I’ve had such a busy few weeks getting ready for a couple of exhibitions. The Pastel Society of Ireland have their big 25th Annual Exhibition on at the moment in Belfast and it looks spectacular. I’m very happy to have 4 pieces in this. I’m also gearing up for the weekend when my two ‘man’ show with a fellow pastellist starts. It’ll be the most amount of my work I’ve ever seen in one venue so I’m looking forward to that!
This piece is something I wanted to get done in time and I’ve just about managed it!
Hope you enjoy following the progress!
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The finished painting ‘Portballintrae Bay’ 27″x19″ Pastel on velour |
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My photo reference. I joined 2 photos together to create the panorama effect. |
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Starting to define the cloud shapes |
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Most blending is done with my fingers. |
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I’ve blocked in some of the darks with a Faber Castell black stick. This will create the depth when I layer on the lighter tones. |
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I’ll work my way from the horizon line forward. I’ve blocked in a sandy pink which will shine through the water as the sand beneath the surface does. |
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Working on the small details of where the sea meets the beach. Using some lovely Unison sea greens and greys. |
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Building up the sea tones gradually. The lip of each wave gets a good bright highlight and I’ll dot some bits of white over these at the end to give little sparkles off the water. |
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Close up section of the finished painting. I love the drama in this sky and the velour is perfect for creating the soft blend. |
Hope you enjoyed my progress. If you are in Northern Ireland between the 19th and 26th April please call into Gallery 1608 in Bushmills to see this and many of my pieces in person..
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Its just beautiful Emma. I only wish I could come and see your show. I bought some velour paper from Australia since I can't source it here in New Zealand, but I can't get the hang of it and I haven't come across anyone else who uses it here either – why oh why don't you just live down the road so I can come for some lessons! lol, Julie (New Zealand).
Hi Julie, I wish you lived closer too! Although I think I'd prefer to come to New Zealand 😉
Do keep trying with the velour. I found it so difficult to work with at the start too. Most of my material isn't great for teaching beginners on the velour as I speed things up a lot and haven't really ventured into proper 'lessons'. Check out Vic Bearcroft on Facebook. He suggested velour to me years ago and is the master at teaching it. He has books worldwide with proper lessons and has put real thought into how best to explain it and show you. I'll help with any advice I can too. Good luck!
Beautiful painting and I loved seeing the different stages of your painting.
Hi Mary, thanks for the great feedback! It takes me little extra effort to document my progress and I find it a helpful way to evaluate as I go. Best wishes, Emma