Oh No! Not Another Landscape!
Yessiree, it’s time for another landscape. Just because they’re my weakest subject (right after algebra) is no reason not to do them. Practice makes perfect, right?
I still need a rough idea of where things are going to go, so I start with a sketch using soft vine charcoal. It’s easy to brush it out of sanded paper, and I’ve had problems covering pencil marks with soft pastel.
Sketch using soft vine charcoal.
Next is the underpainting or block-in. It establishes the largest general shapes using color. This one is dry, so I’ll use my handy-dandy can of Krylon workable fixative on it because I don’t want the next layer of color to blend with what’s underneath.
One of these days I’m going to remember I’ve got a bottle of alcohol in the studio, and use it on that first layer. Underpaintings take a whole lot less pastel than dry block-ins.
Establish the largest shapes using the side of the pastel.
Not all pastel papers can get wet. La Carte, made by Sennelier and Mi Tientes from Canson are two that come to mind. Both Wallis and Art Spectrum can be used with water or alcohol.
This is too ugly to leave like this, so it’s one more layer before I go.
Okay, it’s still ugly but I’d like to not ruin it with strange color choices like I did with the last landscape. This time I’m trying to pay more attention to some basic rules of aerial perspective, and get the colors right the first time.
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