Pastel update

I've been plugging away at the pastel drawing of the stone arch and its taking shape. Its been many many many years since I've worked in pastel so its a bit of a journey of discovery as I remember what pastels can achieve and how they are applied. The drawing is done on mi-tientes paper with a combination of pastels - most of which are so old that I don't even know the brand name anymore. I think a birthday treat of a new box of pastels is on my cards...

Then getting a photograph of progress is the other challenge. I tried these photos in early morning light with additional overhead lighting but they're still not good. I will have to set up a good lighting corner just to photograph artwork especially during the winter months. Neither of these photos show the true colours of the pastels, which becomes a bit frustrating to say the least!

Just as I was browsing websites on pastel artists, I discovered that Dianna Ponting will be holding an online pastel class in WetCanvas beginning on March 5th. I love it when the right thing happens at the right time. Dianna is a self taught artist who has worked her way up through the ranks to become the first artist in Canada to be recognized with the distinction of both Premier Pastellist of Canada and Master Pastellist Artist of Canada along with the designation of Senior Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and a signature member of the Pastel Society of America. I would love to take one of her workshops in person, but for now I will make time to participate in this one and see how much I've forgotten about pastel and what new tips I can pick up.