Pastel Sketches Transformed

Sketches are only sketches even when done with pastels .. or especially when done with pastels.  Storage is always a problem.  I think it is good to reuse the paper and store the photos of the sketches.  The pastels are buried somewhere and I never see them again.  Sketchbooks with watercolors and ink are filled and stored.  They don't take a lot of room but don't see them often, right?  Finished paintings should take up most of the storage space and walls.

It is easy to transform the pastel sketches.  I brush off most of the pastel with a paint brush, then wipe with a cloth.  If the paper takes water, I then brush with water and a paint brush to get a thinner under painting.  That is what I did today.  This sketch of a javelina was going to be a finished painting.  I'm not sure why but I didn't like the feel of it and abandoned it sometime back.

I wiped it off then sketched for Scavenger Hunt 643 with a variety of pastels on the paper, UArt 400 grit, 9 x 12 inches.

Number 3, flower
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/scavenger-hunt-643-aug-3-11/ 

I'm not sure what kind of hanging flower this is.  The stems are sort of tube like and the flowers close up when the sun isn't around. 

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I was thinking of Enid Wood when I sat my sketch on the TV stand to look it over.  That is Enid's painting above mine on the wall.  I enjoy seeing it and always smile.  We purchased it at an auction, I think for the Food Pantry.  It is surely talked about someplace on this blog.  Enid is a wonderful painter and teacher.  Her website is full of beauty and learning opportunities.  https://www.enidwood.com/

A couple of days ago, we saw these riders out by the lakes.  Too bad I didn't see them sooner to get a better photo.

 

Outside Sketches

An item on the Scavenger Hunt list was "outside".  We went for our morning walk around the lake/pond.  We sat on one of the benches for about 25-30 minutes.  It was so nice.  There was a breeze and an egret was grazing for its breakfast. It seemed to catch a few things.  The water is low so the bird was way out in the water.  

I sketched in the travel sketchbook with the Micron 02.  The firehouse is across the way.  The caretaker of the area has been piling the brush and limbs in a big pile.  They burn it and use it for practice I guess.  There is a burn ban in place right now, so no fires outside.

The egret was very still quite a bit of the time while he was looking to grab something.  It was a good stalker.

Both sketches are for Number 2, outside for Scavenger Hunt 643.

https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/scavenger-hunt-643-aug-3-11/

No Hard-boiled Eggs Sketch

I am not a fan of hard-boiled eggs.  When I was a kid I had to clean the chicken pen which did not endear me to eggs or chickens.  Besides that, the Easter egg hunts at school were awful.  There were not many lawns or green grass around Magdalena. 

The school had us bring a couple of dyed hard-boiled eggs each and took us to Tank Hill or near the Cemetery for egg hunts.  There were no plastic or chocolate eggs and the teachers or custodians hid the eggs out in the cactus, dried grass clumps, sage brush, weeds and rocks.  Spring is typically the dust season with sand and tiny rocks flying and tumble weeds tumbling. They would send us out to find the eggs.  The boys would throw them at each other and by the time we sat down to eat our treasures,  my eggs would be cracked and full of dirt.  We were expected to eat them and of course had no salt or any way to clean up before we started.  I tried not to find any but the teachers would "make" us eat one.  (They couldn't get away with that now.) Yuck.  I did not like Easter egg hunts!  I'm not sure how much of the eggs I tried to eat, but I still see them when I'm confronted with hard-boiled eggs.  Get a gritty feel in my mouth.

Gene loves eggs and probably would have eaten mine for me, but at that age he probably just threw his eggs at me.  You know I've known him forever and married him to get even.

Painting and sketching eggs is more interesting and fun.  (One time when I don't eat the models.)  Painting white is challenging.   Pure white is seldom used and if you look closely at white you see colors reflected and absorbed.

I made egg sandwiches for breakfast yesterday.  I can eat eggs when they are not alone and staring at me.  For my sketch I was going to open a raw egg and sketch that but I forgot and cooked the eggs and didn't want to open another.  Joan Tavolott (see sidebar) had sketched almost the same set up but on white, so I decided to put mine on a blue plate with reflections.

In the big sketchbook with Micron 02 and colored pencils for Scavenger Hunt 643.

https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/scavenger-hunt-643-aug-3-11/

Even if the egg sketch is not the best, it is an enjoyable egg for me.  I just checked and I posted about the awful Easter egg hunts before, sorry to beleaguer you with this.  :-)

Something Different Sketch

Something different for me is the Southwest and Western Forum Challenge for the month.  We sketch or paint from photos.  I don't care for painting from photos, but in the long run it is probably good for me.  When you paint from life outdoors or a still life you see more nuances of color in shadows and in white.  Painting from a photo reference requires imagination or memories of the scene.

In the challenges we paint from other's photos so the nuances have to be imagined or we use the "rules" of painting that we have learned and stored. 

• Warm light - cool shadows and vice versa
• Cool colors recede
• Warm colors and intensity come forward

And so forth.

I tend to follow the composition of the photographer and work too closely from the photo and don't make the scene my own.

The photos for August are my photos and have some memories of actually being there where the heat was on or the air was sweet and humid. 

An artist blogger I have followed for years, Karen Margulis  http://karenmargulis.com/  recommends painting from "bad" photos so you don't get caught up in the perfect photo and copy.  She has lots of instruction on her blog.  She is very sharing with information.

I'm trying to use photos to my advantage.  This is a photo I took in Tombstone, Arizona, when they were preparing for the shoot out they do daily.  The actors were standing around talking to folks and waiting for the time and start of the show. 

I moved the gunfighters for my sketch.  I didn't spend too much time on this sketch.  It was fun to see what could come out of the photo.

Another blog artist, James Richards, has sketching info in ink and watercolor.  Information on perspective, composition, architecture, etc. 

http://www.jamesrichardssketchbook.com/

I didn't link to a special post.  The most recent one is about eye level on a hill.  As in all blogs on Blogger you can search just the blog in the upper left hand corner.  Very helpful to look back at other instruction posts.

Have fun, see ya later.

Cherries in Dust - Pastel sketch

Pastels are a most addictive medium.  It is good to play in the dust.  Maybe drawing and painting at the same time is one of the main attractions, at least for me.  I like the once and done. They are easy to correct for the most part.  Other painting media requires washes, waiting for paint to dry, etc.

I wiped off the paper where I had painted the cup and wine glass a few days ago. Then I brushed it with water to get an under painting.  Another advantage to good pastel paper and boards.  The ellipses need work but for a quick study I am pleased with this.

My Turn, pastel on UArt sanded paper, about 12 x 9 inches

For Scavenger Hunt 642 https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/topic/scavenger-hunt-642-july-26-aug-3/

Number 6 sweet - cherries

Number 7 squishy or soft - cream cheese dip

Number 8 open container - small Pyrex casserole

Number 9 hard - small butter knife

The paper after wiped and water brushed.

You can click on "Instruction" at the bottom of my post for more info on pastel painting.  Also the search box at the top left of my blog.  I have a few hints on the Video/Demo tab at the top as well.  I'm always available to answer questions.  My phone and e-mail are here on this page, too.  I will reply to your comments.   Keep in touch.