Off Skiing

Off Skiing, Soft Pastels on Sennelier Pastel Card
Size 11 x 15 inches
Artist's Collection

For this, I used a reference photograph of my son I took in the studio a couple of weeks ago. He'd just returned from a skiing holiday, so the hat and scarf seemed apt. I love the way the turquoise of the hat brought out a similar colour in his eyes.

I don't normally crop for my head portraits, but this really called for it - Those shapes would have been so much less interesting if they'd been allowed to remain whole.

I am really happy with the palette I chose - the deep red, turquoise and yellow ochre. And although I used a lot of greys on the skin, I think the variety of other colours keep it fresh and I believe the whole thing fits.

I hope to create more of this style in the very near future.

Honey

Honey is drawn from a picture I took of her in the studio. We experimented with all sorts of lighting. The photo I chose is this one where she took a very natural pose in a window recess between shoots. We took a flash over to her and held a reflector on the other side. This asymmetric lighting is just what I need for drawing - rather than the usual lighting you may use in a studio which eliminates all shadow. I love the way there's a natural kink to Honey's hair and I captured this with careful study of the light and dark tones, bringing in occasional single hairs to remind us of the texture.

Max

As mentioned yesterday - I just love to catch that shine in the hair that describes the shape of the head. I tried to capture this here, along with a little of the texture in Max's cropped hair.

Max, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
Available to buy as a canvas print and a greeting card.

When shooting for this portrait we experimented with various poses and lighting. The photo I chose to draw captures this twelve year old boy, who is generally nothing but sweet and lovely, with a look of insolence - possibly a glimpse of the future. The tagline I used on my website perhaps says it best: 'Twelve Year Old Boy - That Elusive Moment Between Innocence and Insolence'.