SoWal Virtual Art Gallery

[Teresa]

Waiting
24"x30"
charcoal and pastels on brown paper

School Days
11"x14"
Pencil on Paper

I saw these at the Torre Rosa - silent auction items - thank you so much SJ, and they are all so beautiful. I didn't know you did the charcoal and color chalk - that one was very large and incredibly beautiful, my very favorite. SJ - I need an art lesson!

 

[NoHall]

I saw those, too, (actually, I saw them just before Torre Rosa) but didn't make the connection between the artist and the art. Wow--they're wonderful!

 

[Smiling JOe]

Thanks. I'm not so sure about the color thing. I have a difficult time blending the colored pastels to make my own colors. With paint, you can add more of one color to get a different shade, but I have not discovered how to do that with pastels.

Tootsie, I used to have a guy who worked in my kitchen who carved some of the most beautiful ice sculptures. I was always fascinated. Once, I asked him how he knew what to chip away. His answer was, "I think about what I want the ice to be and I remove all of the other ice." Since I am only a student at heart, the best advice for drawing I can give you is to buy and work through the entire book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Check it out. Amazon has a copy (used) for $0.90. That colored drawing was not the finished product. I thought I was finished, then I later changed it. Heck, after I finished it the first time, it was a black and white charcoal drawing.

Here is a picture of the final version:

 

[NoHall]

That colored drawing was not the finished product. I thought I was finished, then I later changed it. Heck, after I finished it the first time, it was a black and white charcoal drawing.

I can't tell you anything about blending, but my prized piece of artwork (hanging in my living room) started out as a b/w charcoal drawing of a vase of roses. (It's drawn on the back of a Piggly Wiggly bag. Yes, I'm from North Georgia!) When I told the artist how much I loved it, she colored it for me. GAW-jus...

I love the frame on your colored drawing, too. Is there a story there?

 

[danhall]

Hey SJ, in all of my experience with pastels, the best way to get the color that you want is with "optical blending". If you need a certain green, you would find a yellow and a blue that lean toward the green that you want to achieve. By hatching these two together, not smudging them together, they will blend in the eye of the viewer. It takes a little planning but can be done effectively.

Also, I have two very nice pastel stick sets. Would you be interested in them? I just don't use them. They are Sennelier and Rembrandt...

holla...

 

[Smiling JOe]

Thanks for the tip. I didn't even think of that, but it sounds like a winner. I think that might take some time working with the ratios to get the right color, but blending sure doesn't seem to work. Though I haven't played with oil pastels, I hear that they can be blended with mineral oil.

I have only a small set of the pastels, so I would gladly accept any which you won't put to use, but I've seen your work and think you should do much more of it!

 

[danhall]

thanks, I'll let you know about those pastels.

here's a little thirty minute oil sketch I did of Mindy one night. Oil on board:

 

[Smiling JOe]

I like it!

 

[Smiling JOe]

Untitled
11"x14"
Pencil on Paper

 

[potatovixen]

Rashida Jones

Dwight Yoakam

These are both a few months old, but I've finally gotten around to scanning them.