Pastel from photographs

20 05, 12 Filed in: Pastel

I had seen many women in their colorful Saris working in the fields. I had a nice photo of a woman out in a wheat field, but I wanted to add a little more to the setting, so I included a raised tiger shelter that herdsman slept in.

I chose Deep Ultra Colourfix Paper from Art Spectrum and made a rough sketch of what I wanted to portray.
I started on the sky area first, laying in some light blues and some greens. I brushed these down with water to get a smoother look. I also put in some of the color on the hut, and added more defined (not brushed with water) bushes. Next I worked on the wheat, using many different yellow, orange and green pastels to add depth to the fields. I did not rub these colors in since I wanted the dark blue paper to show through.
The figure was the next to be painted. I decided that some purplish colors would contrast nicely with the yellows and oranges of the wheat. It was challenging to try to achieve the correct level of detail for the woman's features since she is seen from a distance.