Mishmash Sketch to Pastel Painting

You may recall that I started a painting in a class with Enid Wood (enidwood.com) a few weeks ago and I posted it here as a pastel sketch:
http://www.jocastilloartblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/pastel-sketch.html

It wasn't really a sketch, it was the beginning of the painting.  I worked from a still life setup in the class.  I started with a map of sorts.  I mark on my paper or board where the edges of the items in the set up will be, the top, sides and bottom.  Then I lightly sketch in the basic shapes to adjust for size, shape and placement of the items, vegetables in this case.  The items belonged to another artist, so I had to get the start down quickly and then use photos to finish it at home.

I was pleased with my sketch, especially the ellipse of the plate.  Circles are always difficult to position at a correct angle.

I continued filling in my work adding color and shadows.  Correcting shapes and cooling off the background.

Mishmash

14 x 11 inches

Pastel on Pastelbord

For the finish,  I went back to the original idea and darkened the background.  The background is a bit darker in real life and the onions more purple.   By making the background darker, the veggies become the star players.

Do you remember "The A-Team"?  I just love it when a plan comes together.

Which reminds me ......

When we lived in Peru, we had a very dark blue conversion van.  It looked almost black.  The markets were open air.  I would drive there in the van.  There were always kids that would "watch" your car while you did your shopping, for a tip of course.  When I would drive up in the van, they would get soooo excited.  They would say, "Mira, mira!  El auto de Los Magnificos!" which translates to "Look, look!  The A-Team's car!"  I would have to assign the oldest or biggest to be sure and keep them from climbing on the ladder to the top of the van.  When I would come back with my groceries, they would have to see inside to see the chairs, table, etc.  They were impressed!