Pastel on Velour

I painted this last night, after a lot of struggling, and it came out okay. You see, I bought some velour paper a few months ago, and tried it, and thought, "How the heck do some artists thrive with this stuff? It's really diffifult!" But, last night, after understanding more about colors, I tried it again, and it's wonderful! It took a while to figure-out, but I finally was able to discern some secrets of its use. I would love to be able to do formal portraits "live." You don't see that much anymore, only quick caricatures and silhouettes and the like, it seems. Anyway, I'm still learning, obviously. The photographic reference was of Sharon Stone, but I moved away from the likeness as I experimented with the materials. Oh, well. Velour paper, is strange. If you make a mark, it STAYS there. So erasing or smearing, really, but its unique ability to blend colors is remarkable. You must, however, use the pastel in particular ways, which takes trial and error. Lots of errors! LOL.