Ranch Road #21

"Ranch Road #21"  (pastel, 8x10 in)  click here to bid

I usually try to work in at least one landscape demo in my pastel workshop. Here's the one I did this week. I do so few landscapes that I don't really have a consistent method. I usually underpaint landscapes with watercolor on a white sanded paper, or pastel washed in with denatured alcohol. For this one I stayed consistent with the rest of the workshop which was showing the students my warm-toned pastel primer underpainting.

See the progress:

 First a quick sketch of the main lines of the composition, then a couple more layers of the gold pastel primer. This is Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold fluid acrylic color mixed into Golden (brand) Fine Pumice Gel. The gel is clear, so the color mixture is semi-transparent, and gets darker on each application.
(The initial layer of gold I usually spread across large pieces of Gatorboard, then cut to the size needed.)

 Followed by a layer of the Art Spectrum (brand) Pastel Primer in the terra cotta color. I lay it into the darkest areas, then scrub and dry-brush it into the medium values of the gold to continue the value scale and add more depth to the monochromatic underpainting.

 I discovered recently that the Art Spectrum primers, mostly opaque colors, can be a little bit transparent if applied with a slightly damp sponge. I've been using this technique a lot lately to help extend the value range of my underpaintings.

 Then comes the pastel...

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