Apple and Grapes (WIP)

Posted on by Tracy Bezesky

I found my subjects in the fridge crisper. I made an underpainting of watercolor crayons, worked in with a brush, on this 5×7″ canvas board. I didn’t really want to use the canvas board because it’s so coarse, but it was the only thing I had that size.

I laid in the first layer of oil pastel. Worked it in with a paper stump, Since the canvas is coarse, it would be faster to paint it, but I’ve done that before. This is an experiment with oil pastel. I will ignore the stems for now.

The holes are filled now, the surface is very smooth. I used Neopastel, a harder oil pastel first. I haven’t gotten to the lights yet. The canvas surface worked better than I expected, it has the look of oil paint in person.

Yellow Rose (Final)

Posted on by Tracy Bezesky

I made some shading adjustments in the bottom petals. Changed the shape of the petal to the far right to be more pleasing, eventhough that’s not how it looked. Adjusted the color in the background to be warmer, and not distract from the rose. Oil Pastels on 8×10″ hardboard.

Yellow Rose in Pastel (WIP)

Posted on by Tracy Bezesky

Nearly finished, I have a few adjustments to make. Now that I have gotten more adapted to using this surface I like it, and I like the smooth look. Still, I want to try something with more tooth to see if I like it better, although i think smooth is a benefit for a rose. I have found that blending the first layer of Neopastels with a blending stump, and then going over it with the softer Sennelier Oil Pastels gets the best results. Oil Pastel on Sanded Masonite 8×10″

Yellow Rose in Pastel (WIP)

Posted on by Tracy Bezesky

Second sitting of Yellow Rose. I have the Rose done for the most part, but there are a few things I need to adjust. Sometimes I don’t see them until I take this photo. This surface, sanded masonite is just a little too smooth, and dark. I’m still trying out substrates. Neopastel on sanded masonite, 8×10″.

Yellow Rose in Pastel (WIP)

Posted on by Tracy Bezesky

This is a Yellow Rose from my garden, the one with magenta edges is my favorite color of rose to paint. I thought I would do one in Neopastels on a coarsly sanded piece of raw acid-free hardboard 8×10″. I like this surface it’s like working on sanded brown paper. The different petals show various stages of application.

Landscape in Varying Mediums (WIP)

Posted on by Tracy Bezesky

How would a landscape look rendered in three different material combinations, varying mediums and substrate? For now I am interested in clouds because of the limited colors I have available in some media. Plus, I just like clouds. 🙂

First Layer, Sennelier Oil Pastels on Brown Canson Paper 10×13″

First Layer, Neopastels on Brown Canson Paper 10×13″

First layer, NeoColorII (watersoluble crayon) on a white Pastelbord (masonite with sandpaper like ground) 11×14″ This layer is an underpainting for oil pastel.

Maybe I should paint one in Acrylic on Gessobord or Canvas Panel too? and/or a hard and soft pastel version on Pastelbord?

Female Nude from Life (WIP)

Posted on by Tracy Bezesky

I took a smaller piece of paper with me to Life Drawing Group, and used pastel pencils. This is what I got done tonight. A standing pose is more challenging with proportions, especially the hips in this case. Next I will do the shading. I roughly mark where the shadows and highlights are, and I’ll finish the work at home without the model.