Finally, the orchids are done!

So here they are, orchids on burgundy Colorfix pastel paper and orchids on white Stonehenge.

This is the first time I have done this. Here we have the same artist, using the same image, creating the pieces at the same time, with the same techniques and the same pencils. I went back to the pastel paper one and tweaked some of the things that irritated me. At first, I was sure I would prefer the Stonehenge version but I have to admit that the pastel paper image has grown on me quite a bit.

Working on the pastel paper piece was a bit faster. I thought it would take me much longer to do the Stonehenge piece but it didn't. It would have made more of a difference if the paintings had been bigger in size. If I had attempted to create a dark background on the Stonehenge it would have taken me much longer. I have already written my thoughts on working on the sanded pastel surface. Suffice to say that at the time it felt like I wasn't able to get the detail that I wanted and I also felt that my style was looser. What is humorous to me is the fact that in the end, the two pieces look so similar.

In my opinion, the dark one looks richer and more dramatic. It definitely gets your attention in the 'across the room' test. This impact disappears when daylight starts to fade. In a normally lit room, the dark piece doesn't stand out near as well as it does in the daytime and you definitely lose the detail. This effect was brought up earlier in a comment that Cindy Haase made. Lighting is very important if you are displaying dark pieces. The one on Stonehenge looks more delicate and perhaps less intense. It does look great in normal house lighting in the evening.

In the end, not exactly the dramatic difference I expected between the two versions. It just comes down to personal preference. I like them both! This has been an interesting experiment with some surprises along the way. Why not try this yourself? Challenge yourself to work outside your box , (the pastel paper was 'getting outside the box' for me) and maybe you will be surprised too!

I have the April issue of my newsletter just about ready to post. I am attending an art conference tomorrow so the issue will probably get out tomorrow night. I shall let you know and of course I will report back on the conference.