Friday, February 19, 2010

Latest commission - Peter the Red

Peter the Red
8x10 inches
Soft pastel and pan pastels on Pastelmat
Not much to report today. The Pastelmat used in this portrait really is a joy to work with and I would be interested to hear if anyone else has tried it and what their thoughts might be. I am keen to try some pet portraits on this surface to see whether it is suitable for fur. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend and be back soon!!!! :)

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Well done Karen, greta colours and good job on the teeth!

Mona Diane Conner said...

A beautiful pastel portrait, Karen. It reminds me I must order pastelmat so I can try it out too!! Do you feel that it really holds the pastel onto the board as well as I have read about, or have you felt it still important to apply fixative?

Unknown said...

Thank you heaps Sam - I so appreciate your comments!!!!
Mona, I really do feel it holds onto the pastel well - certainly much better than velour. I did fix this portrait after doing the dark collar, and before doing the background, because I didn't want any dark dust transferring to the other areas, otherwise I think you could easily get away with no fixative. It is the best surface I've ever tried by far and I'll be interested to see what you think because your pastels are beautiful!!!

Unknown said...

Beautiful work Karen. superb job. The teeth, eyes and well everything is perfect.

I haven't tried the pastels yet. only have a handful but they will be enough to try.
I also have some pastel pencils but I am not sure about them.

Great Job .

Autumn Leaves said...

Gosh, it is eerie how much this man's eyes look like my brother's. Another beautiful portrait, Karen. I love seeing people through your eyes; always a beautiful sight.

Mona Diane Conner said...

thanks Karen, looking forward to trying it out.

Unknown said...

Thank you Dors for all your wonderful, generous comments.
I have quite a few pastels, but find I use my pastel pencils the most, because I feel like I have more control. I think the pastels would be great for a freer style which is something I can't seem to master.
What a lovely comment Sherry - thank you so very much!!!!

Gary Keimig said...

very well done Karen.
I continue to see such great work being done with colored pencil adn pastels. I may have to try it one day.

Unknown said...

I know what you mean Gary - I see amazing works done by other artists (including yourself) in different mediums and get such itchy feet to go and try them, but then we do tend to go back to what we know and are most comfortable with. That's one of the reasons these blogs are so wonderful!!!

Carol Andre' said...

Great portrait Karen- but I expect nothing less from you than fabulous at this point!
BTW- thanks for the last post you made on my blog. Life can be unkind sometimes and for whatever reason support from others seems to help. I will keep you in my prayers too- I understand (obviously) what you must have gone thru with your dad. May life treat you kindly in the future and bring you many, many joys.

Unknown said...

Thank you for your beautiful, kind words Carol - you are definitely in my thoughts and prayers in the coming months and years. Dad was sick for 8 years, and it is a challenging road - it does help to talk about it too I think. xx