Walking with grandpa. New pastel portrait.

There was no break from the studio over the 4th of July Holiday weekend.  Well, maybe a little break for boating and fireworks, and of course, food, but I did start on a new portrait commission!

Where it began...

I'm working with Nupastel on a brick-red piece of Colorfix paper, approx. 19" x 26".  I thought the deep red color of the paper would really make all of the turquoise in the little girl's dresses and grandpa's shirt "pop". 

I will create a step-by-step video when I am finished with the portrait, but until then, here is where I am right now.  I'm trying to develop the whole surface at once, making sure the values in the sky, greenery, and figures are all relating correctly to each other.

I love how the curve of the walkway and the fencing lead you into the space.  I think khaki pants are one of my favorite pieces of clothing to create in pastel...every color I pick up, I find a spot of it in grandpa's legs! 

When picking out a photo to work from with my client, we looked thru a bunch of options that might be considered more typical portrait photos of the girls and their grandpa.  But when we talked about this photo, my client couldn't help but get excited, talking about how she is always taking photos of her kids walking together.  Hearing her talk about it helped me encourage her to select this precious moment for a drawing. 

You can view more of my Custom Portraits in my Fine Art on Etsy shop.