Pastel Portraits

I have a confession to make, I cannot walk by any type of portrait work at the thrift store.  I buy it all.   I can't stand to think that an artist who took the time to create a work of someone they loved is now sitting with a $12.99 price tag on the floor of the local thrift store.   These works obviously meant something to someone at one time because most are expensively framed and yet here they are discarded.  I have this inner need to purchase them and once again give them the honor they deserve, which for now is on display in my personal art room right off the studio.  This gives my husband further proof for his argument that I am a person with hoarding tendencies.

For the Tuesday class, I brought out all the ones done in chalk pastel for the students to view.  The first response was, "Oh no!  Not self portrait work!" but then I highlighted one portrait of a collie dog- obviously a much loved pet of someone.  With a large sigh of relief, the students hit the reference files and found an animal they would like to create a portrait of in chalk pastel.

For this project I wanted to highlight two skills with the kids.

First if you complete the eye it will not matter how incomplete the rest of the artwork is, it will still have a finished look.

Second, I wanted them to really study line work.

Neither student did a working sketch for the piece.  They both worked out from the eye, which helped them tune out the part of their brain that always wants to self correct what they see with what the brain feels they should be seeing.  By really looking at the shapes, the lights and darks, and the direction of line in small parts instead of the whole, the work created was astounding.

The 10 year old in particular gasped a couple of times as she saw the whole picture coming together.

I am so impressed with the outcome of each art work and I have serious doubts I will ever find either of them with a $12.99 price tag sitting in the thrift store.

10 year old, chalk pastel, Irish Setter

12 year old, chalk pastel, Spirit Bear