Introduction to Pastel Drawing Mediums

Pastels are one of the easiest mediums to work with and therefore are a very popular choice amongst artists. Pastels combine the immediacy of a drawing medium while at the same time provide the artist with a color rich, paint like environment. With Pastel drawing, there is no need to prepare your drawing surface, as pastels can be applied directly to your support. There are no harsh chemicals or mediums to be concerned about and cleanup is a snap! It is no wonder why artists adore this medium so much.

Pastels are available in a wide range of exciting colors and materials from soft pastels and oil pastels, to pastel pencils and crayons. You could literally spend a lifetime exploring this versatile and exciting medium.

TYPE OF PASTELS

Pastels are available in a wide range of types and this is to accommodate the different tastes artists have. These various types of pastels are all created using similar pigments, only they are composed of different quantities or kinds of binding materials.

Soft Pastels

Soft pastels are the original form of this medium and probably the most popular. Soft pastels are composted of pure pigment, chalk and a gum solution. They produce rich colorful lines and are more often than not, looked upon as painting mediums more than drawing mediums. Soft pastels can produce subtle lines or can be built up into rich impastos. It provides the artist with the best of both worlds essentially. Of all the various types of pastels, soft pastels are available in the widest range of colors. They can be purchased individually or in sets.

Hard Pastels

Hard pastels, as the name implies, are hard and more suited for drawing and producing lines. Artists often use hard pastels and soft pastels together in the same drawing. The hard pastels are used to layout the drawing and the soft pastels are worked in over the hard. The hard pastels are then used again to finalize the drawing by adding in details. Hard pastels do not have the extensive range of color that soft pastels have. It is for this reason that you must utilize various optical color mixing techniques on your paper if you want to produce different colors.

Pastel Crayons

Pastel crayons are a hybrid medium of medium hardness that combine the characteristics of the hard and soft pastels. They are available in a limited range of colors when compared to soft pastels. Crayons are quite popular for artists that enjoy outdoor drawing as their convenient size makes them suitable for transport and their composition makes them less prone to breakage.

Pastel Pencils

Pastel pencils are very similar in composition to crayons only they are encased in wood in the form of a pencil and tend to be a bit softer than crayons. Pastel pencils are perfect for detailed work and also have the ability to be blended somewhat. They are available in roughly the same range of colors as crayons and are available as individual items or in sets.

Water soluble Pastels

These pastels are an ingenious invention because of their ability to be used both dry and wet. Obviously you can see the amazing possibilities with this kind of medium. You can lay down lines as you would any traditional drawing medium and then brush over these lines with water to create colorful watercolor like washes. These pastels are available individually or in sets and are available in a limited range of colors.

Oil Pastels

Oil pastels are quite different than other types of pastels in that they use oil as a binder rather than gum. Oil pastels are very sensitive to temperature and they will soften as you use them. They are versatile medium and can be used on a number of different supports including canvas, paper and board. Just like oil paints, oil pastels can also be used with turpentine opening up a whole new world of exciting techniques.

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Graphite Pencil Drawing Tutorial: Female Eye by Faith Te

About Faith

Graphite Pencil, Charcoal Pencil and Pastels Artist

Hello! My name is Faith Te. When I was 16, a great desire to capture nature and the people around me started my passion for drawing. I began to look at drawing not just as a hobby but something which I wanted to do all my life.

I practiced every day and for many hours since. I taught myself to draw by experimenting with different techniques and materials and through helpful tips and advice from other artists.

Initially, charcoal and graphite pencils were the only mediums I used. When I began working in color, I used pastels, and more recently, oils. My main subjects are portraits but I also enjoy doing many other subjects including still life, landscapes and flowers, especially orchids.

I devote many hours and lots of attention to detail into each and every one of my drawings or paintings. My ultimate goal is not only to achieve detail and realism but also to capture the life and character of my subjects.

Thank you for your interest in my artwork. I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay here on our web site. Please visit again soon!

Please take a moment to visit Faith’s Website and Blog to learn more about her and her products and services.

Her Website: http://www.artisticrealism.com/

Her Blog: http://www.artisticrealism.com/artstudio/

Graphite Pencil Drawing Tutorial: Female Eye by Faith Te

Here is the first tutorial from Art Studio — a female eye. My method in graphite pencil drawing aims to render subjects as realistically as I can. The following is a step-by-step demonstration of how I draw eyes. While I very much hope that it helps you in drawing realistic eyes, do experiment and develop your own way of drawing. I myself sometimes do not follow some of the steps exactly as I like to experiment and try to find better ways of achieving a specific texture or effect. Before I begin, many thanks to Toni-Marie Hudson for the use of her picture. Toni-Marie does animal paintings in mixed media. Visit her web site to view her extremely realistic paintings.

Step 1:

The outline on Canson Grain. Since the outline was very light and will likely be smudged off when I start rendering or shading, I have carefully and lightly retraced the lines with a soft pencil. In this case, a Faber-Castell 0.5 mm 2B mechanical pencil.

Step 2:

Using a soft brush dipped in small amounts of graphite powder, I cover the outline with two or three layers of tone. Any brush can be used as long as it produces a very smooth effect and fills in the tooth of the paper. I try to avoid getting tone on the highlight of the iris. If I do get any graphite there, I tap the area with a clean kneaded eraser.

Step 3:

Using a smaller version of the brush I used in the previous step, I begin forming the shapes of the eye by defining the darker areas.

Step 4:

With a kneaded eraser, I cleaned up the highlights.

Step 5:

I used a Dong-A 0.5 mm 2B mechanical pencil to draw the darkest areas like the pupil, shadow on the upper part of the iris and the crease of the upper eyelid.

Step 6:

Concentrating on the iris for now, I use a hard pencil (5H Staedtler) and fairly hard pressure to draw spokes originating from the pupil. This will keep the paper from absorbing a lot of graphite in the next stage.

Step 7:

Having used a 5H on the previous stage, I can now draw darker shades on the iris using a dark pencil (2B mechanical pencil). The reason why I use 2B is because it spreads more easily. The 5H is also to keep the tones very smooth when darker tones are added.

Step 8:

I further worked on the iris erasing and adding graphite as much as needed to create varied tones. Moving on to the white of the eye, it was also covered with a layer of 5H to create a smooth effect. Then I used a 2B mechanical pencil on the shadow areas to form the eyeball.

Step 9:

Here I began working on the skin. Using a 0.5 mm HB mechanical pencil and a light circular motion, I added tones to the upper eyelid and the surrounding skin — starting first on an area which will receive more graphite (in this case, the skin around the crease) and moving towards lighter areas. I used a shop towel and a brush to smoothen out rough spots.

Step 10:

Continued with the lower part of the skin.

Step 11:

Still continuing with the HB mechanical pencil. I’ve now added shadows to the skin. The 5H Staedtler pencil was also used on the thickness of the lower eyelid. 2B mechanical pencil was used for its darker areas.

Step 12:

To create the wrinkles on the skin, I lightly drew lines with the HB mechanical pencil and then used a kneaded eraser to create fine highlights beside each line. A paper stump and a brush were used to soften and blend the lines. The same method used on the white of the eye was also used on the tear duct. The HB was used for the eyebrow — starting with the root of each hair and lessening pressure towards the tip.

Step 13:

I always try to keep from drawing the eyelashes until the skin underneath is finished. Since the upper eyelashes will be darker than the lower eyelashes or the eyebrow, I used a Dong-A 2B mechanical pencil which is much darker than a Faber-Castell of the same grade. Again, following the direction of growth and starting from the root, lessening pressure as I come to the tip. Reflections of the eyelashes were also drawn on the highlight of the iris.

Step 14:

The lower eyelashes were drawn with the Faber-Castell 2B mechanical pencil.

Step 15:

The final eye. Finishing touches were made and some of the highlights on the lower eyelid were dulled a little. I hope you find these steps and images informative and helpful.

Simple Steps For Drawing Eyes

By Annette Labedzki

Drawing Eyes is one of the vitals of a human image or a human facial image. Eyes are one of the most important parts of a human body, as they have the Sense of Sight & help us see and distinguish between various shapes & colors. Other than performing their basic, visionary function, Eyes are also considered the mirror of the soul. Eyes can reveal a lot about a person. They are a reflection of a person’s inner self, including her or his expressions, emotions, personality, thinking, etc. For this reason, most artists pay special emphasis to Eyes, while painting a human figure. If drawn properly, Eyes can impart a life like touch to an inanimate character or face. Drawing Eyes can convey most of the expressions, the artists wants to, through their paintings of human or facial images.

Owing to the complexity of expressions and feelings involved, Eyes may turn out to be one of the most difficult features to be drawn in a human face, though they are the most interesting one of all too. The ensuing discussion talks about some simple steps for drawing Eye. Lets have a look.

• Observation. Before you begin drawing Eyes, take a good look at their frame and shape. Note every small detail of Eyes such as, the shape of the Eyeball, Iris, Eye Lids, Eye Brows, and surrounding Skin to name some.
• Drawing Outline. Draw a light sketch of a pair of Eyes. Just keep them simply at a basic Oval shape.
• Eye Corners. Draw a rough sketch of the Eyes over the Oval shape. Fill their Inner and Outer Corners.
• Pupil. Draw the Pupil of the Eyes. Place it properly in the direction you want the Eyes to look at.
• Skin Texture. Pay attention to small details around the Eyes such as, Wrinkles, Lines, etc., and draw them appropriately, as it could enhance their overall look.
• Shading. Depending on the light source, start shading the region in and around Eyes. Finally shade the areas around the Eyes to make them look more realistic. Darken the Eyeballs slightly towards their Left and Right curves. This would give the much-needed roundness to the Eyeball.
• The Hairy Part. For more lifelike image of Eyes, add Eyelashes and Eyebrows.

Drawing Eyes right is vital for the soul of a painting. Drawing Eye takes a lot of practice, but as they say, “practice makes you perfect,” therefore, have fun practicing and perfection shall soon be yours.

Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art . Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website at http://www.labedzki-art.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Annette_Labedzki
http://EzineArticles.com/?Simple-Steps-For-Drawing-Eyes&id=1521465

Colored Pencil Tutorial By Paula Pertile

About Paula:

I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA, USA, where it gets very very very HOT in the Summer. WAY too hot. I played the piano, took tap dancing lessons, did my homework, and spent a lot of time sitting directly in front of the air conditioner.

I always liked to ‘color’, and in the third grade I won a coloring contest sponsored by a local coffee shop. My prize was a banana split, a bank radio and  FIVE whole dollars.

WOW!

You could make money just for coloring? The seed was planted.

After that I grew up, went away to school to study architecture at Cal Poly, then went away to school AGAIN to study illustration at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

I’ve made my living drawing and coloring in one way or another ever since, and it covers a pretty wide spectrum! I’ve painted flames on the sides of vans, drawn bus maps, drawn plans for hospitals and parking garages, designed retail displays, drawn pictures for movies, and done some advertising and editorial illustration.

Now I do childrens’ books, licensing, and sell my own work in a more “fine art” kind of way.

I live with my kitties who all help me color and take naps and knit.

And I still love the air conditioner.

Paula’s Website: http://www.paulapertile.com/

Step-by-Step Colored Pencil Demo

“Cotswald Cheese with Cherry Tomato”

This is a lovely wedge of Cotswald cheese (which has bits of herbs in it) with a little cherry tomato on top.

I will show you step-by-step how it was created. I used Faber-Castell Polychromo colored pencils on Strathmore 500 Series cold pressed illustration board.

The pencil colors used are Yellow Ochre, Canary Yellow, Grey Green, Cadmium Orange, Orange Yellow, Chrome Green, Sea Green, Geranium Lake, Scarlet Red, Dark Red, Light Flesh, Deep Red, True Green, Light Green, Light Ultramarine.

The finished piece is 5 x 7 inches.

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This was my reference photo. Its not very good because its a little blurry. So I drew the piece from life, which is what I prefer doing anyway. But I like to have a photo for back-up in case something happens to the “model”.

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Step 1

I sketched in the composition with Yellow Ochre. In real life it was much lighter than this. I darkened it up in Photoshop to show it here. I also purposely made the cheese a bit shorter, and also deleted the wood panelling and green tabletop. (If I was serious about using the photo for reference, I’d have set it up with something white in the background to begin with.)

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Step 2

Here I wanted to establish some color on the whole piece, just to get started. Using a light pressure, I did an over all wash of Canary Yellow on the cheese, then started to indicate some of the shadowy bits with Grey Green. I did some light Cadmium Orange on the tomato, leaving the highlights. I also did a pale pale pale wash of Sky Blue for the cast shadow (which barely shows up here.)

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Step 3

Here I did Orange Yellow and Cadmium Orange over the whole cheese. I also used an eraser to indicate the highlight on the top edge.

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Step 4

Now its starting to get fun. I did the green bits with Chrome Green, Sea Green and Grey Green.
I used a heavier pressure for the greens, since they’re darker bits. I’m also not slavishly copying every little green bit exactly like it is in the photo. Some pieces are the same, but I’ve also done some editing and rearranging.

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Step 5

Here I went farther with the cheese. I did more Cadmium Orange over the whole thing, and also added a shadow for the tomato on the top of the cheese. I worked on the edge highlight too.

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Step 6

Now I’m starting to work on the tomato. I did Geranium Lake over the whole thing, with a little bit of Cadmium Orange.

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Step 7

I developed the tomato further here, with Scartlet Red, Dark Red, Cadmium Orange and a little Light Flesh in the highlights.

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Step 8

Yes, I know this looks weird. I needed to go darker, so added Scarlet Red, Deep Red, Dark Red, and more Geranium Lake. I also filled in the highlights because they didn’t look right anymore.

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Step 9

I fixed it. I put the highlights back in with a Helix battery powered eraser. I also added some more darks for shadows. And I lightly outlined the cheese and tomato with True Green.

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Step 10

Now I’m starting the background. I did an even layer of True Green over the whole thing.

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Step 11

Almost finished. I added more True Green, plus Light Green all over the background.
Then I used Chrome Green and Light Ultramarine for the shadow. I did more tweaking in the tomato’s cast shadow as well.

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Step 12

The finished piece. I added more Cadmium Orange over the cheese, and more True Green in the shadow.

Tip on Pencil Portrait Drawing - The Problem of Seeing

By Remi Engels

For untrained artists the problem of seeing lies in the conflict that exists between the actual visual reality of an object and the way the brain attempts to represent our perception of this reality on the drawing paper. This attempt always involves the tendency to draw our symbolic preconception instead of the actual reality.

Symbolic preconceptions are part of a subconscious visual language that uses symbols to represent known objects. This language of symbols evolved as a mechanism to help us survive as a species. These symbols help us, for example, to instantly recognize food sources or dangerous predators.

When we observe an unknown object our subconscious mind immediately tries to form a new symbol to represent and store the object in memory. Often beginning artists will more accurately draw unknown objects than familiar ones because they are not yet married to the new symbols.

However, when they attempt to draw the same object a second time, it is likely that a more symbolic picture will emerge because ready to use symbols have already been stored in the brain.

Consider, for example, the word “head”. Immediately an image comes to mind which is symbolic for the head. Unfortunately, this symbol is only a schematic representation of a head and is invariably a gross simplification of a real head. Nevertheless, there is a strong subconscious pull to draw the symbol instead of what we actually see.

It is this conflict that artists must learn to overcome. This is particularly a problem for pencil portrait artists. When drawing a portrait the artist must resolve numerous layers of symbols to achieve a realistic effect.

We now will describe a very good exercise to learn to overcome the problem of symbol drawing.

We will be drawing from an upside-down photograph. This way our symbolic preconception of the head is disrupted. We will be forced to draw without our symbols. The result will be a purer drawing experience unfettered by a tainted perception.

As you draw the lines and block in the tones you will feel quite awkward in your drawing. This is a good thing. Do not be overly concerned of how your drawing looks. This is an exercise in seeing.

When practicing line and tone this way, beginning artists often get better results than from the right-side up way. Trust yourself and throughout the exercise only look at your photograph in the upside-down position even though it may feel quite uncomfortable.

You will learn to see and draw tone as shapes and will be able to break down hard edges into short, straight lines instead of the usual symbols your brain will assign to the nose, the ears, etc.

Thinking of and naming perceived objects will lead you down the garden path of almond shaped eyes, two holes for nostrils, a bunch of lines for hair, cauliflower ears and something that looks like the letter M sitting on a bowl for a mouth instead of what is actually there.

Artists will never be free of symbolic preconceptions. The symbols actually adapt and become more sophisticated. It is by constantly analyzing and abstracting form that we are able to draw realistically.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert teacher. Check out his Pencil Portrait Course and his Portrait Print Package Special

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Remi_Engels
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tip-on-Pencil-Portrait-Drawing—The-Problem-of-Seeing&id=1830591

Pastel Portrait Drawing Demonstration

ABOUT THE ARTIST

George Max is a Geologist, Fine Artist and Professional Translator from central Guatemala in Middle America. He was born in 1968 in a small town called of Cobán, 200 km north of Guatemala City. He traveled to the USA (Colorado State) in 1989 to study English under a one year scholarship program. He started getting acquainted with art since his first year in College in 1988. As an autodidact, he started his labor of art in 1992 making oil paintings on canvas. Nevertheless, it was until late 2004 when he began to produce formal artwork (oil paintings mainly) for exhibition and sale to date.

Artwork Website: http://www.georgemax.co.nr/

Translation Website: http://www.geodirect.co.nr/

Artist Email: georgemaxart@hotmail.com

Translator Email: geodirect07@hotmail.com

ABOUT THE SUBJECT

For this pastel drawing I used the portrait of a little fellow from the highlands of Western Guatemala. His skin is burnt brown because of the cold climate there. He is wearing typical clothes and a decorated hat from the region; Todos Santos Cuchumatan. Although I printed the picture in my Canon iP1300 the colors came out bright so I used the picture in my screen for better reference to the colors, hues and shades.

THE MATERIALS

For this demonstration I used a 64-color set of Mungyo soft pastels (27 mm x 8 mm) and a sheet of Strathmore Pastel paper (11” x 14”) of the clearest color. I found out that this paper requires at least 5 mm sticks or pastel pencils to be able to fill the texture more efficiently and render details in realistic drawings.

The Palette: To the lower left are the yellow ochre colors I used to do the face. In the middle, the brick or maroon tones for the cheeks and lips. To the lower right are the orange and pink colors for the “neck warmer” of the kid’s shirt. In the middle row are the brown and dark colors I used to define, draw and shade the eyes and hair. Grays were used for the shines in the hair and other shades in the eyes and else. To the middle right are the pale blue colors I used for the sweater. And to the top left are other random purple, dark reds, and reds I used to strengthen some values in the neck warmer. To the top right are the dark blues I used for the dark areas and shades of the sweater.

THE DRAWING PROCESS

Although I have used oil pastels for head portraits before, my contact with soft pastels has been limited to sketches and a few drawings due to material unavailability. It is until this year (2008) that I began to make some formal pastel drawings and build my own collection.

In the following, I will go on describing the process or method I used to make a pastel portrait drawing. I would like to say that this is not an instructional demonstration rather my inventive approach to creating a portrait using soft pastels.

Base Drawing: A precise drawing is always required to begin a pastel drawing. For this case I made a nearly fainted drawing which I have enhanced for the purpose of viewing it on the web. The only thing I have modified is the eyes. The subject is now looking straight to the viewer. Notice that I have drawn a line at the bottom as the base for my drawing which I can later use to crop the drawing if framed. You can also notice that I have fitted and centered my subject horizontally as compared to how it is in the picture. In another demonstration I will show you how to create a pencil portrait over drawing paper.

STEP 1: Using the lightest yellow ochre I begin filling the lightest areas such as below the eyes, lower nose, above the upper lips area and on each side of the face. For this primary layer, it is important to just gently and slightly rub the pastel over the paper to avoid bloating it. This is just a reference to our coloring which we will later redefine and enhance. Square strokes are not good for any drawing so I just hover the pastel stick over the paper in circle patterns without applying much pressure.

STEP 2: Using darker yellow ochre I continue filling the areas above the cheeks and below the sides of the nose. Some darkest yellow ocher is used to define the nose, and the areas below the cheeks and the eyebrows.

STEP 3: Here I have tentatively defined the eyes and the eyebrows. Not much filling is yet noticeable. This is just yet with the lightest brown color so that we can overwrite it later. The mouth has also been slightly defined with brick and dark red colors. Some gray is noticeable below the lower lip and left side of forehead.

STEP 4: Most areas of the face have been filled and facial features are identifiable. Hair and cheek colors and some light brown on the right of the forehead have been added. Overall, this is just a thin layer which can be easily removed with a kneaded eraser if needed to correct color inconsistencies.

STEP 5: As soon as I have filled most of the face area, I begin to work on the adjacent elements to help me limit and redefine the shape and size of the face. I constrain and verify proportions and location of features at this stage. We don’t need to rush on filling or finishing an area at once, just pause your work as necessary and come back later when you feel like to continue your drawing.

STEP 6: Once I have constrained proportions and progressively but slowly continued to fill more areas, I extend my drawing up and down. I start to define overall color balance and contrast at this stage. This is at the second day of the drawing I haven’t yet constructed the eyes.

STEP 7: At this time (2nd day, late night) I have carefully filled and defined the eyes and eyebrows. To produce a fine tracing and avoid making mistakes I use the corners of the sticks. I continue drawing the hat and sweater as I continue polishing and refining the face and features. This is a long process but it renders good results in soft pastel drawing. Dark shades in the cheeks are not yet added.

STEP 8: Here I continue filling adjacent areas and working on the hat as well. Also I start to add the dry grass on which the kid is resting. For this I use the lightest yellow ochre and the darkest hues to define strings and strips of the dry grass. Some details in the lappets are also visible.

STEP 9: Now I have almost finished with all surrounding elements and continued drawing the sweater to the end of the arm. You can notice that I have at last added the darks in the cheeks that give them a burnt effect in the skin. Red hues are intermingled with the darks hues by rubbing pastel over the previous layer.

STEP 10: At this point only some details in the clothes are pending and then I continue with the drawing of the hand.

STEP 11: Almost at the final stage here. Some overall detailing is necessary for completion.

FINAL STATEMENT:

After our subject has been thoroughly and evenly covered with pastel I proceed to do a final refining and polishing as a final step. This will give chance to work on some final detailing, strengthening and enhancing color values and defining more contrast and color balance. Note that the overall coloring of the drawing is brighter than the reference image. Due to my limited palette I was not able to produce much of the original values and hues. Also my digital camera picks up much brighter colors that they really are in the drawing.

I hope you can grab something important and useful from this pastel portrait drawing demonstration. Please feel to contact me for any comments or questions you may have on this pastel drawing demonstration. Until another drawing demonstration I wish you all the best in the making of your artwork.

“Pastels for Life” - Pastels Demonstration By Pauline Adair

“Pastels for Life”

Author: Pauline Adair - Australian Artist

Note: This painting won the Pastel Award at the 2006 Gympie Gold Rush Annual Art Exhibition.

For this Soft Pastel Demonstration I am using a double sheet of Canson Mi Tientes pastel paper, in a warm grey colour. I prefer to work on the smooth side of this, but I know many pastelists who choose the textured side. The smooth side still has a good tooth which suits my application.

The model is Sophie…. a favourite of mine, and I am working from a photo as it will probably take me several days to complete this to my satisfaction.

Here is the reference photo, which I cropped to achieve a more close up and intimate feel in the
painting.

(The photograph below contains tasteful nudity. Click image to reveal)

Sophie’s Gallery

I’m starting with a willow charcoal drawing…. I like the willow because I can just manipulate it with the heel of my hand… wiping it off easily if I want to adjust the drawing. After each couple of strokes I step back to view it as a whole, trying not to get bogged down to much in the detail of any one area.

I’m happy with the start now, I can begin to add some colour.

I’m adding some shading here, using a deep purple….. I really want to just colour the paper at this stage and to mark where the accents will be…. bones beneath the skin, the darkest shadows, etc. This is still at the drawing stage…. not the painting stage.

Just getting a feel for the lights now, finding where the light falls on her body from the one light source. All those planes must be facing the light to create the illusion.

The shadows need warming up…..I’m putting a couple of warm skin tones in over the purple, still working loosely.

I call them ‘hot spots’….where I see the warmest of the skin colours…. in the creases, on the elbows, lips, cheeks. Nothing is set in concrete at this stage…. I’m still feeling my way around…..tentatively!

Sophie has red hair…. so while I have the red in my hand….in that goes too!

I’m strongly leaning toward a dark background.

Yes…. I’ve made the decision to go really dark in the background, as Sophie is obviously sleeping so a night scene seems to make sense….. it is all part of the story.

I have this vision in my mind of a kind of glow behind Sophie….I need to make it richer. As an experiment I’ll try to bring it to life with a bright orange over top of the dark purple. The first few strokes are a bit of a shock so I’ll just leave that there for a while and do some work on the foreground…tucking the background away into the recesses of my mind for now!

Just as I put some of the foreground colour into the skin, I need to also put some of the skin colour into the sheets. This will unify the whole painting.

Back to the background! Will I…. won’t I….I will! I carry the orange through. I must now include some of this colour elsewhere in the painting as well as in the background. I check to see how it will look with the mat around it.

Close up of Sophie’s face at this stage.

These are all the pastels I selected as the work progressed. Included are some Schminkes, Windsor & Newton, Art spectrum, Holbein and some contes. I find the contes great for blending over the very soft pastels, rather than using my fingers or a stump.

I’m finishing off the skin tones using some pink variations, and lightening the highlights. The purple sheets go in, and I add some variation to the background using the same purples and blues from the sheets.

I’ve almost put Sophie ‘to bed’ now, and I’ve a feeling this painting just might work out. (I never really know until the end!) Final details go in, and I use the lightest colours in my chosen palette to bring the skin to life.

Finally, Sophie is done and popped into a frame I already have. I had a few tense moments with this painting, but afterall…. that is why I paint….I love the challenge, the nervous start, the frustration, the exaspiration…. and the thrill at the end of having gained a little more experience and knowledge along the way.

 

B i o g r a p h y

Born in New Zealand, Pauline moved to Sydney, Australia where she worked as the Advertising Manager of a national retail chain. A relocation to Queensland meant that her long postponed passion for art could be given some attention, nurtured, and brought to life.

“I have many, many people to thank for encouraging me and assisting in my neverending quest to create one masterpiece during my lifetime…. one piece that may be considered special and everlasting! I’m having so much fun trying to achieve that.

“The whole of creation is the greatest masterpiece of all……….I see the beauty of each and every individual……… I paint people because that is how I celebrate humankind and each person’s uniqueness…… and I paint them as a tribute to our creator.

“I paint in oils, pastels, watercolours, acrylics, and I use many drawing mediums…. sometiimes in various combinations to make my marks.

“I endeavour to paint every day….. if I don’t I feel as though I have waisted the entire day. I just don’t want to go to my grave with my paintings still inside me…. and I mustn’t have any paint left over! ”

Pauline Adair’s ‘BodyWorks’ Blog

Click here to flip through, month by month.

My 2009 Calendars for sale at RedBubble.com

Top 10 Online Figure Drawing Resources For Beginner Artists

So you are interested in becoming an expert at drawing and painting the human figure? You have certainly found the right place! I thought it would be a good idea to find the best resources and information on figure drawing and put it all together for you in one easy location for easy reference. Below are what I feel to be, some of the best resources for helping you learn how to draw the human body.

Figure Drawing Resource 1

Ebook: Figure Drawing Secrets

How to quickly and easily master figure drawing and painting without a model…

Stop drawing and painting figures the hard way! Now you can learn the secrets of drawing people and figures quickly and easily – without a model… This newly released work called “Figure Drawing Secrets” by Victor Perard is the quickest and easiest way to learn figure drawing. This amazing resource contains over 1016 detailed illustrations for you to study and learn from. Covering every single aspect of human anatomy for the artist. It’s a shame for you not to draw people well – when it’s so simple with the right instruction.

Follow this link and download a copy of the ultimate tutorial on Figure Drawing!

Figure Drawing Resource 2

Software: Virtual Pose

The virtual pose system is the next best thing to working with a live model. It is the ultimate reference for artists that do not have access to a live model. The virtual pose system presents the human form in a way that allows for a deeper understanding of shape, form and gesture.

Highly Recommended!

Follow this link for more information about this amazing product!

Figure Drawing Resource 3

Website: Creativespotlite.com

http://www.creativespotlite.com/

A wonderful assortment of free step by step figure drawing and painting demonstrations.

 

Figure Drawing Resource 4

Website: Figuredrawings.com

http://figuredrawings.com/

This website is loaded with great information and resources on figure drawing including books, ebooks lessons and more. The site is a bit cluttered and difficult to navigate, but the amount of information there makes up for this shortcoming.

 

Figure Drawing Resource 5

Website: About.com

Figure Drawing - Life Drawing Tips and Lessons

Nice little series of lessons and exercise on figure drawing including line and contour, structure, proportions and more.

 

Figure Drawing Resource 6

Website Lesson: Figure Drawing Basics

http://www.drawspace.com/lessons/lesson.php?id=h17

 

Figure Drawing Resource 7

Website: Figure Drawing Lab

http://drawinglab.evansville.edu/

 

Figure Drawing Resource 8

Website Tutorial: Figure drawing: Basic Pose and Construction

http://www.elfwood.com/farp/figure/williamlibodyconstruction.html

 

Figure Drawing Resource 9

Website Lesson: Life Drawing

http://art.net/~rebecca/LifeDrawing1.html

 

Figure Drawing Resource 10

YouTube Videos

Below are several of the best Figure Drawing videos I could find from YouTube.

Video 1: Drawing the Human Figure From Your Mind

Video 2: How to Draw a Female Figure

Start a female figure drawing by outlining the shoulders and moving to the hips. Learn to draw a female figure with tips from a professional illustrator in this free video about learning to draw.

Video 3: How to draw the human figure - Dan Nelson

Video 4: 10-Minute Figure Drawing Techniques

Video 5: How to Draw the Human Figure

 

Figure Drawing Resources Update

Since publishing this post a few people have contacted me with more resources to add to this list and I have included them below.

Update 1

Website - http://www.posespace.com/

Update 2

Website - http://www.posemaniacs.com/

Figure Drawing Secrets

How to quickly and easily master figure drawing and painting without a model…

Stop drawing and painting figures the hard way!

Now you can learn the secrets of drawing people and figures quickly and easily – without a model…

This newly released work called “Figure Drawing Secrets” by Victor Perard is the quickest and easiest way to learn figure drawing.

This amazing resource contains over 1016 detailed illustrations for you to study and learn from. Covering every single aspect of anatomy for the artist.

It’s a shame for you not to draw people well – when it’s so simple with the right instruction.

Follow this link and download a copy of the ultimate tutorial on Figure Drawing!

A Series of Drawing & Watercolor Painting Lessons by Mara Mattia

Here is a wonderful series of drawing and watercolor lessons I discovered from a very talented artist by the name of Mara Mattia. I have provided links to these drawing and watercolor lessons below for your convenience. I found these lessons to be very helpful and I am sure you will enjoy them as well.

Lesson #1 awareness (Lines)

Lesson #2 Lines Continued

Lesson #3 Shading and Dots

Lesson #4 Shading, Sun Dot & Grid Drawing

Lesson #5 Blending, Crosshatching & The Grid

Lesson #6 Draw a Face Using the Grid Method

Lesson #7 Continue Drawing of Keira Knightley

Lesson #8 Watercolor Wheel

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