AAUGH!!!
Daring whispered in my ear today.
“Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to do a pastel to celebrate Earth Day!”
“YEH!”, I thought.
Never mind that I do not know much about pastel painting. It felt only right to work with my hands, to get them dirty. Pastels get you dirty. This is only my third ever, pastel painting.
I spent almost three hours this afternoon working on what you are about to see. Ok, maybe more like two hours, because I was checking on the split pea soup, and changing loads of laundry too.
This is small, five inches square. It is a good thing I really had fun working on this. Otherwise I would be really, REALLY, REALLY upset.
I apologize for the horrible photos. This is a quick look at the process. I was happy with the result. That is, until I decided to seal it, so I would be able to scan it for this post.
Brilliant, bloody brilliant Sheila.
It didn’t help, that right when I started to spray sealant, the wind kicked up and spread a fine dusting of little yellow specks from the trees nearby.
pastel progress. Hydrangea, 5 x 5, watercolor and pastel on 140 lb. watercolor paper.
I started with a watercolor wash. Then a few layers of pastel to get the basic shapes. I changed my mind, and decided the leaves looked better on the side, instead of the bottom. Little by little, I added details. I used Prismacolor NUPASTELS.
Decent
Here it is, finished and semi-show-able.
D.O.A.
And here it is, not ready for prime time.
I know. Awful.
So there you have it. My Earth Day experiment.
Oh, and here is the photo that started it all.
Hydrangea, blooming in the garden.
Hope you had a fabulous Earth Day!
I think it’s lovely too. I’ve never tried pastels…I think you are brave. I can’t tell you how many disasters I’ve had… I know the feeling. You know pollen might really be a great addition, I’ve heard of people painting with coffee and wine… You might be on to something truly unique. 🙂
Oh my, I thought I posted a reply this morning 🙁 I guess I got caught up in that piano video on your blog shadowlilies. That was so beautiful, and then I found another of their videos too. I shared that with some of my friends.
Your comment really made me smile. Hey yeah, the pollen is texture! Funny how we can get so caught up in our vision, and not see, well I should have seen the irony and humor in that. And if I painted with the addition of pollen… I would have to follow spring around the globe, if I wanted to paint consistently. Hey, now that’s and idea… travel to paint! ha ha ha
Thanks for stopping by!
I think it’s lovely! Fresh and springy! And you got some of nature’s pastels in there too (pollen), to make it mixed media!
I think that we artists hate when we make something that doesn’t pass our muster regarding “professionalism” and “mastery.” I think it can be hard to just let the experiment be with out judgement. You worked small with a medium you rarely use – Sometimes it’s just a learning experience!
In anycase, I think it’s pretty!
Thanks so much Susan. I did have fun and it did turn our quite a bit better than I had expected. I wish I had thought of that, the addition of the pollen, makes this a perfect Earth Day painting. ha ha ha
Thanks so much for making me laugh Susan!