Sunday, August 3, 2014

"Dusk", Pastel, 5 1/2" x 10", Painted on Arches hot press watercolor paper, primed with Golden fine pumice gel

I haven't been painting much lately ..... sailing every weekend has been my "escape"). Not a bad thing, but I do miss my pastels. I did this small one about two months ago (has it been *that* long???).

This really is just a sketch, done... quickly while teaching a class. I have to admit it's not my favorite surface to work on, but the more I use it the more I like it for quick sketches. I take my hot press Arches watercolor paper and cut it up into useful sizes for plein air work. I prime it with Golden fine pumice gel to get more tooth, and I usually tone it with pan pastels so I'm not working on a white surface. I have a lot of watercolor paper, and my thinking is if I get a good sketch while plein air painting, at least it's on great quality paper, and it's a good way to use it up. The way I plein air paint, it will take me a long time to use up what I've got.....lol.......

This one was done in the studio though, not plein air.


 
© by Christine DiMauro, all rights reserved


2 comments:

Vanessa Turner said...

945Gorgeous warmth to this piece! What d you find to be the main difference in how you paint between plein air and indoor/studio. Do your techniques change between the two?

Christine DiMauro said...

Thank you Vanessa. For me there is a big difference between the two. It's not so much my technique as it is the time I have in the studio to think things through. I seem to do plein air work by the seat of my pants, whereas in the studio I have the luxury of time. Also, the light doesn't change in the studio, the reference photo stays constant. Plein air doesn't give you that luxury, you're always chasing the light. Actually, my technique suffers when doing plein air...lol.....time is of the essence and things almost never go according to plan. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your nice comments! Happy painting!