First Place in the Pastel Society of Southern California Member Show!

I was very thrilled and honored to win first place in the professional category of the PSSC Member's show. I think it was even more exciting because the competition judge was Richard Mckinley! If this is not validation that I'm on the right track, I don't know what is :-)

I started this portrait last year in June. I thought it was time to try my freehand drawing skills to start off a pastel portrait. After all that's why I've been practicing my draftsmanship.

I found a quirkly self portrait that Marty had taken when he was goofing around with his photographic equipment. When I first saw it I was amused since the expression was so uncharacteristic of him. To me it said, "Hey, what you looking at!", "You talking to me?" It exuded a defiant and cocky attitude and I wondered if I could ever manage to capture this in a portrait. It would certainly be an interesting challenge.

The paper was a 19 x 25 sheet of La Carte pastel paper in Sienna Brown. I took care with my initial drawing. I drew lines dividing my paper into quarters as well as on my reference with the same aspect ratio. These guided me in placing the off center figure accurately on the paper. These also help me place landmarks for the top of his head and rest of this body so as not to end up with a drawing that wandered out of bounds.

Once the sketch was done to my satisfaction I started applying the pastel.

Gemma Gylling Workshop

Our local CPSA chapter, Los Angeles DC 214 is hosting a Gemma Gylling workshop in March.

PAINTING CATS WITH CONFIDENCE

GEMMA GYLLING, CPSA: INSTRUCTOR

Saturday, March 28, 2015, 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

City of Cypress Community Center

5700 Orange Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630

Gemma is a well-known wildlife artist and teacher. She is a Signature Member of Colored Pencil Society and Animals for Conservation. Her works have been shown in shows across the country and are in many private collections. She was a workshop instructor at the 2014 CPSA International Exhibition in Daytona Beach, Fla. Having grown up on a small ranch in Southern California, Gemma developed an early love for animals in nature. She has traveled the world taking photos of animal in their natural habitat. She began painting in oils, but soon switched to colored pencils for her animal portraits because of the versatility of this medium and the ability to capture fine details with it.

In this workshop you will learn to create richly colored, painterly cat portraits on suede mat board. Gemma will focus on the anatomy of the eyes, ears, nose and fur while guiding you through each step. She will provide each student with the suede mat board with an outline of the subject, a booklet with detailed instructions on finishing the project, and a materials list.

For contact information and entry form, download the Workshop flyer.

Download the materials list.