Still messing about with pastels. I cut down a sheet into 3 long formats and did a few sketches on each portion. This, above, is a spring scene looking away from the Leeds to Liverpool canal in Burscough Lancashire. The Lancashire plane spread out before you and the new growth pushing upward into the warm, still, morning air.
At the other end of the seasons – harvest time and more of the Lancashire plane, but this time around Little Crosby which is on the northern outskirts of Liverpool, for the second painting in the series.
And finally, one regulars might recognise. I posted a watercolour of this a few weeks back with the sun momentarily glimpsing the rain sodden fields. I must admit the tonal contrasts were easier with the pastel.
Other landscapes are available for sale on my new website ( getting there -though still under construction) grahammcquadefineart.com
Graham, Those pastels are looking fabulous, I really like the detail you’ve managed to keep in them, I quite often find that pastels end up smudgy and ill defined. Great job.
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Thanks Warren. I find big is best with pastel. Too small and you end up with smudges as you say. I did struggle with the harvest scene. Having shards of pastel also helps to complete details as well as a set of pastel pencils..
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I love them, especially the second one, harvest time, the sense of depth is great and I love the details in the foreground
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Thanks Suzanne. I had the most difficulty with that one because of the detail you mentioned. Did you spot the pheasant in the fore ground among the stubble?
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I like them all. The panorama format really feels different. I realise that in each of the scenes the bold mid-ground crossing the scene (a strip of exposed red soil) makes the composition really interesting.
I sometimes add pastel on watercolour to add contrast and I felt it was ok (e.g., this one: https://ykcrafts.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/recolored-hanging-on/).
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Thanks Yul. I remember that painting of yours. I think I commented on it at the time. One of the best practitioners of pastel on watercolour I know of is a guy called James Bartholomew who lives in these parts and did some demos for me when I was running a painting club. He has won national prizes for his seascapes – check him out. When he says watercolour – he actually uses gouache.
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I just checked out his website. It’s great! And I can see that it would be gouache rather than watercolour for his works. Thank you so much for the recommendation, Graham!
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I Do like the panoramic format. Most effective 🌺
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Nice paintings of fields, they are very dramatic landscapes!
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