This year, we are somewhat not in the mood for Christmas as we had been in the past. Not sure what in particular is holding us back. Perhaps it is because we have been extremely preoccupied with so many things at once that we have less time to look forward to it? We cannot even be bothered to get all our Christmas decorations together in the house and just settled for a smaller tree this time. But that’s ok too. At least my partner and I are enjoying each other’s company! Just to get ourselves in a more festive mood, though, maybe a quick sketch of us in a Christmas theme might help…
Pencil Sketch
This time, I went for dry media for a change. Let’s see…how about some Pan Pastels? Haven’t used them for quite some time, let alone any pastels medium, and this would certainly be a great chance to have fun with them! First a sketch was drawn with Stabillo CarbOthello pastel pencils on some Pastel Mat paper. Love the Pastelmat by Clairefontaine, as they are wonderfully thick and more importantly, the toothy surface gives a good grip on the pastel colors thereby making it less messy to work with. And now, just me and my partner dressed as Santa’s beside a pretty Christmas tree. Let’s go for something simple but cute!
Coloring It All In
And time for some coloring! Pan Pastels are an amazing form of pastel media in that each color come in their own pans and applied with a sponge or sponge applicator depending on size desired. Unlike pastel sticks or blocks they produce less dust when working with them and hence less messy. Only disadvantage is that they are not as portable as the sticks or blocks are and hence impractical if you want to do some on-location painting. Nevertheless, what fun they were to work with! First I went for the background, as usual, then carefully proceeded with the subjects. Very pleased to have bought some metallic shades, as the gold on the tree looks stunning! Finer areas like the eyes and hair were done with the CarbOthello pastel pencils. Et voilà!
Pan Pastels should be painted with more often! Such pleasure to work with. As you can see, the colors come out so vividly and intensively, and I do love that velvety texture. Painting this has certainly put me in the mood for Christmas a bit more, and I hope to have the time to make some more festive artwork during the Holiday Season. If not with Pan Pastels the next time, they will certainly be used again for another occasion, I promise!
My Kawaii Quarter 