Armchair travelling

January Road Trip, pastel on paper, 16 x 16 cm

It felt great to light my log burner, open my new box of extra fine Jaxell pastels, find a few objects (some new charity shop Christmas present finds) and some paper and fabric so I could create a world or even a story... all by myself, all day. 

I sized both sides of the paper and then gessoed one side before tinting the 'drawing window' with some ultramarine, yellow ochre and pastel ground. I was too impatient to locate my erasers (rubbers in the UK) so used the one on my crossword pencil when the pastel got too thick. 

I wanted to have a good first drawing experience of 2019.  I have done a few quick sketches in between things, but this is truly the first opportunity to do anything sustained for weeks. As you can imagine, this didn't draw itself at all.  As usual I nearly gave up a few times but eventually I began to feel I knew the objects and they were beginning to speak to each other.  At first the colours were a bit too bold for my goal  - to create lush but subdued colour.  Layers and patience prevailed.

Changing Rooms a Change of Weather

From Ben's Room, pastel on paper 16 x 16 cm

Another sketch wedged into my day.  This time it was almost 4pm and I moved my easel to Ben's room. The light was gorgeous and I didn't take a photo of the scene when I began. (note to self, always take a before, during and after picture). The light cut ribbons across the grass.  It was moving but I was nearly keeping up with it … that is until the fog rolled in and the light disappeared and everything flattened.  I continued drawing because I hadn't solved the trees.  There is more that I wasn't able to look at again and compare but suddenly it was nearly 6pm and what I was looking at was nothing like what I had started with.