Pastel Paper Orchids

Well, here it is...The picture is a bit dark.

My thoughts after working on this piece: first of all, working on coloured paper sure speeds things up a lot. Second, pastel paper is faster as it won't accept many layers of pigment. I liked the fact that you could erase pigment with an eraser. I also liked the fact that you could layer a light layer over a dark layer. For example if I happened to get something too dark I could just go over it with a lighter pencil and the dark bit would be covered.

I don't like the sheen that is on the surface. You can only see this in person and you have to be very close to the art but still...

I love detail and working with this paper frustrated me at times. The gritty surface just doesn't allow fine lines.

I tried the technique of using a stiff bristle brush on areas of applied pigment. I wasn't keen on the technique or the results. I think I will leave this to Linda Hardy and others who do this really well!!
( www.lindahardy.com) About halfway through this piece I started to care less about the final outcome and only finished it to gain the experience. There are things that need to be fixed but this is as far as I am going with it. It is definitely not my best work but I did enjoy getting outside of my usual way of working box.

I have used Ampersand Pastelbord and loved working on that surface so I will order some of this from an on-line supplier. It isn't available here in Ottawa. I enjoyed working on the coloured surface so I will work on one again, just not on this brand of paper. On to the next piece...