Saturday, September 13, 2014

Pastel in progress



I decided to post progress pictures of this next project. I loved pastels in college but haven't worked a lot with them in a while. So, I'm teaching myself as I go. 
I started with a line drawing. This project is 24x30 so composition and is very important to get right from the beginning. This is actually not my original composition, 
This was actually the first sketch, done in watercolor just to see about colors. It was ok but it didn't feel just right, so hopefully the new one will work.
Here's my work station. Trying to absorb the light as I work best with natural light. I live in Washington, and the rainy days are coming😁...I better get busy!!
So, I say to myself..."just do it" and since I'm right handed, I start on the left so I don't smudge the whole thing as I go along. Pastels are very smudgy.
I put the paper so I don't smudge if I do get some on my hands. I get a lot on my hands. I think this is messier than paint!!


And that's all for today. I am really liking this project. 

Ok, it's a new day now. Here's today's' work. It's amazing to me that a highlight or a line shifted ever so slightly can change the look of a person entirely! And that dreaded 3/4 view of the face is ever so tricky! But it's coming along and as I see it in pictures I see more what needs to be accentuated or de accentuated.

Yes, I changed the shirt color to green. 
So, my light is fading and my kids are home, so more to come tomorrow. 

3 comments:

Tommy, Suzanne, and Mary Peyton said...

i so love this. i have a pastel of myself from when i was 9 (just my face/collar of my dress) and want the same of mp. the lady who did mine is still living, but is around 90. i may have to take a pic of mp in the dress and send it to you for you to do!

kathy malott said...

Oh thank you! I'd love to do one for you. The watercolor of MP that I did years ago is still one of my favorites.

Bonnie Phebus said...

Hi Kathy,
This is my first visit to your site and it's so much fun. You're a wonderful artist!!

I save Christmas cards and letters for a couple of years so last night, for some reason, I was rereading a few of our letters from 2013. Your parents always keep in touch with us at Christmas so I was reading their letter and that's where I saw your website. I don't even remember reading that info at Christmas! It was fun to look you up and to remember the fun years we enjoyed together when Angela and Kelly were such close friends and also when I coached the cheerleaders at Baptist for 2 years. Good memories! I saw Kelly, Mark and their kids several years ago when they were in GR.

Our daughter, Michelle, had such a wonderful year in 2nd grade when your Mom was her teacher. :)

I still hear your brother on WCSG so that's always fun.

I also love to paint but don't blog or have a website. I taught painting classes at Michael's for 8 years and have taught in my home studio for over 20 years. I paint with acrylics and also enjoy "painting" with prismacolor pencils.

I'm on FB and my email is brushstrokesbybonnie@comcast.net. I'd love to hear about you and your family!
Bonnie Phebus

Art inspired by God's word and all of his creation