Pastels and Watercolors (and a few other art media)

[SquarePeg]

Made some changes to the latest. The original was giving too much boob energy for me so I changed the angle on one of the flowers. But now it’s less loose. I like the whiter flower color though. May lighten up the other two. Will tweak this some more tomorrow. I was working on it in between painting my laundry closet and shelves while each coat dried so I was a bit distracted.

 

[SquarePeg]

I decided to finish this in the direction it was headed before using it as an underpainting for a looser more abstract version. My brain could not cope with the off kilter vase any longer.

 

[terri]

This turned out great! I like your modifications.

It still has a beautiful loose vibe. You're doing great. I don't think I ever captured it. The bulk of my stuff is geometric angles and bold colors. I ruined stuff trying to make it look different. Damn brain.

 

[SquarePeg]

This turned out great! I like your modifications.

It still has a beautiful loose vibe. You're doing great. I don't think I ever captured it. The bulk of my stuff is geometric angles and bold colors. I ruined stuff trying to make it look different. Damn brain.

Thanks Terri. I painted over it but it’s not finished yet. Needs a new vase. Still experimenting. Scribbled with some chalk pastels over the paint. I like them as an option for drawing on highlights. Easy to erase if I don’t like them. Can’t see them well in the photos though.

 

[terri]

Love your pinks! Pretty palette. Isn't soft pastel the best for a quick sketch? Wipes right off.

Looks like you're having fun with this!

 

[SquarePeg]

Thanks Terri. I’ll definitely be using it in the future especially when I am unsure about some thing like tree branches or stems. I never really like how I draw the stems on the first attempt and I end up painting over them and doing it again so this would be a good way to sketch it out first. I’m thinking I could use this method with watercolor as well? I’m always terrified of doing in the branches in the stands with watercolor because it’s so difficult to fix a mistake with that medium. But the chalk easily wipe off watercolor paper? Not sure why I’m asking you instead of just trying it myself lol.

 

[terri]

Yeah, you don't want to ask me anything related to watercolor - it's not my jam, as you know. But having used it on WC paper for my rare attempts with WC pencils, yes I still sketch first with soft pastels and it comes up easily.

I have noticed that certain hues might leave the tiniest blush of a stain if I wipe with my fingers, so I've taken to lifting it off with a kneaded eraser. Foolproof.

 

[SquarePeg]

Well this one has sort of circled back around lol. I didn’t like the angle or shape of some the flowers so painter over them. The background got a bit muddled and I lost the light that I wanted so I’ll need to fix that but I think I need to walk away for now.

 

[SquarePeg]

Sketchbook - this one is something I want to explore.

 

[snowbear]

Wow! I've been away for a few days. These are looking great, Sharon. I really like the idea of using the pastels to sketch in the details; more forgiving than pen and ink or marker, and even the WC pencils.

Youn are supposed to be able to "lift" off WC using water and something like a sponge, but I've only had very limited luck with it.

The off-kilter vase is like Dutch Tilt in photography: you have to make it very obvious you intended to use it, otherwise it just looks unlevel.

 

[snowbear]

Thanks Terri. I’ll definitely be using it in the future especially when I am unsure about some thing like tree branches or stems. I never really like how I draw the stems on the first attempt and I end up painting over them and doing it again so this would be a good way to sketch it out first. I’m thinking I could use this method with watercolor as well? I’m always terrified of doing in the branches in the stands with watercolor because it’s so difficult to fix a mistake with that medium. But the chalk easily wipe off watercolor paper? Not sure why I’m asking you instead of just trying it myself lol.

I will sketch with either very light strokes of a 2H or 4H pencil or a light color WC pencil. I guess the chalk/hard pastel wouldn't leave a lot of residue to impede the WC.

Do you do any "warm up" exercises before drawing? Things like draw lines, circles, ovals, etc for a few minutes beforehand. Maybe just rough sketch branches all over a scrap page. Don't go back and erase mistakes, just move on.

 

[SquarePeg]

I will sketch with either very light strokes of a 2H or 4H pencil or a light color WC pencil. I guess the chalk/hard pastel wouldn't leave a lot of residue to impede the WC.

Do you do any "warm up" exercises before drawing? Things like draw lines, circles, ovals, etc for a few minutes beforehand. Maybe just rough sketch branches all over a scrap page. Don't go back and erase mistakes, just move on.

I’ve started using the sketchbook to warm up and to do a sort of preview of my painting ideas. The iris sketch was an idea for a painting but wanted to practice first and try out a few color mixes. I see a few issues with the comp that I will try not to repeat when doing the painting on canvas.

 

[terri]

I will sketch with either very light strokes of a 2H or 4H pencil or a light color WC pencil. I guess the chalk/hard pastel wouldn't leave a lot of residue to impede the WC.

Do you do any "warm up" exercises before drawing? Things like draw lines, circles, ovals, etc for a few minutes beforehand. Maybe just rough sketch branches all over a scrap page. Don't go back and erase mistakes, just move on.

That is really good advice- I've never done any kind of warm ups and I'm sure it would be helpful. I'm not good with sketching.

I've been leery of using graphite, even at these harder/lighter levels, because I have read (more than once) that graphite can bleed through over time. Colored pencils, soft pastel pencils, and WC pencils are supposedly a safer bet.

The only hard pastels I have are those Nupastels. They put down a serious mark, and aren't especially easy to lift off.

Don't go back and erase mistakes, just move on.

You'll nevah take my erasers away!!

 

[SquarePeg]

Sketchy behavior Acrylic paint markers

 

[terri]

Sketchy behavior Acrylic paint markers View attachment 285713View attachment 285714View attachment 285715
View attachment 285716

You've been busy! Putting that sketchbook to good use, I see.

I love every single one of these. Your first one has a terrific pop art vibe. They're all so colorful and fun.

Applause! Were they all done with the markers?