Spring 2017 Pastel Class Week 2

Pastel Project: Farmer's Market Week 2

My goal this week was to get everything blocked in before I started working on details. This lets me see where things are in general and if I need to change anything before I get too involved in detail. It helps to stand back from your painting to look at it in total so I usually move to the back of the room to see how my painting is developing. This is a very good habit to get into as you paint as what might look terrible up close, makes the painting when you look at it from a proper viewing distance (6 - 10 feet).

I added some simple figures and shapes in the light doorway behind the worker as well as a female figure on the right. Please note that there is nothing detailed about ANY of the people in the background they are only vague human shapes, the viewer will fill in the gaps. Even the little lady by the bananas is just shape and color, she won't get much more detail than she has already. It is only hard if you make it hard.

The flowers and the plastic wrap are also just shapes and color at this point in time. Don't over think what you are doing, you are just basing in color and shape at this point, refinement will come later.

Even without detail this patchwork of color looks like a fruit stand with a customer checking it out. With just a few more strokes of chalk you could call this done and leave it impressionistic or - if you are like me - you can make this as detailed from this point as you want it to be, the choice is yours.

Keep painting and I will see you in class.