figure drawing with pastels

I participated in figure drawing the night before traveling: it was a great way to pack for a trip! But of course I had no time to process the drawings until our return, so here are a few. The model was a pretty young girl, whose features I find I am attracted to draw, only sometimes successfully (the spotlighted drawing here being one of them). Otherwise, her poses are fine, not exactly inspired but hey, no complaints.

Three fifteen minute poses. Conté pencil and crayon on Canson pastel paper. 32.5 x 50 cm or 13 x 19.75 in.

Three four minute poses. Left to right, the first two black charcoal on tinted sketching paper. 35 x 50 cm or 13.75 x 19.75 in. then for the last (since I ran out of sketching paper), black charcoal on tinted Canson pastel paper 32.5 x 50 cm or 13 x 19.75 in.

Our model tonight was an old favorite, Melissa: the lady who disrobes but retains her glasses. She has an interesting hourglass shape, thin above, thick below. I tried a few drawings on gray paper with sepia chalk but they weren’t taking off. Then, when I switched to sepia paper with burnt umber chalk, they did. Sometimes you just have to switch it up. The featured image here above works, I think, because there is both form and light: there are highlights (and super high lights), mid-tones and shadows.

Below three fifteen minute poses. Conté pencil and crayon on Canson pastel paper. 32.5 x 50 cm or 13 x 19.75 in.