Step by Step Pastel Painting

Here is the step by step painting of a stethoscope I have worked on between work and school :)  Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think!

First I added all of the colors I saw in the photo in an underpainting.  I love beginning bright and vibrantly, and I think that when the painting is finished, those colors really help the painting pop!

Then I began adding some lighter colors that reflect closer to the colors of the skin and shirt in the reference photo I was using.

 Then I began blending and working on the shadows in the skin cast by the shirt and by the anatomy.  I also was trying to set the stage for the stethoscope to be added by putting in the shadow of it before I added it.

I was also working on the colors in the shirt and trying to get the light to cast correctly while keeping some of the vibrant colors.

 Now the moment of truth! Adding in the stethoscope.  I was nervous about this part because if I didn't do it right, correcting the underpating would be hard and it would lose the fluidity.

 I decided the stethoscope needed to be bigger that I had made it base on the rest of the scale.  But I was able to do it without muddying up the background.  I enjoyed adding lots of color to the head of the stethoscope to reflect its shape.

 Finally I added shading on the shirt and in the stethoscope to make it more rounded. And it is done :) I thoroughly enjoyed completing it!  Also below is my new piece that I have just started on!! The underpainting is in progress!

It's been a while...

It has been a while.  The school semesters and this summer have been gruelingly busy.  However I have been working here and there on a couple pieces.  Here they are :)

The picture above is a sunset over Lake Travis in Austin, TX  I really had fun with this one because it is on a new surface.  Colourfix paint (black) on gatorboard foam.  An artist friend gave it so me to try.  It has a lot of tooth and I really enjoyed using it.  Here is a picture when I had just started layering colors...

I am going to put the step-by-step pictures of the other painting I've worked on in another post :)