First Snow

                                                                       First Snow
                                                                         12"x9"
                                                                  Pastel/velour paper
Well here is my snow leopard and they are absolutely beautiful animals, very well adapted to their environment.    This was my experiment dusting with pastels.  Can you say CHICKEN?  I have to tell you there was a huge hesitation before I did this.  I did take a picture of what it looks like without the snow and then took a deep breath and tried the two different methods.  One is to make pastel dust and then add water and put on using your finger to splatter off a toothbrush - didn't like that much, was too blobby, and I did get puddles on the surface.  Yes, I know it will dry, but ...   Then I just make pastel dust over the top of the cat and pushed in somewhat with a palette knife.  I don't think I want to move this too much as I don't think the flecks are really adhering.  Since it is velour I am not sure that I would really want to spray this with fixative either.   
Tell me what you think - do you like with the snow or without - below is pic without, not sure but think I can get back to that.  Let me see your votes folks, please.
Thanks for stopping by and hope you are having a great week.

Comments

Rita Vaselli said…
I love the snow...snow adds a touch of mystery and depth.Well done!
February 5, 2015 at 3:58 PM
Log Cabin Studio said…
I am with Rita,love the snow, it pushes the painting back .
Well done!!
February 5, 2015 at 7:59 PM
Mellowood Gallery said…
I think I like the bottom picture better - the lines seem cleaner and to me it seems whiter than the top picture. It sounds like a very difficult process. - good luck with it.
February 6, 2015 at 11:07 AM
Jane said…
What an amazing work Nelvia , the eyes look so shiny, really great ! I prefer without the snow for the same reasons as Mellowood Gallery .
February 6, 2015 at 6:00 PM
hmuxo said…
Honestly ...I LOVE the snow... I'm wondering if you decide to keep the snow would you be able to spray it with some kind of fixative without changing the color.. Whatever you decide you painted a beautiful portrait of this snow leopard Nelvia!!
February 6, 2015 at 9:25 PM
Alexander said…
looks really very much alive great
February 7, 2015 at 4:50 AM
Tam Foree said…
Love you kitty cat! The monochrome colors work well for me. You are very good at capturing the eyes of an animal. They look so alive! I vote for the bottom painting but I do like them both.
February 7, 2015 at 1:13 PM
Nelvia said…
Thanks Rita for giving me your comments. I think I am going to try another piece with the snow, but definitely got to figure out how to make it heavier without being distracting.
February 12, 2015 at 9:36 AM
Nelvia said…
I like that idea of giving the painting more depth. Got to pursue this some more. Thanks for giving me your thoughts!!
February 12, 2015 at 9:37 AM
Nelvia said…
Hi Val, I think what you are seeing is correct, I ended up with a blurrier background because I went to clean the board to get rid of excess pastel bits and lost a good deal of the original background which was crisper. It appears the like is about 50-50 between snow or not. Thanks for giving me your thoughts.
February 12, 2015 at 9:39 AM
Nelvia said…
Hi Jane, wow you make me really feel great with those words. I love to do the eyes and love the bigger pieces so I can do more with them. Thanks much for giving me your thoughts.
February 12, 2015 at 9:39 AM
Nelvia said…
Hi Hilda, boy have you hit on the question here. When this traveled via USPS a lot of the snow came off, I find that the velour eats color too. I am going to have to try fixative to see what it would do. I just don't know how the velour will accept that, but I think I would like more adhering than what it provides, maybe just lower layers and not top. Will let you know.
February 12, 2015 at 9:41 AM
Nelvia said…
Wow A, what a wonderful compliment. I want to get where I can give them depth and warmth, so..... Thanks for making my day.
February 12, 2015 at 9:42 AM
Nelvia said…
Hi Tam, Thanks for stopping by. I think the eyes are really the windows of the soul and I remember one piece of advice when painting animals "think like the animal" so I try.
February 12, 2015 at 10:51 AM
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