The Appalachian Pastel Society is having an Adventures In Pastel contest over the next few months, with a set of Blue Earth pastels as the prize for whoever can complete the most challenges!
Their first challenge was a "before and after". This was to rework a painting with fresh eyes and all the skills you have acquired since putting it aside.
This is my before of "Hay Bales 6" (from 2011 😆can't believe it was still hanging around!)
These are the two reference photos I used. The first is the original reference, which I had enhanced in Photoshop.
To improve boring the composition, I used a secondary reference to change up the background and the character of the front bale. (I also tried to get more diagonals in the flow of the land, but that came out a little more subtle than I was hoping for.)
I
wiped off the entire painting and started from the "ghost" image, used
some Art Spectrum offwhite pigmented ink (which I've found to be an awesome way to get the "white" back into a dull, dark surface!) and my gold primer mix (Golden
brand Quinacridone nickel azo gold fluid acrylic color mixed into Golden
fine pumice gel) and some Art Spectrum terra cotta pastel primer, to
establish the kind of underpainting that I'm used to now, and to get additional texture in more
helpful directions.
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