Nelda in watercolor - original watercolor portrait sketch

Here's a little fooling around sketch done with watercolor on Yupo.  I may finish it later - or maybe not, and just move on to something else.  Am currently working on a watercolor nude and having lots of fun with that.  This sketch is about 10 x 8".  Thanks for looking!

On My Easel - Tango Portrait - original oil pastel portraits in progress

I started work on this one today and will let it dry for a few days, then come back and see where this little couple takes me.  When I look at it, I see all the things I should fix and some things that I can't fix without completely redoing it.  Arghhh - I tear my hair!  Well, not actually, but I feel like it.  This is done on 9 x 12" Pastelbord.  One of the nice things about Ampersand Pastelbord is that oil pastel gets pretty dry on it, so when I really load the support with oil pastel, it works to dry the pastel a little, so that I can work on it again.  I really appreciate your stopping by my blog - thanks so much!

Sweet Thing - original charcoal portrait drawing w/touches of sanguine

Just got some new drawing papers - I'm a paper fiend - I love all kinds of paper!  And this is one of the pieces - it's Stonehenge, one of my very favorite manufacturers.  This kraft color is new for me.  I also got light blue - drool - plus some of my usual colors.  This drawing is about 14 x 10".  Thanks so much for stopping by and please visit my oil pastel blog.

Chess Players - original oil pastel portrait drawing

Not being much of a chess player myself, I was totally absorbed in the expressions of the players and since I only had them for a little while, they were my focus.  As for the chess pieces, they were on their own, plus, they kept moving!  Go figure. 
Sorry for not posting more often, but it's that time of year - today it was my Lizzano tomatoes, which I'm actually growing in pots where the deer could get them, but I've wrapped them in netting.  That's a huge pain, but an absolute must in this area. 
Okay, back to art - this drawing from life was done with mostly Sennelier oil pastels on light green Mi-Teintes board, 16 x 20".  If you haven't tried this surface, you should really check it out.  It's the textured side of Mi-Teintes paper, but in board form.  I think this surface helps to keep drawings loose, because it's tough and time-consuming to work in a tight manner on this board.  My opinion, anyway.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

On My Easel - oil pastel portrait sketch of Cindy in progress

 I don't know if I'll "finish" this one, or if it's already finished, but I'm just not inclined to work on it any further - will begin something else, instead.  The lines please me and I don't want to cover them up.  I'm having lots of company right now, so I'll probably concentrate on drawings for another week or so.  It's just so easy to pick up where you left off with a drawing - no messiness to it.  Unless you count the charcoal that I somehow get all over my face.  This piece is oil pastel on Mi-Teintes board, 11 x 12".  Thanks for looking!

The Participant - original quick portrait sketch from life

This young woman was a participant in a life drawing group I attended recently and I did this little sketch while the model was getting into the next pose.   My subject would have made a fantastic model!  She had a beautiful face that reminded me of a Renaissance painting and it would have been great to sketch her when she turned her head my way, but she seldom did, so I have to rely on memory.  That's one of the things I love about life drawing groups, it's always so relaxed, and between poses, there are people sketching the other attendees, the room, the easels, you name it!  It's a life drawer's fantasy.  I drew her with vine charcoal on 12 x 9" Strathmore drawing paper.  Thanks for stopping by!

Sketch of 'Chele - original charcoal portrait drawing

This quick drawing - on 14 x 11" Strathmore drawing paper - is just one of those satisfying things because when you don't have much time to draw and the result looks like the person - well, that's where the satisfying part comes in.  Of course, I could change this or that, but I think it's more valuable when you can see the hand of the artist and see what was going on at the time artist did his or her work.  Thank you so much for stopping by Hackberry Street Studio! Sold

Tiny Little Portrait - original oil pastel portrait painting

This little portrait is done on 3.5 x 2.5" heavy paper (pastel-colored illustration board) and was a real challenge to do with unsharpened oil pastels.  Although it's a little more difficult to do, I like the looseness that the dull point gives.
As a dog lover (see my Able Assistant at right), I've been listening to a Chet and Bernie mystery
Dog On It and loving it.  Chet (the dog) makes so many funny comments about humans that I look at Roger and think to myself  'is that what he's thinking when he looks at me?' - such a fun book!  As soon as I finish this one, I'll begin another one in the series. 
Thanks so much for stopping by Hackberry Street Studio!

Emily - original oil pastel portrait sketch

I haven't posted in ages, because of internet problems - finally, though, it seems everything's cleared up (but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed!). 
This oil pastel is on deep black Art Spectrum Colourfix paper (12 x 9" - but the image is about 9 1/2 x 8" and because I was obsessed with her curly hair, I put it a little farther down on the page than usual to make sure I could draw all those curls.   
For some reason, I'm doing lots of oil pastels these days and trying different supports for them.   Love these experiments - you just never know when one of them is going to be successful and it does happen now and then.
It's a little bit cooler here in Texas, but just as dry and we're thinking a lot about the folks around Bastrop and all they're going through with the fires there.  We had some fires in the last week here in Kimble County, but because of all the hard work done by our dedicated firefighters, we seem to be doing okay at the moment.  Thanks guys!
Thanks so much for stopping by - great seeing you here!  PS - to see more of my oil pastels, please visit my oil pastel blog.

More Drawing Exercises - original charcoal portrait sketches

On these hot, steamy summer nights (91 degrees at 10:30 p.m.), I plunk myself down in front of the TV and draw whatever's in front of me.  These old library book cards were around because I had thought of doing something with them - maybe not drawing - but they're a portable size, so they were pressed into service.  Since the actors are moving around, the resulting sketch uses a lot of memory drawing, which is good training, I think.  Sometmes, the sketches end up with different eyes or noses or mouths from the "models" onscreen.  I just "borrow" the next person's feature and plug it into my drawing.  So, they're not anybody, but a combination of several faces.  I have dozens of these practice pieces - here are a few. 

Thanks so much for stopping by Hackberry Street Studio! Sold

The Print Shirt - original pencil portrait drawing

This 13 x 10" drawing began life as a pose taken by the little girl, but then I realized the futility of having a youngster try and hold a pose for a long time, so I took a picture of her and mostly drew from that.  Drawing from life has its limits when dealing with children.  Actually, I don't think I could hold a pose for any length of time.  I cringe when the model doesn't show and we have to take turns posing.  Just like waiting to give a book report in middle school, I always hope the session will end before I must take my turn.  This is on wonderful Stonehenge white paper and instead of using charcoal, as I usually do, it's done with a graphite pencil.  Pencil just has a sort of softness that I like for children.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Sold

Straw Hat - original oil pastel portrait sketch

This was a really strange straw hat that the model was wearing - sort of flat all over.  I would love to go back to the days of wearing hats.  They're such a great finish to an outfit and are SO romantic - like all the women in hats at the recent royal wedding. 
This sketch is on 12 x 9" Colourfix black paper.  Thanks for stopping by!

Tiny Doodles - original mixed media Artists' Trading Cards

Here are a few of the little 3.5 x 2.5" things I do when I'm traveling or don't have time to do anything larger.  Some of these are mainly oil pastel, others are mostly colored pencil, but they are all mixed media. 
Right now, I'm trying to keep up with a wildfire that's burning about ten miles from us.  Many of the residents west of town were evacuated from their homes - much worry tonight, but hoping for the best for everybody!
Thanks for stopping by!

Sketch of Marie - original pastel portrait drawing

I adore working with black and white and I especially enjoyed drawing Marie using General Pencil Co.'s black, grey and white pastels.  The sticks are very thin - not like regular pastels.  They're sold as  a set of four - one black, two greys and one white and the greys have a warm tone to them that I find charming. They've been around awhile and I've used them occasionally, but have never done an entire drawing with them.  The next time I'm at Hobby Lobby, I'll be stocking up on these - I love them!
The paper I used is Borden and Riley sketch vellum, 12 x 9".   Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

The Art Student - original charcoal portrait sketch

Today I attended a lecture where I was able to sketch this young art student as she listened intently to the speaker.  Her concentration was amazing.  She wasn't aware I was sketching her, but when I showed it to her, she absolutely loved it.  I'm always pleased - no, actually, thrilled - when the subject thinks it looks like them!  This drawing was done on 6 x 6" Strathmore smooth Bristol board paper with General's Primo charcoal pencils.  Thanks so much for stopping by Hackberry Street Studio!
Check out my other blog.

On My Easel - watercolor portrait experiment

After I finished painting today, I decided to get out my pan watercolors and try painting from a drawing.  Not too experienced in watercolor, I ended up spilling the little pans all over the floor and didn't remember where each was supposed to go.  The reds and yellows were easy, but the darks - each time I dipped my brush in a dark, the color was a complete surprise.  Never did find cerulean, but I know it's there somewhere.  This is on 11 x 14" Yupo, which seems to be a lot like painting on gesso or white gouache in the lifting technique - although I didn't really do much lifting.  It was fun and I'm thinking of using it with my ink markers in dancer drawings.  Thanks so much for looking!

Sketch of Penny - original oil pastel portrait sketch by Connie Chadwell

This portrait sketch was done quickly from a live model.  The pose would normally be a very tough one to hold, but she rested her head lightly against the wall - which to my eyes, resulted in a charming, wistful look. Today I posted on The Oil Pastel Review another oil pastel.  It's also a portrait, with the title "Sketch Chronology".  I hope you will check it out!

"Sketch of Penny" is painted on 11 x 14" Strathmore 403 oil pastel paper.
Thank you for visiting Hackberry Street Studio - hope to see you here again!  PS - Sorry, subscribers, I had to correct the size of the painting.  Hope you didn't get more than one notification.

K's Necklace - original oil pastel portrait sketch by Connie Chadwell

I can't believe I haven't posted in ten days! There's been a lot going on, plus I had some issues with my laptop, so couldn't transfer photos of my artwork.  But I'm back!

This drawing was done from life - great model - really loved drawing this one.  It's 14 x 11" on Strathmore oil pastel paper.  Thanks for stopping by! Collection of the Model.

The Spanish Dancer - original oil pastel portrait sketch by Connie Chadwell

She does flamenco dancing, and she looks like she could be from Spain, but the model - Laurie - is actually of Irish ancestry.  I hope Laurie sticks around; she's really a wonderful model and it's so hard to find good ones.

This quick little painting is oil pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, 10 x 8", and was a pleasure to do.  The Pastelbord is so forgiving and after the oil pastel is dry, easy to frame, as well.  Oil pastel performs beautifully on so many surfaces and I love almost all, the exception being canvas.  Although many oil pastel painters like to work on canvas, I'm not one of them.  It just never works for me and there are so many wonderful papers, plus Pastelbord, that finding a great surface for oil pastel is easy.

I really could go on and on about the joys of oil pastel, but it's getting late, so I'll save that for another post.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Sold

Ellie as the Model - original oil portrait painting by Connie Chadwell.

You know how sometimes the model doesn't show? And the drawing group participants have to take turns being the model? I hate that. Sigh. Oh well, I always dutifully take my turn - even though it's not my favorite thing to do - and the bright side is that you get a variety of models in one session. Here's the result of one of those poses. I worked very fast on a 7 x 5" panel. Thanks so much for visiting my blog!