Pastels #1 and #2

After years of collecting pastels, scribbling a few marks on paper, wrinkling my nose in disgust at the mess and results, and putting the pastels away for another time, I have decided to give them a serious try. As I suspected, I am faced with a big learning curve on the mechanics of pastels. Yikes!

Here are my first two attempts. My focus was on applying the pastels, not the drawings.



My first try on the right side of Canson Mi-Teintes. Too rough for me at this time, but it was fun to see what happened with the pastels. I had never tried actual objects before (seriously, only 2-second color scribbles before), and building the layers is interesting.



My second try is on the wrong side of Canson Mi-Teintes. It's rougher than it feels to finger-touch, but I am much happier with the surface.

These are not keepers, but there is enough in them for me to try more, and my pastel collection is no longer pristine!

These were for the Pastel Strokes February 2009 at WetCanvas!