Pastel sketch of a Cow Skull

  

Charcoal and Chalk Pastel on Canson 46 x 30cm

Having had a bit more time on my hands this last week or so I decided to wander

around my local landscape in search for suitable drawing material. In a nearby woods

I passed this cow skull picked clean by time. I couldn't resist sketching it, as it made 

such an attractive subject, despite its obvious tragic history. 

Thanks for looking :)

Quick pastel sketch

Charcoal and colored chalk on canson 40 x 30 cm

It's been a while since I posted so I thought I might upload this quick sketch of the Gearagh as twilight approaches. Less is more I think for this type of description and it is so tempting to try to accurately portray what you think you can see, rather than the mystery offered by the fading light.

Thanks for looking :)

Polar bear

charcoal and pastel on tinted canson  42 x 30

This little sketch started out as just a quick idea where I

wanted to use a minimum amount of color to describe the

image. I was quite pleased with the result. I guess

sometimes a quick sketch like this can have valuable lessons.

Thanks for looking :)

Another Sparrow sketch

Pastel on tinted canson 30 x 25 cm

I managed to get in another quick sketch of my noisy companions.

Once again using the dry pastel and charcoal mix. This one is less detailed

due to the speed of these little guys and even at this level it's mostly from memory :)

Thanks for looking :)

Portrait under strong light,

Charcoal and colored chalk 30 x 24 cm

The other evening while the web cam was on I leaned in toward the computer screen.

At the same time I had the fluorescent light I use at the desk for sketching switched on. 

The lamps I use are old salvaged medical spotlights similar to the lights you would find in a dental surgery. Very bright.The dark light contrast I saw in the cam display was far too tempting not to draw so I completed this little work with dry pastels based on it. While I'm not too sure about the likeness as a self portrait, not being quite as lean faced as the work appears, I still felt happy enough to post it.

Thanks for looking :)