Welcome to this weeks challenge!
This week I have a mixed bag of pictures. I hope everyone will find something of interest.
This challenge is open to everyone of all abilities and we love to see new members join in. This challenge is for you to challenge yourself, not against others.
Please enter with pencil, charcoal, pen or colour pencil. (drawing mediums)
All the photos are taken by me or my husband. Your welcome to use them for this challenge.
I look forward to seeing your entries over the next week.
Your Host
Paulette

[attachmentid=5338][attachmentid=5339]

[attachmentid=5340][attachmentid=5341]

[attachmentid=5342][attachmentid=5343]

[attachmentid=5344][attachmentid=5345]

Hi Paulette,

great challenge , I thought I would try a quick sketch of the Swan....sure was fun.

Hi Brian,
Great job of the swan. He's a curious little guy.
Paulette

I'm going to attempt the kids on the beach. This will be an experiment though I know the girl's face and forshortened hand are going to be very difficult. But here at least is my gridded drawing... so if I don't succeed at least you'll know it wasn't from want of trying.

[attachmentid=5373]

Hi Rose,
It looks like a good start. I thought this might attract attention from the figure drawing people, if they had time.

I don't know how far I'll be able to take this so I'm saving the savable. I'll keep up the updates as long as it keeps working... I have a feeling I might have to wave the white flag at some point.

[attachmentid=5374]

Brian nice drawing and for a sketch wow .
Rose I love the single boy ... could hang that easy in a home large print alone on a wall .. very nice

I guess half of it is done, though this was the relatively easier half. When I finish it, if I finish it, I'll tell you what the experiment was.

Looking good Rose.
It's pastel you're using.
What kind of paper are you using? Looks redish brown.
Is that better for this kind of media?
Love your drawing so far.

Nice pictures Paulette
I will try to find time to participate.

Patience, patience Mech... I'll tell you when I finish.

Another little update....I'm starting to hope to pull it off!

Wow Rose,
This is looking great!
Paulette

Rose I think you are doing a great job .. I too tried that one and I am waiting for my husband to scan it for me .

Dang I think I did pull it off!!

This was a totally crazy project from start to finish. To begin with it's tiny - just 8x8 so getting in all the detail was murder. It's mostly pastel pencils with some sticks for the larger areas. And the support... that's the carziest part. I did this on the finest industrial sandpaper I could find... hence the odd reddish brown Mecharver!

I know it probably won't last since it's not an acid free support but believe me it's lovely to work with... it takes the pastels so smoothly and also takes several layers. Now knowing how good sanded paper is I might finally pluck up the courage to use the Senellier La Carte I had shipped from the States and which cost me an arm and a leg. La Carte is not cheap to start with and I had to pay an added 60% in shipping and customs.... and it's also a dangerous paper - the least bit of moisture, even a little spittle as you blow away the dust in a moment of distraction and your painting is kaput!!

So here are my kids on the beach (the scanning tends to pick up too much black... the boy's shorts are not so uniformly black as they appear here but this is the best I could do... maybe tomorrow I'll take another picture of it in the daylight.)

[attachmentid=5388]

Rose a very nice finish .. I agree also this was a challenging picture .. my detail got a bit lost but it was so much fun doing .

sandpaper? really ? I'm really impressed ...is this a tried and true method ? I really need some details on this Rose when you have a moment .Beautiful work Rose!







That's great too Kim !!!! You guys amaze me and I have been so strapped for time lately that I haven't been able to do the challeges as much as I have wanted.

Rose - how wonderful - good for you to jump in and try something new. Its my understanding that even though you can use sandpaper with pastels, it isn't acid free so who knows how long it will last????? The painting is really fantastic. Good figure drawing too! LOL I recently bought a piece of LaCarte 24x20 inches and it cost about $10.00 - pretty pricey stuff. But I haven't used it yet.

Rose,
How cool! I can't believe it is only 8x8. You did a great job.

Kim,
Great job! I am so bummed out, I had the young lady in the picture here tonight, I meant to check before she left to see if Rose was done so I could show it to her. Here I missed the opportunity to show her two beautiful pictures.

Mercharver and Artfix,
I hope you find some time to join in.

Yes Tim it is. I just went to the hardware store and asked for the finest sandpaper they had. I remember a time when sandpaper used to be a sort of fawn colour but apparently they only make them reddish brown these days. And I had to get the wet and dry type because the dry kind used for wood only comes in narrow rolls now. This is the only sheet I could find.

Tried and true? Well no, I don't know. I'm sure the paper itself will last an eternity but I have no idea what it will do to the pigments. Only time will tell - if we are both still around I'll let you know in twenty years time! Of course the other disadvantage to sandpaper is the size. They never come very big. But as a surface it is really excellent for pastels. I haven't worked with any other support that gave me such a smooth lay down with so much adhesion.


Joanie: If you paid $10 for your La Carte I must have paid $16! - oh the joy of living on a small island! I thought it was worth it at the time since I figured a 24x18 sheet would give me four sheets of the size I normally use.... but even then, $4 for a 9x12 is still steep. My four sheets of La Carte are still in the packaging they came in lying on top of my closet unused. But once I figure out how to blow the dust off without using Rosepower (i.e. blowing on it myself and risking getting spittle on it - it happens to the best of us you now ) I'm sure I shall want to use it. I just hope it's as good as it is reputed to be .... and as good as the sandpaper!

Rose - I have the solution for you........................you don't have to use Rosepower anymore!!! Here is what I did. I went to the department store (Walmart here) in the baby department or maybe in the pharmacy department there is a plastic bulb type gadget that is used to remove mucus from a baby's nose when they are tiny and can't blow their noses yet. They are very cheap, under $2. I use it to blow the dust away instead of blowing it myself. Also, you probably know this already, but if you put your picture on an easel and tilt it forward slightly, the dust will fall on the floor or table.

I'm just amazed Rose I use sandpaper everyday and would never have thought to use it for this purpose.I know the fawn coloured sandpaper very well...lol if you use the really coarse stuff you colud pretend it was a rocky beach

Fantastic job Rose.
Sandpaper... wow... who would have thought of that but you.
You are amazing. I sure hope for you that it will last. I don't think that the sand paper will react with the pastel. It should be pretty neutral.
Then again, I've been wrong before. Any way, good luck and bravo for a job well done.

Kim
You did a lovely picture also. I like it a lot.
Bravo to you Kim.

Thank you Mech and I hope you are right. It is a rather sweet little drawing.

here is my challenge for this week....its the first time i used soft pastels and wow what a mess....and it kinda destroyed my pic....but here it is anyways lol[attachmentid=5422]

Laurie,
It looks to me like you got the kids pretty good. (the picture is a little small). I would have to say for a first time using something new, you did a good job.
Paulette

Laurie, it helps when you are using soft pastels to use a workable fixative for them, that way it holds the chalk and is less messy. Just blow off the access chalk first before spraying and it will leave the major details to your paintings.

Rose, I have heard of the sandpaper for soft pastels. Infact, I learned of it and other techniques in on of my study units a while back ago. Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten around to buying a set of them that are in form of pencil yet (cause I hate the feel of chalk). One of these days I am going to do it cause I look at your fantastic pictures and am always awestruck with how beautiful they are, and I bet I can do killer flowers with them!!!

Okay everyone, this is the end of the week if you have any pictures post them here. I will still check to see if anything is added after this week. Check out your pictures here.
We have a first time host, Nancy B, she will be posting her challenge this weekend. Please check out her challenge.
Paulette

Laurie ... I love your drawing ....not every drawing has to be perfect and look just like the picture .. you have made this your own and I think you did a very good job