WIP: Elk

This is the WIP for the Elk. In order to depict the massive rack, I wanted to do this on the largest surface I had in the studio. So, I used my only 18" x 24" pastelbord (gray). If I had something larger, I would have used it. I've found I like to work large when working on animals...maybe it's because I prefer to stand when using charcoal and pastel, maybe it's because the nature of the subject warrants to me really get in the fur without getting bogged down with the detail. 

On the other hand, the colored pencils are the opposite. I prefer to sit down, work smaller (for now), and concentrate on the details.

So let's get back to the elk...I've added captions to each step. I guess I didn't take a picture of the drawing, but my favorite step is below...right after I've drawn in the subject, and I pick up the first and second color. It's just magic. :)

Blocking in the elk and background...

  Adding detail...

  Here's a good photo of the easel and reference photo. Not the best placement for the photo, but I haven't figured how to affix the references without looking away from my easel.

  Working on the horns a little more...

  Softening the horns further away, working on the chin contour, correcting the ear

WIP: Domestic Longhair Cat

I know...I'm obsessed with taking progress photos. But really, it's more for me than you. Looking at the photo after I take it helps me see the big picture so I can easily see where I am and what I need to correct.
It's sort of like blurring your eyes to see the values, or walking far away to look back at your work in progress.

Plus, it gives me more information to post...because I am not that verbose (but I can impress you with my vocabulary).

So, the first step...sorta. I used vine charcoal and the yellow at the same time to block in the darks and lights. The background was the next step. I'm trying to REMEMBER that backgrounds are as important to the painting as the rest of it. I can't pretend it was that hard here...there's not that much background.

 

Adding green and pops of yellow to the background, but keeping it blurry.

 

 Adding white, black, orange and light purple/lavendar.

 

Smoothing out areas and adding detail to others...

 

Filling out the face, adding whiskers...and repeating the dance of smoothing out areas and adding detail to others.

 

Add a few more black and brown areas to the face. Added more lavendar to the bottom right to balance this color with the top left. Cropped the painting to how I think I will frame it (minus the tape on the bottom and right).

Goat WIP

After I completed the donkey, I started to do this guy...and was asked by a few people to do it in pastel. OK...I hit a few bumps in the road since I haven't really worked a lot with pastel. This was my first pastel animal (before the Alaskan Malamute).

I was working on two photos, but not on purpose. My reference was the black and white copy at the top. I realized I needed to go back to my photos and print out a color copy to work with pastels. The photo I chose wasn't a perfect match, but I went with it anyway. (Not to self...delete the reference photos you decide NOT to use...or...don't take so many photographs!)

Basically, blocking in color...but I guess I didn't use a lot of charcoal in the beginning of this one.

Here's a close up.
 

Adding more to the nose and face...note the lavendar/purple?

Working on the head and fur a little bit....and background still hasn't been started! (There should be warning sounds here...) 

Because, what was a I thinking? I wanted to add a little more color to the background, I guess, but it wasn't working. I should have stayed with the photo reference, but being used to close ups and values with charcoal, backgrounds could be abstract. That's what I was going for, but my attempt to add color didn't work at first. The goat started to recede and not pop out as much.

(*Cringe...*)

Starting to blend the background. There are certain colors that will be banned from my pastels...Olive green is one of them...

I decided to stop here for a while and even signed it, thinking that it would grow on me and that maybe, it was the goat that I wasn't fond of. Maybe it was the subject matter after all...

Except it wasn't. I like goats. I think they're cute, so...

After I finished the malamute and went to the pastel class, I thought that maybe I overworked the goat. That I blended too much.

Part of what I love most about pastels is the texture that you can SEE. Some pastel artists do blend and create beautiful paintings. I love them! But...I want to go another way. I want to see the strokes of the pastel stick. To figure out when the artist used the flat end of the pastel or sharpened the end of it like a pencil. That's the beauty of pastel to me.

So I worked on the goat a little more...and added some warmth to him and the background.

I'm getting there.