Sunday, October 22, 2017

October Dust

Cool Morning, pastel, 5.5x8" field study, Diane Mannion

October Pastels!
Me!  Pasteling at Punta Gorda History Park with the Peace River Painters.
Thanks to Sharon Yarbrough for photo.

Limited myself to Canson Mi-Teintes, horizontal format 5.5x8" and mostly Nupastels for the Gail Sibley's How To Pastel October Challenge, 31 Pastels in 31 Days.  #31in31HTP.  

Found limitations extremely useful for field studies and sketching.  Was amazed at how much could be achieved with simple supplies!  My backpack was much lighter.

Never blended with fingers!!!
Once in awhile, used rubbing alcohol to blend underpainting or first pastel layer.  
 Blended with another pastel stick, or a bit of paper towel, or a synthetic brush.

Discovered how rapidly information could be gathered for future studio paintings.  Found it even faster than watercolor and gouache.  Was able to do about two studies in a morning and somedays three or four a day, so the challenge went quite fast.  Once the 31 mark was passed… didn't want to stop!  Will continue using pastel for small sketches and studies in the field.  And also watercolor and gouache, and oils of course.  Can't have enough fun!
30 of many more!
 Fishery Cottage, field study
 Angels from Greenwood Cemetery photo ref.
 Angels became a mini series in this challenge.
 Caspersen Beach, field study
 Surf study from ref
 Chadwick Boats.  Rain, sat under car hatch…auto painting!
 Chadwick Canal, ref and fantasy
 Super angel!
 Fishery View, field study
My setup, Moleskine thumbnail sketchbook, mini box of NuPastels
 Fishing for Gold, North Jetty, Nokomis with Lightchasers plein air.  Darn happy with this one!
 Caspersen again, water doesn't hold still!
 History Park, field study
 Caspersen, field study and photo ref
 Larry, from life, Venice Art Center

 North Jetty, field sketch and photo finish
 Used photo ref but mostly from imagination, Stump Pass
 Guardian Pastel Angel
 History Park, field study
 Tom, life study, Ringling model
 Caspersen, field study
 Happy with this study from an oil plein air I painted in Maine!
 Frank, from life, Venice Art Center
 Stump Pass, photo ref and imagination and visual memory
 Caspersen field study… hated it but like it a lot now.
 Quick field study, used that guys head to connect bottom to top of drawing.
 Figure drawing, Ringling Englewood model
 2 10 minute poses
 20 minute pose, sleepy model
20 minute pose… I like this one!  Less is more.
 Dunes on Venice Beach, Cool Morning… one of my favorites!
Fishery building.  Had to yell at a guy who parked in my view, twice!


So that's how the dust's flying in October… and it's not over yet.
Thanks for scrolling this far down!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

WOW!!
And October is not over yet.. Some wonderful work... Makes me want to get those pastels off the shelf and give them a good try. thank you for sharing your wonderful work.

Diane Mannion said...

Thank you so much for your kind comment, Nancy! Yes, plenty of time left in October… hope you'll dust off those sticks and scribble away. Something good always happens during these challenges. Really helps to focus on new possibilities, experiment, keep it small and have fun. Diane