Moody Wildflowers Mini Pastel Demo

'In the Mood for Lace'              8x10             pastel            ©Karen Margulis
painting available $125

I couldn't resist. I had to take a break from packing and organizing to pick up a pastel and paint. Wildflowers have been on my mind as I get ready for my demo at IAPS. I am excited about having the opportunity to share my tips and techniques for painting wildflowers in the landscape at IAPS (there are still a few openings and if you are registered you can sign up at the convention)

I took some progress shots of today's painting. It is on Multimedia Artboard that I covered with clear gesso. I like the texture of the gesso. I apply it with a gesso brush using random strokes.

Next I block in the painting with some violets. I want a moody feeling to the painting and purple does a good job setting the mood I want.

I use some pipe insulation foam to rub in my pastel layers. Then I do a rough drawing to indicate where the flowers will be. I use a Nupastel for the drawing.

I use a variety of greens and rusts to begin layering the grasses and blocking in the flowers.

Next I paint the sky. I choose a few pale violets and blues that are the same value to create the moody sky. I add more greens to the flowers. I use blue violate to block in some distant flower heads.
From this point it is just a matter of refining the flowers and adding the grasses. I choose to make a few of the flowers stand out from the crowd. I decide I needed to add some more purple flowers. They weren't in my reference but the painting needed them.

Painting on the textured board is different. You don't have as much control. That is a good thing when painting wildflowers. It is easier to suggest texture and detail on the rough surface.