Figure Drawing in the Garden. Paradise was HOT.

WOW I think it was like 94 degrees and 100% humidity today in Atlanta!  Perfect day to draw outside, right?  When you have the chance to draw a beautiful woman in a beautiful garden...the answer is YES!

I was working on the pastel sketch above (Nupastel on blue Colorfix paper), thinking I was done, of course it could have just been the heat and the mimosa kicking in, so I walked around to check out everyone else's progress.

H. had a lovely pallete, and really captured the beautiful gesture of the model's hand, as well as the subtle gaze towards the water.

B. works in almost an opposite approach - he layers in darker pastel with bright colors and highlights on top.  He always aims for a full composition - one where all elements are considered.  In such a complex setting, that is not easy!

So after my little walk around, I got back to work, defining a bit more of the bridge over the koi pond and deciding on the final direction of the light and shadow, which had changed quite a bit from begining to end.

After a delicious lunch (thanks B!!!) we headed back out to the garden for about an hour of drawing.  Even in the shade with a light breeze, it was still VERY hot!

This was an equally lovely pose, with a teasing light that peaked in and out of the clouds every few minutes.  Working with Nupastels again on a mossy green piece of colorfix paper, I first blocked in the large shapes with various shades of purple, then slowly added in blues, reds and oranges.

I tried to save the high light shapes until the very end, knowing that they would keep changing as the sun moved.  My husband likes this piece better than the first one...I haven't picked a favorite!   I think I need to look at them both in the studio for a little while, making sure I have a good sense of light and tweak the colors if needed.

Drawing the figure in an outdoor setting is a totally different experience than drawing in a studio, and one that I highly recommend!