Face #16

9X12" pastel

This face attracted me because of the passionate emotion it was expressing and the challenge of accurately drawing the mouth. I decided to use red as the main color, because I wanted to highlight the passion of the expression. The pastel was my chosen medium, because I wanted to try out a new type of pastel paper that is similar to a very fine sandpaper. I am very pleased with the result and am looking forward to doing some more pastel paintings with other subjects.

Face #15

8X10" Charcoal on pastel paper

Chiaroscurro--I learned this technique from a drawing class. Cover the paper with charcoal, then "draw" with an eraser. I didn't like this technique when I first tried it, but I was glad that I tried it again. The drawing did not take long at all, but I learned a great deal from it. This technique highlights the tremendous tonal range (lights and darks) that is available to the artist. I don't take advantage of this as much as I could. This particular face showed me just how far I can push things if I want to.