#4 Macintosh, Pastel, 6" x 6", painted on Uart 400

An apple a day.....sort of.....

I have a new student that started taking lessons with me this past Saturday. I used my apple series as an opportunity to both add to my series as well as demonstrate some of my techniques. I was taught by a dear friend that if you can paint an apple well, you can paint anything well. Plus, apples aren't so easy. Actually, none of this stuff is......


I used the usual suspects, Terry Ludwig, Mount Vision, Unison and Girault pastels. I toned the paper with pan pastels, not the metallics this time, just the plain old vanilla type...lol....

© by Christine DiMauro, all rights reserved

#3 Golden Delicious, Pastel, 6" x 6", painted on Wallis Pro

An apple a day......sort of.....


I used a mix of Terry Ludwig, Mount Vision, Unison and Girault pastels. I toned the paper with metallic pan pastels again, it adds a fun shimmer to the painting. Not overwhelming, which I particularly like.





© by Christine DiMauro, all rights reserved

An apple a day..... sort of...... Golden Delicious #2, Pastel, 6"x6", Painted on Wallis Pro

Another one in my series An apple a day.....sort of.  

Golden Delicious #2, Pastel, 6" x 6"

Painted on Wallis Pro

Paper toned with Pan Pastels

I used Girault, Mount Vision, Unison, Great American, and Ludwig.

I didn't intend to get so realistic, but I got carried away with the cloth.   I  enjoy painting fabric, the folds are always a challenge.  I also used the metallic Pan Pastels for the background.

   © by Christine DiMauro, all rights reserved 

How important do you think edges are?

A friend on Facebook asked a question about painting fuzzier or more photo realistic.  He thought maybe work done in that style is "more creative, and is more highly regarded".



Here's my take on it:

We all have our own style, and it comes through regardless of our efforts to change it. I'm not a big advocate of trying to change one's style, but I do believe in improvement.  Who doesn't want to improve?  Everyone has room for improvement, even the masters.  That's how they got to be masters, they're always looking to improve.  So, keeping this in mind, I suggest looking at edge work to improve your paintings.  Looking at your edge work won't compromise your style, it will enhance it. Edges are a critical component of any painting.  They are subtle, but managed correctly they are one of the most critical components of composition.  They are often forgotten, but for me they are always on my mind, they are critical to my finished work. I look at my edges probably as much, or even more than my color, and probably as much as my values.  Look at your edges, lost, found, hard, soft. Edges are created in many ways, explore your options.

I love edges, they can make or break a painting, IMHO......

"An apple a day...sort of...." "Pink Lady", Pastel, 6"x6", on Wallis Pro

I was frustrated, wanting to paint, but feeling uninspired. The humble apple always gets me (if there are no pears around...lol...). I think my frustration comes through a bit with this one, the application of pastel is thick and juicy, and that's what I do when I'm frustrated, I apply the pastel heavy.


Also, this was an experiment of sorts. A dear friend of mine gave me three metallic pan pastels (he knew I wanted to give them a try). I toned the paper with some pan pastels, using the copper and gold metallic colors along with the plain janes. After doing the background, I pretty much lost the metallic pans, so I went in again over the sticks with the pans. They are holding pretty well, I must say.

A new series, I'm calling it "An apple a day.....sort of....."
Translation: "An apple a day......sort of......because I know full well I won't be able to paint one every day....., life just gets in the way". That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!


Wallis Pro Sanded Paper toned with Pan Pastels

I used Giraults, Mount Visions, Great Americans, Schmincke and Terry Ludwig pastels. I must say that Ludwig Gray set is indispensable, especially for backgrounds in still life.

© by Christine DiMauro, all rights reserved