Looking Back - over my shoulder

This is what I have been working on the last couple of days.....I just cant keep away from the animals...hoo boy!

 I found some old sheets of Velour paper in the bottom of my cupboard and thought I would use them up. This is the first of them, done on black velour, size approx A4, using a variety of pastels from sticks to pencils, all different brands, whichever seemed to work best. I am still not sure if I like velour...which is probably why it ended up in the bottom of the cupboard.

Low Tide

Here is another pastel piece which I completed this morning. I am enjoying the speed which I can do these landscapes, It usually take me weeks to do a wildlife picture. I may do a few more of these before going on to something else....or perhaps I will go onto some elephant in acrylics that I have half done ....I will see how the mood takes me next week. I used a yellow pastelmat for this one, must say I am not keen, I much prefer the Fisher 400 for pastels, which takes loads of layers and also takes both pastel sticks and pastel pencils equally well, so ideal for my style.

Size approx A3

Rising Mists

Another landscape in Pastels. Not quite as loose as I would have liked....still working towards that goal. Still I am not entirely displeased with it. 

It has lost a fair amount of foreground detail in the scan, there are more pinks and lilacs than show here and the contrasts seem a little strong. 

Soft pastels and pastel pencils on Fisher 400.

Size approx A3

Rising Mists over the Somerset Levels

The Old Man

This one is a completely new direction, a pastel landscape. Of course I have done landscapes before, but not in pastel. I really enjoyed the freedon of not having to capture an exact likenesss as I try to do when doing animals, so from that point of view I think it is a success. I will definately be doing more of these.

Both soft pastels and pastel pencils on Fisher 400 sandpaper. Size about A3.

Time flys by, I didn't realise how long it's been since I last posted.

I have been busy with our exhibition and this grey wolf is what I worked on while 'on duty' there.

The medium is again tinted charcoal, although this time I used a tan coloured mounting board....not a great idea as the charcoal didn't take too well on it, still you live and learn. It measures 12.5" square.