Tomorrow is my late mother’s birthday! Sadly passing away in 2012, she would have turned 93 today. I think of her single day and miss her so much, especially on her birthday. And unlike last year, I didn’t forget to make an annual birthday painting for her this time. A few hours a day was all I needed, and starting this week, I managed to complete in time a simple but cute piece! For this, pastels on paper was a medium of choice. How sweet!
Here I used PanPastels on Clairefontaine’s Pastelmat paper. Love how this paper has that “teeth” texture to grip the pastel pigments to minimize the mess from the residue. One advice though is to NEVER use fixative afterwards! I made the mistake of using one and it ruined the painting by permanently leaving spots on the paper and making the colors go darker. Luckly, I was able to salvage it a bit by erasing the spots and adding another layer of pastel over the affected areas. Not perfect but presentable. Lesson learned there! And of course I’m sure Mama will still love me and be proud of me…
PanPastels is also a great choice for pastel drawing compared to pastel sticks. It is less messy, more even and complete coverage and wow, that velvety finish! I am addicted. For the finer details though, I tend to go for pastel pencils such as Stabillo CarbOthello. Now that I am happy with the painting, despite the mistake with the fixative, I hope my Mama is too! Always a pleasure creating something special for loved one. Happy Birthday to Mama in Heaven! Love you, miss you loads and thinking of you everyday especially on your birthday.
My Kawaii Quarter 