Baxter & Bailey

Baxter & Bailey, originally uploaded by debifitz.

This is the photos for my next project.. It was supplied by the client.... cute photo. Not crazy about it being taken with a flash... You really loose the depth in the photo and the coloring is not natural. Not to mention the yellow eye! But she caught such a cute moment... I will make it work!

Briley

Briley, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Done! This portrait has already shipped out... and come back again :( the client wants Briley to be blacker.... This was the color of his photo. And I think it looks great! I am afraid it will become flatter the darker I make it. It is so had to put detail into the shadows of a black animal. But I am not the one that is going to be living with it... and I want the client to be happy... so blacker it will be. But it will have to wait till after the holidays. I will post the change on here...

Briley #8

Briley #8, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

.......

Briley #7

Briley #7, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Briley #6

Briley #6, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

This is moving right along...  The neck and chest always take time... especially on a dark bay!  The shape of these areas are subtle and if worked too much just end up looking odd.  And at the same time I want to have Briley's head pop out at you.  It can be a difficult joggling act!

Briley #5

Briley #5, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Very happy with the way Briley is coming along. But very time consuming... the way the light glistens on his hairs. I am trying to produce that look. It is almost like doing pointillism, only with little lines instead of spots. Next I will lay the bridle on. I used to do the bridle and reins last. But then I would end up smearing the neck where I rest my hand. I use a mahl stick for some details. But when I have a lot of work, I find it more comfortable to be able to lay my hand down on the paper surface. I also sometimes tape a piece of tracing paper over the portion that I want to lay my hand on. But depending on how much work you are doing and how much pastel flaking you are getting, you end up with a line from the edge of your tracing paper. Its always something!

Briley #4

Briley #4, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Briley #3

Briley #3, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Briley #2

Briley #2, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Working from left to right so that my hand does not smear the work I have already done. But I will also work back to forward... meaning that I will do the body around the head so that I can "lay" the head on top of the body. Other wise I have to work up to the edges which is a bit harder to do than to over lap the closer edge.

Briley #1

Briley #1, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine PasteMat
19"X26"

www.http://www.djfitzgerald.com
http://www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Sorry I have been away from my blog for a little bit... I was running around a dog show ring showing my dog and managed to really mess up my knee! Luckily it is nothing a little steroid shot (with a BIG needle!) and a brace will not cure! Big relief to know that I will not need surgery! I guess my dog showing days are at an end... actually not all that upset about this!!

This is a pastel that I am doing for a long time client. They want me to match the background of another pastel I did years ago. It was on suede matt board... "whisper" was the color.. sort of a pinkish gray. When I used to work on that color I had a grumbacher pastel #10 english red that was pretty good match that I used to correct little smudges. So with that pastel and a couple others I worked to get a match. In this photo I have a sample of that board that I put next to it get it as close I can. I think it looks pretty good... hard to get that texture just right. Luckily the pastel will be on the other side of the doorway from the older one... so hopefully it will be fine!

Hope everyone in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Lily

Lily, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Lily Done! I don't know if you can see the difference from #12... but she is darker. And I toned down her highlights a tad. Cleaned up the back ground... it can get a bit smudged while working on the subject... Even if I am careful! I am supper happy with the way she turned out! Hope the client is also.

 I shipped her out yesterday. I have started using a two day shipping instead of overnite. It has just gotten so expensive to do overnite. The only problem is that it restricts my shipping days.... I don't like to ship over the weekends if possible. I like my work handled as little as possible in shipping and I don't want it to sit in a ware house somewhere over the weekend. The only time I have ever had a problem with FedEx was when I shipped over a weekend... the painting got lost for 2 days! Someone had left it in Orlando! Luckily it was a painting and there is not as much worry as with a pastel. Pastels will flake and are not meant to be bumped around... This paper has been doing very well with out spraying it with a fixative. The one time I did spray a portrait on this paper ( Clairefontaine PastelMat), I had to go back an rework a lot of the lighter areas. It got all these little specks and it looked dirty. Then when I researched the paper some more, I learned that you don't have to spray the work. Sometimes I think papers should come with a few instructions!

Lily #12

Lily #12, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Pretty much done.... I want to pull it all together, darken Lily a bit and touch up the back ground.

Lilly #11

Lilly #11, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Lilly #10

Lilly #10, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com
http://www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Moving right along... sometimes this part seems to take forever... especially a dark brown horse without highlights and shadows from the sun. I generally like photos of dark animals without bright sun... the color is richer. With sun you get very light highlights with very dark shadowed areas. Slightly over cast is good.... but I think is harder to recreate in a portrait. Shadows and highlights just by their shape can give a subject its volume and definition. Without them, you must rely on color and much more subtle highlights and shadows. Much harder and more time consuming to do. But in the end, I think it makes for a beautiful portrait!

Lilly #9

Lilly #9, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com
http://www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Moving along... sorry it is taking me a while to post here. It just takes me a while to get back into a routine when I get back from a trip. Not to mention my computer has been at the computer hospital for some work! And I hate working off my laptop. Plus the husband has been on vacation.... hard to work when your partner is playing! But, I have a lot of work to get back to especially with the holidays creeping upon us!

Lily #8

Lily #8, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com.D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

I decided to add a photo taken when I am just starting an area. I tend to work small areas at a time then go back and pull them all together. I start by working in the dark areas. Here I am using a dark neutral gray from Schmincke. It is a great color, but very soft. I only use it in the first layer... it tends to want to gunk up the paper so I can't add more layers. But I put it down and the use the sponge handled tools to blend it in. Then I can go over it with the harder pastel.

Lily #7

Lily #7, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

This is as far as I got before my trip... I always seem to underestimate my time and all that I have to do before I go on one of my excursions! I was up at a horse show in Raleigh, N.C., and visiting relatives. The weather was good for one day. Gray, gloomy, and cold the next 2! Oh well.... I did manage to pick up 5 commissions. Although I may have to reshoot some of the photos this spring... I usually make an appearance at a horse show the end of april in Aiken, S.C..   There is a silent auction for Danny and Ron's Rescue, and I donate a small commission to their cause. I have several people that want to do commissions... just have to get the time and weather right! I will be going back to Raleigh for a couple and also Wilmington, N.C., and Camden, S.C.,for a few. Should be a good trip. But, now I have to get back to work on Lily!!

Lily #6

Lily #6, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com
http://www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

#6.... I am liking the way Lily is coming out here.... but she is taking longer than I thought she would (that seems to happen a lot these days!) I was suppose to have her done for my trip up to Raleigh... I do not think it is going to happen at this point. I will work on it as long as I can. But I have to get ready for my trip too......

Lily #5

Lily #5, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com
http://www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art


Just getting into Lily! Lots of purples and blues in her. Dark horses are always a special challenge for me... it is a lot of work to get them rich but not flat black. I like the blacks to have lots of details.

Lily #4

Lily #4, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26

I am going to skip #3... not really much difference from #2. The back ground is pretty much done. Now on to Lily. I am very happy with the way the bg looks at this point...

Lily #2

Lily #2, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

A little farther along with the back ground... I have brought the trees and leaves forward in the back ground by giving the illusion of more detail and brighter colors. Of course this could all change by the end of the portrait... it all depends on how the back ground relates to the subject. I want it to compliment my subject, not be a distraction.

Lily

Lily

Lily, originally uploaded by debifitz.

This is the photograph for my next pastel. It is the second time I have done this mare... the first was for this client's mother. She is rather special... especially to them! The plan is to do a more detailed progression. But I do have some time constraints... I need to get this done so that I can personally deliver it on my trip the end of this week... We shall see about that. I think this one is going to take a while.  It was requested that I do more progression photos of the back ground process... I have 4! The bg that I am using for this piece is not the one behind the horse. I chose to do another one from the same farm. A little more picturesque and with more depth.

Lily #1
pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"
I have started by placing where I want the trees and the darker areas. I try to work from left to right and from back ground  to foreground.  I use this hatching technique that helps to set the bg apart from the subject.  Although I do a hatching on the subject also, in the bg I will be a little loser, more impressionistic.  The idea is to have the back ground    enhance the subjects.

Danny & Ron's Rescue 2013

Danny & Ron's Rescue 2013, originally uploaded by debifitz.

That time of year again! Here is my latest piece for two of my favorite friends Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw. They have set up this amazing dog rescue project... Since hurricane Katrina, they have placed 5,000 (!!!) dogs and a few cats! They have even rescued a donkey and a llama! The cow in this piece is Lorena... one of their many pets! I could not find a good photo of a llama... was afraid it would come out looking like a big shaggy dog!! This is the 4th calendar cover I have done for them...it is such an honor! The calendar is a great fund raiser. Each month is a dog that has been rescued... photo with a brief story. The calendar has just gone to press and will be available the first of October.

Their website is... www.dannyandronsrescue.com

Next year we are going to be doing them on their pontoon down in Wellington, Florida... their winter home! Should be fun! I always have a great time taking the photos for these projects! This last photo session we did in Camden, S.C.... their home base.  I spent two days with them... always an adventure!  They have at least 20 to 30 dogs that live with them in their home!!!  About 10 are permanent residents. The others are just there until they are adopted.  Lots of barking... but amazingly no fights!  They are trying to see just how each dog reacts to other dogs, people, children, cats and horses.  That way they find the best match for their forever homes. They micro chip each dog and have a contract signed so that they get the dogs back for whatever reason the match does not work out.  They are truly AMAZING people!  And I am so blessed to have them as such good friends!

Abe,Sara,&Clayton

Abe,Sara,&Clayton, originally uploaded by debifitz.

oil on canvas
private collection
28"X36"

www.djfitzgerald.com

This one was really a challenge and the reason I have not been blogging this summer! I have been working on this one forever it seems! The initial photos were taken 6 years ago! They finally decided what they wanted to do 2 years ago ... but they wanted a more recent photo of Sara. So I took a few head shots of her... at the correct angle with the right lighting etc... I have done this before, but for some reason this one was harder to make it work. Another thing... the initial photos were 35 mm and of the whole bodies.... so cropping down to the upper half left me little details in the photos.... I am so spoiled to digital! I still feel like I could work on it some more. But I have other clients that are getting impatient, not to mention some bills that would like to get paid! So I have to let it go.... I delivered it to its home yesterday and the client and subject were happy... She wants me to do a portrait of her son and another one of her two dogs! So all is good!

Will and Claire

pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat

private collection

19"X26"

This is another pastel that I finished a couple of weeks ago.  I really enjoyed working on this background... sometimes I find that I spend more time on the backgrounds than the subjects!  But I loved playing with the colors in this one!  The only problem I had was that there was a small stump in the foreground that I had to take out... don't know why I did not notice it while taking the photos... actually I do... I am working so hard to get Claire to put her ears up that I did not notice the very small stump!  And it covered up her feet.  So I had to "fudge" a little!  That is a high tech art term btw!   But other than that, I am pleased!

Some good news today!  One of my portraits has been selected to be on the cover of the  American Veterinary Medical Association monthly journal!  Actually I forgot that I had submitted my work to them.  A good friend, who's husband is a vet, suggested that I submit my work... that was 2 years ago!  They try to use a wide variety of art work for their covers... both in subject matter and mediums.  AVMA has published some beautiful cover art.  I am happy to be in their gallery.  Such a nice surprise!  I will post the cover when it comes out in October.

Still working on the large oil painting....  hopefully I will be finished next week!

Brian & Rascal

Brian & Rascal, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com
http://www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

This is one I finished a while ago. I am sorry I have not blogged in a while... after my last trip, I just got out of the habit and I had a bunch of work to catch up on. I will try to post some of these in the next few days. I have also been working on a large painting in between a few pastels... trying to get it done and I have been really bad about taking progression photos of it... I was on a roll and did not want to take the time. I will post the few I have taken later.

Hope everyone is having a good summer... for once, it is cooler here in Florida, than most of the rest of the country! Although we have already had a tropical storm go through... my name sake.. Debby! She was not too bad, but did hang around a little longer than she was welcome! We needed the rain... but not all at one time! Our property was alright, but our driveway was flooded. I could not drive my car through it for about a week! Most of the water has gone down. Now we have a major mosquito problem and have just been taken over by baby toads! My chickens have been thoroughly enjoying the toads... should have some really healthy eggs for the next few weeks! And my new cologne is "ode de off"... the "Deep Forest" scent! Sort of tired of that... but trying not to complain "too" much. Because I love having lots of grass for the horses! Although I do feel so sorry for them being out with the mosquitoes 24/7. I have been spraying them as much as possible and have been lighting tiki torches with citronella oil around their pastures. They do hang out around the torches... so I guess they are helping! Summer in Florida!

Margaret&Scout

Margaret&Scout, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on suede bd.
private collection
20"X26"

http:www.djfitzgerald.com
http://www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

This is a portrait I did back in 2001 for a client that became a good friend. In this business you meet a lot of people... most good, a few... not so good, and some that end up becoming a part of your life. Margaret become a part of my life. Over the years I have done a lot of work for her and other members of her family. Some of my favorite pieces are in her collection! Whenever I was in North Carolina I would try to catch up with her. Always saw her at the horse shows... she is one of the few sane (as sane as horse people can be!) people I know at the horse shows! Sadly, Margaret lost a long battle with breast cancer yesterday. This is the very first piece I did for her. And to this day it is one of my very favorites... mostly because it perfectly conveys her love for her horse, Scout. She has had many horses in her life, but Scout stayed with her even when he had to be retired because of EPM. Where most people donate their horses to make room for the new ones, she kept him. I had the privilege of photographing Scout a couple of months ago with the friend who has adopted him from Margaret. Margaret wanted me to do a portrait of them because they had helped each other through some rough times. I got to see Margaret for the last time on that photo shoot. I knew it would be the last time I would see her... Margaret, your courage, strength and grace has truly inspired me to try to be a better person. You will be missed!

Pebbles

Pebbles, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat
private collection
8"X11"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com

This is a quick one I have done for a friend to give a friend for all her help with a wedding. So it is a surprise... but I think I am safe to post it here. I don't usually do pastels this small.... head shots of dogs and cats are about the only subjects I would consider. It is just too hard to get the details in that small on anything else. When you put in as much detail as I do, the smaller sizes are harder to do. And I really can't charge more for them... but I should! So I don't advertise this size. But I really like the way this one came out... very sweet. I have actually done this dog in a group when she was much younger. It is nice to see a portrait of her at this age. I think my friend will be touched.

Usher #3

Usher #3, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

Been away for a while... two business trips with two sets of company in between. The trips were good... lots of good photos to work from for clients. I also took a bunch of pics of my friends Ron and Danny for their 2013 calendar cover. I am really excited about the this next one. But I am sworn to secrecy... they want to surprise everyone!

I have actually finished up a few portraits around these trips and will start posting them in the next few weeks. I am working n a large complicated oil painting right now... but I will try to take some progressions of it for future posts.

About this one... three time's a charm! This is the third time I have tried to do this portrait for this client! Through a major comedy of errors... mostly my fault and missed communication and paper malfunction... I have had to do this one 3 times! I will have my finger's crossed for the next 2 days until I hear whether or not she likes this one! And I am going to say a little prayer that it gets there alright... bad karma around this commission!

Aiken Steeplechase 2012

Aiken Steeplechase 2012, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Back from my travels through the Carolinas! And the trip was just perfect! I was attending the Aiken Steeplechase this last saturday. My painting was the official poster this year. The weather cooperated even though it thought about raining! I sold the original painting, two giclees of it and all the stationary I had made for the day. I also sold a giclee print of another portrait that I had brought for a display piece! So a really good day!! And then I was off to five different stops in 3 days around NorthCarolina for photo sessions. I drove 2800 miles in a week! The weather could not have been nicer. All in all a great trip! And I have to do it again the end of april! I will be going back up to Aiken for a horse show and then on to Camden, S.C. to photograph my two favorite dog rescuers for their calendar cover. And I have a few more photo shoots in the area.

Here is the poster...

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Done! That was my first pool... I thought it would be easy... it was easy, but time consuming! There is a little bit of a glare on the white dogs from my studio lights... did not really notice it until the pastel was shipped out. It made it to New Orleans safe and sound for the surprise birthday party. And this was the big surprise! I thought she would have figured it out since I came over to take the photos.. but I guess our cover story worked! She claims it was a total surprise!

I am off to the Aiken Steeplechase tomorrow... along with a few stops around the area for clients... so I will not be posting for the next week or so. Hopefully I will get the painting that I did for their poster sold!!! I will try to post the poster when I get back! Happy Spring!

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #8

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #8, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.debifitzart.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #7

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #7, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.debifitzart.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #6

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #6, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.debifitzart.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #5

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #5, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

Ellie is done... on to Maggie... White animals are harder than they would seem!!

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #4

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #4, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #3

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #3, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

I am very pleased with the way Joe's paws came out! On to Ellie...

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #2

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #2, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com

Coming right along... Joe was a challenge. That brindle coat! And his white areas had lots of spots and swirls. I love the way his feet came out!

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #1

Joe, Ellie, & Maggie #1, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

This is a pastel that I did for one of my best friends from high school. I actually finished it a couple of weeks ago... It is a surprise 50th birthday gift for his wife. We had been talking about doing this for a few years, but I could not get my friend to take any photos of the dogs that would work for me. This last summer I was home for a high school reunion and took the photos. It was fortunate I was home when I was, because they had just found out that they were going to lose Maggie from a rare brain cancer. This is the reason his wife thinks I was there... to take some photos before she passed... which sadly she did about 2 weeks later. I am glad it all came together. And I can post it now that the gift has been received.. and it was a surprise!

Kellogg Pups

pastel on Clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 12"X18"

This is one that I finished a little while ago...  it was a late surprise Christmas present.  They finally received it so it is safe to post now!  A friend had been at me to get some pictures secretly of these guys for a while.  But they were never far away from the owner.  In fact I saw them all at a horse show this last summer, with their person. Me, with camera in hand, acted like I hadn't seen the dogs in a while and just started taking photos.  They had on this hideous shoulder harnesses, which was a real pain to take out of the portrait.... these Jack Russells have lots of swirls and spots on their chest... so I had to fudge a little there. And they really were in front of these black-eyed Susans.  I think it came out quite nice!

I am back working on the portrait of Usher... that I am re-doing for the 3rd time!  I will be working on another pastel and one painting at the same time... so I don't know how many posts I am going to be doing.  When ever I do a couple at a time I feel like I am spinning my wheels and nothing gets done!  I do have another dog portrait progression that I did a little while ago, that I have not yet posted here... so I will probably post that until I catch up!  Also I have a big horse show that is going on in my area right now... it always tends to distract me!  I have managed to stay away from it so far... but  I have a few people that I need to touch base with.  Seems like I never get anything done this time of year!  And then it will be spring... and who wants to be inside working?!

Ella & Edwards Pastel #8

Ella & Edwards Pastel #8, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
debifitzart.blogspot.com/

Pretty much done... just nit picking! And I still need to play with Edwards face a bit... I think I have him a little too dark. And his eyes are not totally right.

Ella & Edwards Pastel #7

Ella & Edwards Pastel #7, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

Almost there!

Ella & Edwards Pastel #6

Ella & Edwards Pastel #6, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

Had a great time working on the bench! This paper really makes details like this a joy to do!

Ella & Edwards Pastel #5

Ella & Edwards Pastel #5, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com


I need to lighten Edwards face some and do a little to his eyes... and still need to do a little more work to Ella... I am saving their white shirt and dress for last... so it will stay white!!

Ella & Edwards Pastel #4

Ella & Edwards Pastel #4, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

Ella & Edwards Pastel #3

Ella & Edwards Pastel #3, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

Onto Edwards... I actually had to raise the grass up some... it looked like the bench went out over the water! I made the water a little more vibrant than the photo. So far I like it!

Ella & Edwards Pastel #2

Ella & Edwards Pastel #2, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on clairefontaine pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com

I have the water almost finished. I really have enjoyed playing with all the colors reflected in the pond.

Edwards and Ella pastel progression...

                   

Edwards Photo, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on Clairefontaine Pastelmat
private collection
actual size 19"X26"

This is a pastel that I actually finished as a Christmas present. I was so swamped with work that I was remiss in posting all my work here. But at least I did document the progress! So, better late than never... here it is!!! And it did come out really cute. This will also give me a chance to get back into gear! ... Unfortunately , we had a death in our family this last week. My mother-in-law. She had been ill for quite some time and it was not unexpected. But it is never easy! Plus the fact that she lived here... so we made most of the arrangements and hosted a lot of family this week. Now I am trying to get the work flowing again! Always a little slow getting started. But I will be posting this progression in the mean time.