Bryan’s 100 Day Challenge: Figure Drawing in Oil Pastels

[Bryan Mccabe]

I’ve been a student of New Master’s Academy for about a month. Since I joined, I’ve mostly been focusing on figure drawing. I am also new to the medium of oil pastels. I hope to learn and improve in both areas.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Joshua Jacobo.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 1. I messed up the head by making the eyebrows too high. I just tried to blur it out rather than start over.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 2. Struggling with the medium and getting the colors to blend. Drawing this pose was challenging.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Bryan Mccabe.

[Joshua Jacobo]

Great work here and an interesting challenge. A couple of thoughts: 1. Try to think more about the balance and placement of the feet on the ground. 2. Maybe introduce some environment around the figures since you are working with color

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you Joshua. I will work on both of your suggestions.

[Bryan Mccabe]

A lot of experimentation today. Trying cool green/gray shadows. Putting in a background. Having trouble with the face and had to erase too many times, so I just blurred it out. The model pose was a little more dynamic than what I ended up with. Struggling with feet and hands. Still having a little trouble blending colors.

[PaulDidier]

Hi Bryan. Good challenge. What size are you doing these and how long do you spend on them, approximately?

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you Paul. All three so far are approximately 15in x 14in. It takes me an hour or so to sketch each one out using compressed charcoal sticks (I know I should slow down a bit, but I get impatient). I have spent about an hour and a half coloring in each one using pastels (I probably need to slow down on that too).

 

 

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 4. I messed up right from the start by drawing too close to the edge of the paper. Instead of starting over, I just decided to use it as an opportunity to experiment with colors. Still having trouble getting it to look aesthetically appealing. Using the right colors for the face is tough. I just ordered new higher quality pastels, so maybe that will help.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 5. This is about as far as I am going to get today. I took a lot of time on the drawing. I’m using Sennelier pastels on Strathmore pastel paper today for the first time. I really like how smooth the colors go on and feel really buttery like oil paint. The only problem is that I only have an introductory set of colors right now. I’m waiting on a full set to come in the mail. I have the right colors for shadows, but no peachy color for her skin tone. I’m waiting to blend until I have the layers figured out. I feel like I’m making some progress at least,

[Debbie H]

Hi Bryan,

I know nothing about oil pastels, but I can already see improvement through the five days you’ve been posting. They’re looking good. Your new pastels will be great, but in the meantime, what you’re doing is great practice and is giving you that all important mileage. However, enjoy them when they come!

Deborah

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you Deborah for the encouragement.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Day 6. I watched some of Rey Bustos’s anatomy lectures today, and decided to draw legs and feet. I went a bit too dark in the charcoal drawing, so I had to use a lot of oil pastel to cover it up. The Bristol paper I used was a bit too weak to handle it. I kept losing the form of my drawing each time I put on color. It was frustrating, especially in the toes. I’m giving up for today half finished. I’ll use this as a learning experience and move on.

[Debbie H]

Hi Bryan,

I can see from the right foot (model’s left) that your charcoal under sketch looks well proportioned. There’s some nice shading around the toes. An occlusion shadow wouldn’t hurt under the toes to define where the toes meet the ground, should you decide to come back to it at some point. I’m grateful for the breadth of lectures on offer and that we can watch them many times. Keep up the good work!

Deborah

• This reply was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Debbie H.

[Bryan Mccabe]

Thank you Deborah. I was trying to include shadow under the toes, but it was difficult for me to get control over the pastels in small detail areas. Painting with oil pastels feels something like a combination of painting with lipstick and a very small stick of butter. I think I could get there with the shadows if I kept going with tons of layers to get the right color separation between the two shades of blue I was using. I basically stopped because I didn’t want to use all my blue pastels on one study, and I noticed the paper was getting a bit saturated. I might try this study again, but I will probably use different paper or maybe try a canvas panel. I didn’t realize how many layers of pastels I would need to really render the form when I started. Thanks for the kind words.
Bryan.

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