We had the most wonderful model at our figure drawing session last week! She was a pretty young thing with a fresh, sweet look. She had a beautiful voice and sprinkled french phrases throughout her conversation. She reminded me of a 17th century french lass and I wanted to capture that effect in my pastel portrait of her.
This piece was done on the pebbly Richeson paper that I have been struggling with lately. I was trying for a very classical look and I think the paper actually helped me in my quest!
Pastel figure drawing of a nude model in various poses.
Pastel drawing ing 11 inches x 17 inches
Some sketches from a recent figure drawing session. These were some of the 10 minute poses we have at the beginning of class to warm up. As the class goes on, we move to longer and longer poses. I felt a little like I was channeling my idol, Degas, in these quick pastel portraits. Lots of color and layering and also poses that are very similar to ones captured by the wonderful impressionist.
Pastel portrait painting of an older man with a beard.
Pastel painting 11 inches x 16 inches
The best part of our figure drawing sessions is that we get a chance to paint many types of people: men, women, old, young, heavy, skinny, happy. sad. There is such a huge range of differences in humans that each pastel portrait is a completely new challenge. This elderly middle eastern man is an accomplished poet and an artist in his own right. He was calm, serene, and comfortable in his own skin in a way which I have not seen in many others.
Pastel portrait of a beautiful asian woman in a kimono.
Pastel painting 10 inches x 15 inches
I painted this pastel portrait a couple of weeks ago at our figure drawing session. The model was quite accomplished and brought her kimono along to give her pose a bit of atmosphere and mystery. I usually “pack” my pastel paper by putting layers of newspaper underneath. It tends to give the pastel painting a softer feel. I forgot my newspaper this time and had only corrugated cardboard to use as a base.You can see how the texture of the striated cardboard showed up as a pattern in the drawing. At first I was horrified, but then I started liking it…go figure…
Pastel portrait painting of a mother and young daughter.
Pastel painting 10 inches x 13 inches
What fun! We had a mother and her daughter for our models for 2 figure drawing sessions in a row a while ago. It was a real challenge to paint 2 people together so we were all happy to have the extended time to work.
I painted this pastel portrait on Barbara Mattson pastel paper which is an extremely “pebbley” sanded surface. I’m tryin hard to find the right subject for this paper but it may not be right for my style of application…
Its been quite a while since I’ve posted any artworks from my pastel figure drawing sessions. During plein air season, I tend to spend all of my time outdoors, chasing the light. But when the weather doesn’t allow outdoor painting, I’m happy to go to class and work on the human figure. We had a wonderful young female model a couple of weeks ago. In my pastel portrait of her, I wanted to capture her relaxed position, her beauty, and also a bit of the melancholy that seemed to surround her.
This pastel painting was done on Art Spectrum Terra Cotta paper, a perfect foil for the complimentary blues in her clothing…
Colorful pastel portrait of a young women in the Fauvist style.
Pastel painting 10 inches x 13 inches
A couple of weeks ago the Great Lakes Pastel Society held our first convention. I was honored to be a presenter speaking about the business of being an artist. We had some high caliber artists who did demonstrations and workshops. Brenda Mattson held a landscape drawing workshop and brought along some new Richeson products for us to use. I decided to take advantage of the reduced convention price and purchased their new 12o hard pastel set. Its supposed to be light fast and has a lot more colors than NuPastel offers. God knows I don’t need more pastels…but I couldn’t help myself.
I brought the set to our figure drawing session last week and went crazy with color. Our model, Angela, is a beautiful young woman with classical features but I wanted to push the envelope with my pastel portrait of her. After I got home, it seemed to me that I might have been channeling the Fauvists of the early 1900s…
Plein air pastel painting of a statue of woman holding flowers.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
Another example of a figure drawing and pastel landscape at the same time! This piece is a mirror to my earlier Miss Spring painting and was also done at the gardens surrounding Wellers in Saline. The bright sunshine and flowers in the background suggest that summer is right around the corner here in Michigan!
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
It’s time to do a little spring cleaning in the studio and I need to “shed” a few art works. Although its been a great year for me so far, I have various pastel drawings and watercolor paintings that need to move on to new homes.
I’ve decided to have a sale with 30% OFF all small works on my blog that were originally $300 or less. Limited time offer–the sale will last only until June 15th, 2010.
Take a look through previous entries on my artblog by clicking on the arrow at the bottom of the page, or zero in on your favorite mediums or subject matter by clicking on the categories in the right column. If you find an available piece that speaks to you, contact me directly. (Don’t use the Buy Now buttons because they still show the original prices). I’d love for you to have an original artwork at “sale” prices…and I would really love to create more room in my studio for future art work.
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
In our pastel figure drawing session last week our model was struggling with eye problems. Her eyes were burning and she could hardly keep them open. But she was a really trooper and posed for the whole session. In my pastel portrait of her, you can see some of the pain she is experiencing…
Pastel plein air painting of a beautiful statue of a woman in a spring park.
Pastel painting 8.5 inches x 11 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
Wellers is a historic mill in Saline, Michigan. The grounds are absolutely amazing and the scene of many weddings in our area. Our plein air group was given permission to paint there last weekend. I started working in watercolor but the rain forced me under a canopy so I decided to switch to a pastel painting. The many statues on the site caught my attention and I focused on this young Spring Maiden with a bough of flowers. The sun peeked out at the last minute and I was able to place the warm highlights. I loved this scene because I could do a figure drawing and pastel landscape at the same time!
Pastel portrait painting of a young man leaning on his knee
Pastel painting 11 inches x17 inches $300
Please contact me if you are interested in similar artwork.
In our pastel figure drawing session last week we had a handsome, strapping young model. I’m sure he thought posing was going to be a cinch. I think it proved to be a little more difficult than he thought, but he did an admirable job. I really enjoyed painting his pastel portrait, and liked the challenge of working with the complimentary blues and oranges.
