New and improved
 

I decided I needed to go back to square one with this piece as the problems were not correctable on the Canson. So I started anew on Amperstand Pastelboard. I'm much happier with this piece, however I think the arms seem a little orange so I'm going back to work on them.

Thanks for everyone's input, it was a great help.

Jenni

Hi Jenni,

This turned out very nice and has a very soft feeling about it.

Jenni,

This is really lovely and I think it is greatly improved. Perhaps it's the Ampersand board of which I am a HUGE fan. I think your skin tones are so nice and I love the hair. The only thing I wonder about is the way the bottom looks. Were you planning on putting pastel there? I don't belong giving critiques as I am really new here but it seems that by either running to the end of the board or softening the bottom with pastel would finish it off nicely. Perhaps you will be doing that when you finish up the arms. I may be a tad ahead of you. In any case, you really did a wonderful work here.

Enzie and Lisa,

Thanks for your comments!

This was my first attempt on Pastelboard and I really love its surface. I do plan on softening the edges so she doesn't look cut off. I'm going to add some of the grey tones (similar to the midtone of the board) into the back ground as well to unify the piece.

Jenni, I think you are one of maybe two people here so far that I see have tried Pastelbord. I'm so happy to hear you like it. I have been singing its praises for years now. Do you feel it made the difference in the two versions of this piece? I have followed this thread and I dare say it did but I am curious how you feel. That's not to diminish the suggestions you have followed but the board seemed to breathe new life into this subject.

Hi Lisa,

I think the Pastelboard did make a big difference in this piece. I feel I was able to give more dimension to the subject, most likely from the build up of many layers of pastel that wouldn't have been possible on the Canson. The only thing I now have to give extra attention to is the background as I'm used to letting the Canson paper take that role in head & shoulder portraits.

Jenni, this turned out great! I have a few pieces of Pastelbord in my studio waiting to be used thanks to Lisa's suggestion, but haven't had a chance to use it yet. I originally ordered a white and a green piece to sample and just the other day some of the Sand showed up at my door. I was shocked and pleased to see that the color sand looked nothing like it looks in the catalog or on line, but closer to my favorite color of La Carte, so I am excited about trying it. I don't know how anyone works on Canson! I'm not sure I'm following your comment about the backgrounds on the canson vs. the pastelbord though. Is it just that the pastelboard only comes in limited colors?

Mary, Thanks so much. I ordered several pieces of the Pastelboard, but only in grey. I am so used to letting the color of the Canson paper be the background for head and shoulders and I can't do so with the grey Pastelboard, at least with this piece. I felt it needed some color. I've been wanting to try the La Carte also, but have been nervous because it seems delicate. I'll have to take your suggestion and order the sand color Pastelboard.

Jenni, I just LOVE that la carte and what I can do on it..but on the other hand, I walk on eggshells around it because the slightest thing can ruin it. My favorite color to use is the color called light grey mist. A misleading description because it has more of a greenish tint to it, and seems to work great with almost every vignette I have done. The images of the sand colored pastelbord in the catalog seemed to have an almost orange tint to it but put beside my favorite la carte they were just barely different, I'm thinking I'm goint to really like this stuff because it is much more durable.

Jenni, I agree that using Pastelbord means thinking about he background. That's an adjustment if you use Canson like I did before finding this. It does add some time to a portrait. I think you can still use it as a ground but I find actually putting in a background is nice as well. The only problem with that is you are locked into the entire background once you start. It's very hard to leave only some of the board showing. Still, as I have said I wouldn't work on anything else. Mary is right. The sand color is nice too. Judging from what you have done with this one, I think you mgiht have found the perfect surface for your beautiful work.

I think Ampersand should start paying me commission, don't you?