Lee's Daughter - original oil pastel portrait drawing

This study of a young woman who posed ever so briefly was done on 7 x 5" carton board from Judson Art Outfitters or Amazon.  I love working on this stuff - give it a try.  Thanks for stopping by!

Portrait of Julee - original oil portrait painting

This was a fun thing to do - trying to keep it loose.  In order to do that, I painted the whole thing with a #14 Bright and then made sure not to fool with it when I got home - always my downfall.  This piece is on 6 x 6" Gessobord.  Thanks for looking!

WIP - Lexie's Reflection - original oil pastel figurative painting

I have some changes to make to this painting.  It's on 12 x 9" Art Spectrum Colourfix paper in aubergine.  Not sure about the mirror frame - may just do away with it since it's so close to the edge of the painting.  I seldom paint reflections, but couldn't resist giving it a try.  Thanks for looking!

Tiny Lia - original oil pastel portrait painting (ATC)

I am on an ACEO/ATC kick at the moment and have been using Caran d'Ache Neopastels instead of my usual Senneliers.  They are not as soft as the Senneliers and are easier to work with in such a small area without sharpening them.  See my post on my oil pastel blog.  I used a 3 1/2 x 2 1/2" piece of illustration board for this one - owing to my photography skills, it's a little warmer than in real life - will try tomorrow to get a photo in better light.  Thanks for looking!

Small Sanguine Portrait - original watermedia portrait sketch

Here's a small sanguine Caran d'Ache Neocolor II drawing I did around Thanksgiving.  I painted it on Yupo - I can't even explain why I love this surface so much. It just allows you to be expressive without fearing you'll break rules - brush this way, brush that way, take a pen and go hog wild.  It doesn't really matter.  Whatever happens, it's good - and fun, too. Neocolor II is the water-soluble version of Caran d'Ache's wax crayon - with the addition of  a little water, it just blossoms.  Very satisfying to use.  This portrait is about 7 x 6".  Got to get some sleep now, getting up early for exercise class early in the morning - have to get those Fitbit steps going!  Thanks for stopping by!

The Message - original oil pastel portrait sketch

Here's another sketch on the Mi-Teintes paper - this time it's done on a warm shade that inspired me to use plenty of blues in her skin to cool it down.  I'm a big fan of cools anyway, so I was glad to have an excuse.  This sketch is about 8 1/2 x 8 1/2".  Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Portrait Sketch of a Young Woman - original oil pastel portrait sketch

I just bought a pad of 9 x 12" Mi-Teintes pastel paper.  I love the textured side and did this sketch on one of the sheets of off-white - there are several colors in the pad - with Sennelier oil pastels.  Thanks for stopping by.

Jerri - original oil pastel portrait drawing

The past few days, I've been doing sort of stream of consciousness drawings and this is one of them.  It's probably not really a stream of consciousness drawing, but it is one that's not been analyzed to death.  Just drawn and done. On Strathmore 403 paper, it's about 8 x 9 1/2".  While I have a number of oil paintings in the works, I'm going to do more oil pastels and start using turps with some of my backgrounds, a practice from years ago that I've decided to revive.  My resolve may only last through one painting, but it's worth a try. My fingers get really tired from rubbing the backgrounds, especially on sanded surfaces, so I need a little help.  This could only work on board or oil paper, of course.
Jerri is such a good model and I have more drawings of her that may actually turn into paintings.  I'm always saying that and nothing comes of it.  And I don't think a drawing is made legitimate by becoming a painting - it's just that sometimes, things look good in oil paint.  I am especially interested in doing paintings that are also drawings for a good portion of the piece.  Too many times, I've covered up lines that I loved and then missed them.  Am going to try not to do that again.  Anyway, that's what I'm up to here at Hackberry Street Studio.  Glad you stopped by - thanks for listening!  Sold

Brenda - original oil pastel portrait drawing

I wish I'd had more time for this drawing, but  anyway, I loved working on this gray-blue Strathmore 403 oil pastel paper. I know - it looks tan, but that is just my pathetic photography.  My palette was very limited. It's about 9 x 9".  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cinda's Necklace - original oil pastel portrait drawing

The necklace that the model, Cinda, was wearing interested me.  I wanted to describe it, but not let it take over the drawing.  So, I just left everything understated - 7 x 5" on Pastelbord.  Thanks for stopping by!

Livy on a Sofa - original oil pastel figurative painting

A bit of fun on 8 x 10" Pastelbord - thanks so much for stopping by Hackberry Street Studio!

On My Easel- Portrait of Cynthia - original oil pastel portrait painting

Here's what I was working on today - not really through with it, though.  It's on 7 x 5" Pastelbord - will finish it sometime this week.  Thanks for looking!