Figure Drawing 7-13-10

Here is a 20 minute figure drawing from tonight's session. This is Pan Pastel on paper. I really enjoy this medium for the soft painterly look that it provides. The product is a little tin, like a make-up container, with a compressed powder similar to pastel or charcoal. Not quite sure what it is exactly. It comes in dozens of colors but I have a set of greys. I have only used the black. The applicators are sold separately but they are small plastic palette knives with replaceable soft covers that slip over the tip and come in a variety of shapes. I use the triangle one almost exclusively. It is such a dark color that grabs the surface immediately which makes it difficult to gauge how much is on the applicator until it is on the paper so I often have a paper towel to wipe the excess off the tip. The triangle shape allows me to use both the soft pointed tip and the broad side to apply marks which works well with this length pose because I use line with the tip and the broader side to apply wider marks. Finding the right balance in this length of time between a line drawing and some subtle shading is always on my mind. Too much and it looks over worked. Too little and I didn't use the time to it's fullest to build up form and capture a sense of the light source and interplay between light and shadow.