the rest of the art day, I painted two 7 x 5" two-stepper pieces in oil and left them alone until tomorrow to see if I still love them.  I guess so much for my watercolor Wednesday, but it will return one Wednesday soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

 

"A Quick Painting from a Life Sketch" - Life Sketch and Painting

 I did this quick little painting from the charcoal sketch of the model.  Initially I was going to do the whole thing which would include the chair the model was sitting in etc etc, but I ran out of interest and became involved in doing ink drawings of cowboys playing cards.  And possibly leading to trouble. 👀  

The painting is on 6 x 8" Canson mixed media paper.  Am anxious, though, to use my acrylics on Gessobord because I think I'll be more pleased with the brushstrokes.  This was interesting to do - next time I'll make color notes about skin, eye and hair color.  As always. so grateful to the models.   Thanks for stopping by my blog.

"Fiddling Around" - original oil pastel figurative drawing

I loved doing this very loose 7 x 5" oil pastel on Pastelbord - maybe because her activity (or lack thereof) is one of my favorites. 😊  This little piece is very raw - I didn't smooth anything and it's very much like the quickly done original pencil drawing I did while watching a girl at a table with her friends.  She was in her own world while the other girls chatted noisily.  I used lipsticky Sennelier oil pastels - what a joy they are to work with!  I guess I spent a teeny bit more time on her face and hair and allowed - particularly her left side - to just sort of 'happen'.  If you spend even a small amount of time on my blog, you know that's my favorite way to work.  Thanks so much for stopping by my studio!
 

"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!
 

Sketch of Janie - original oil pastel portrait drawing

 This loose drawing is one I copied from a more serious piece that I did in a life drawing group.  I was getting ready to send the first one to File 13, but gave it another life here.  I allowed myself maybe 10 minutes and went crazy.  Done on sanded pastel paper with mostly Sennelier and some Caran d'Ache and CrayPas Specialist oil pastels, it's about 7 x 10".  I never stop loving my oil pastels - more artists should try them - whether drawing or painting, they're up for anything!  Thanks for stopping by!

"Maiko #5 "- original oil pastel portrait

I did this painting with Caran d'Ache and Sennelier oil pastels on black mixed media 7 x 5" paper.  A maiko is a very young woman who is training to become a geisha. These young women have so much to learn of which every bit is fascinating to me.  I do get to draw from life a few Japanese models dressed as geishas and it is such a thrill!  I so enjoyed doing this one - thanks for stopping by!
 

"Zara in a Peasant Blouse" - original oil pastel figurative

More fun for me - a few minutes with this young woman and her colorful outfit.  The black lines that outline the figure are from a General Pencil Company Peel and Sketch charcoal pencil - I loosely filled in the drawing with Caran d'Ache and Sennelier oil pastels.  The paper is Stonehenge and is about 5 1/2 x 4 1/2".  This quick little drawing is a perfect illustration of why it's good to always have a few art supplies at hand.  You never know when something good will turn up!  I might not have used charcoal and oil pastel together in this case (although I have used this combination in other pieces) but it's what I had in my bag, so I just went with it.  I love spur-of-the-moment art!💖 Thanks for stopping by my blog!
 

"Loree" - original graphite portrait drawing of a woman

Although I love to draw with charcoal, occasionally I will use a graphite pencil to do a portrait.  I used HB and 2B on this one -  the support was Canson mixed media paper.  The paper is white although with my great photography, you wouldn't know it😞.  I also trimmed it to 8 x 4 3/8".  Thanks for stopping by!
 

Although I absolutely prefer working from life, this piece was done from my photo of this model.  It's on 10 x 8" Ampersand Pastelbord with mostly Sennelier oil pastels from their portrait collection as well as some Caran d'Ache oil pastels.  Thanks for looking - and Happy Thanksgiving!

Portrait of Laura - original charcoal portrait

 I was so lucky to see the exhibition "Degas at the Opera" when it was in Paris and while my model perused the catalog from that fabulous exhibition, I did a sketch of her.  This drawing was done using vine charcoal on Canson Mix Media 12 x 9" paper, 138 lb, so a good weight.  Would liked to have had more time for this drawing but was glad to have even this much - thank you for stopping by!  

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!

 

Silva's Attitude - original oil pastel portrait drawing

This young woman displayed lots of confidence and it was fun to try and get that attitude down on paper.  Good model - easy and pleasant to work with.  This was a quick drawing, with no "amendments" and although I did a larger one later, I felt this drawing captured her perfectly.  Drew
this on a Canson 6 x 8" mix media pad, which I love to carry around with me.  Fits in my purse - even a couple of my crossbody ones - and I can pull it out and draw anyplace, even with some water-soluble pencils, because it's pretty heavy paper.   Thanks for looking!
 

Tangled - original oil pastel portrait

This piece is one that I did on Strathmore acrylic paper using black acrylic paint and drawing/painting over it with oil pastel.  This is so rewarding for me - it looks like the model yet not exactly - she is my creation and the drawing is loose, just the way I like it!  Do y'all get this wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you do something you love?  Yes of course you do - that's why we spend hours alone with dirty hands maybe listening to music or audiobooks and in the end maybe aren't crazy about what we just finished, but sometimes . . . .😊. Thanks for stopping by!

 

The Model Napping - original oil pastel portrait drawing

 Such a relaxing pose for the model - she couldn't help nodding off - especially since there had been a couple of hard poses before this one.  This drawing helps me to blend my love of line with a painted part of the piece - there's always a dilemma regarding exactly how much to describe with paint vs. line drawing  and I could have crossed the line (pun) 😀with painting more of the hair.  If I'd done any more, I might have needed to go ahead and paint the whole piece.  Just one of those things you never know until you've actually done it - so I stopped - maybe 'quitting while I'm ahead'?  I don't know, just did.  This one is on Canson pastel paper on the rough side, which I didn't realize - just had that urge to grab the paper and get started.  Actually, though, it's done with Caran d'Ache Neocolor 1- which I love - and then a bit of "touching" with Caran d'Ache oil pastel.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

The Model in a Flowered Dress

 

 Her pose was captivating to me - kind of nonchalant.  And oh the dress - the print dress.  I loved it!  The drawing started with the gesture from life,  then I had to be content with a photograph.  Being such a line person, I did have fun with the arms and legs - didn't add finish at all to the legs, using lots of line segments.  The late Alex Powers, whose drawings I loved - said you're either a line or shape person and I totally agree.  I'm all in for line, especially loose, weighted lines and continuous line drawings.  I got some new pens today and was also eyeing my reed pens and thinking about getting out the ink.  Much fun ahead!  Thanks for stopping by and happy drawing!  PS. oil pastel on blue toned Strathmore mixed media paper, 12 x 9".

Coral Kimono - original oil pastel portrait of a maiko

 I (obviously) love painting maiko (apprentice geisha) and geisha.   Their culture and training fascinates me and I hope they don't fade away.  This painting is on Strathmore recycled paper bonded to museum board.  When I have the chance to draw a model in geisha costume, I make as many sketches as I can in the time allowed.  Thanks so much for looking!

Katie Looking Down - original charcoal and compressed pastel stick portrait drawing

 This paper, a Strathmore 400 cool gray mixed media sheet, is one of my favorites.  It is 100% recycled and contains kraft and bark fibers, which is perfect for my tree drawings, but I just wanted to use it for a portrait - crazy as it sounds.  Art is about experimentation, right?  You should really try this surface if you haven't already - got mine at Hobby Lobby - it takes all kinds of media and all kinds of punishment😄.  I matted this down to about 11 x 12".  After I finished the charcoal part of the drawing, I used some General Pencil Co. compressed pastel sticks for a little tint to her face.  These sticks are so useful and can be used for portrait drawings all by themselves.  They come in just about all the colors necessary for portraits.  Thanks for looking and happy drawing!

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!

Drawings from My Sketchbook - original charcoal drawings

I was experimenting mostly with different figures and portraits - and decided the drawing of the Aphrodite and the loose, informal charcoal lines was something I would repeat.  I think the contrast of the smooth sculpture with the sort of random vertical lines works.  Might be especially effective in, say, a drypoint etching.  All of the subjects are from some of my earlier drawings, except for the Praxiteles sculpture.  I used General charcoal pencils and white charcoal pencil.  I splurged and purchased a David Kassan Limited Edition Signature Drawing Kit from General Pencil and I love it!  All the drawing equipment I need in a sturdy wood box.  I've always liked kits and I really really like this one!  The paper here is Canson smooth side - I bought some discontinued tablets of the paper at Michael's for a nice price - I think it's just the store discontinuing and they are still being manufactured.  Hope so, anyway. Thanks for stopping by!