Day 19 30 Day Challenge Bulldog study color pastels

Ok, I like these days, as I did all the work on another day.  Doing this really helps me get my second wind and am hoping that I hit the wall and it will be downhill now.  Now it is just the frosting and most fun part to any picture, adding color.  As threatened, yep another experiment, I went ahead and tried to see what I would get if I used pan pastels over the grisaille of black/white/gray tones.  Because the pans are so transparent they did a good job of covering but not totally  obliterating the under painting and now it gives me nice soft grays in the white coat and wrinkles without hard edges.  

Don't think it should be a problem being over the acrylic, but would either have to seal with workable fixative or recommend it be framed behind glass.  Although anything I do on paper I recommend framing even if it is acrylic - and for acrylics, whether on paper or canvas I also spray varnish it just like you would an oil painting.  Why?? you might ask, well even though acrylic forms a coat it is still porous and you don't want to leave it unvarnished as it would allow dirt, smoke and grease to come into and potentially dirty or discolor the painting.   Also when you put varnish on the acrylics, just like oils, it even out the finish.  

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.  

Comments

Joan Tavolott said…
Very nice!!! The pastels over the toned underpainting really give this a nice softness and gives a nice grey brown for the fur tones. I saw we were close again together on Leslie's page. We could have had them looking at each other. lol
January 19, 2017 at 7:59 AM
hmuxo said…
LOVE this one Nelvia! he's adorable and beautifully painted.
January 19, 2017 at 8:56 AM
Mellowood Gallery said…
Adding the colour worked super well, Nelvia. It softened some of the hard lines and gives the piece a more fur effect. I was also interested in your thoughts on varnishing - good info!
January 20, 2017 at 11:20 AM
Nelvia said…
Yes I am very happy with this and think there is something here that I can continue to work with and refine. Finally in the end days and it will seem odd not to post each morning.
January 21, 2017 at 10:32 AM
Nelvia said…
Thank you Hilda, I feel kind of like a fraud in this one because the real painting occurred when I did the underpainting and the pans on top were just easy.
January 21, 2017 at 10:33 AM
Nelvia said…
Thanks Diane, we will have to get together after the challenge to compare notes and thoughts on the experience. You are hanging in there so well for your first time around.
January 21, 2017 at 10:33 AM
Nelvia said…
Thanks Val, you are thinking the direction I went towards that it softened things up, but best part is it didn't completely lose the underwork. I don't know if my ideas on varnishing are what is recommended, but lots of reading is how I arrived at my conclusions. I guess I'd have to see if anything survived in a 100 years!!
January 21, 2017 at 10:34 AM
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