Kelly on Ice-my first custom panel
 

Hi all!

Yes, this is Kelly again. For this one I have (like an idiot) kept the very detailed jacket. I have cooled down the color quite a bit so I avoid my orange tendencies. I also felt it matched the expression on her face to make the whole thing more icey.

At the suggestion of Sharon Knettell and Jean Kelly I have made my own pastel panel for the first time and this is my first attempt on it. I may have overdone the texture a we bit since I am now missing a fingerprint on my pinky. I love having control of the texture of the panel however. Thanks so much, Sharon and Jean!

I must admit this is practice only but I would greatly appreciate any problems or pitfalls you see so I don't make mistakes with clients. My intent for this was mainly to figure out how to apply the pastel ground, get used to the custom board, and attempt to cool my colors.

I apologize for the many photos but I want you to be able to see the texture. I just love it (or the lack of it).

Rembrandt and Nu-Pastels on masonite primed with Golden's ground for pastel. 24 X 36.

I thank you in advance for your input.

I know that just saying wow and nothing constuctive is frowned upon, but I honestly can't think of anything to say.

So...wow!!

The detail is amazing and I really like the palette. The figurative content gives this so much more feeling as well, she looks like she has a bit of attitude ;)

What measurement is the head?

I'm struggling to get detail in a face at the moment, I am so envious of the delicacy in the featues you have acheived. :thumbsup:

Only because I've been studying the face so hard I have a little nitpick, the nose seems a little off to me, Because I'm not good at figuring out what the problem is I might be wrong, but I think it's her left nostril.

Now let me carry on checking the pattern on the jacket...... ;)

I've changed my mind....I've definitely been staring to hard at faces this afternoon ;) Her nose is just fine.

Congratulations. This is amazingly well done. I especially appreciate the textures of the jacket as that kind of detail absolutley drives me nuts. Sorry about the missing fingerprint, but that is a small price to pay for a wonderful piece of art. Looking forward to your next posting.

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Originally Posted by Carolyn Bannister I know that just saying wow and nothing constuctive is frowned upon, but I honestly can't think of anything to say.

Hi Carolyn! What you said was indeed constructive. It made my day! This palette is a real change for me. I'm still getting used to it. Thank you for noticing the more figurative bent. I do so many vignettes for work that I almost forget I can show more of the figure. This was a fun change. Granted, it's a very simple setting but it's a step for me.

The head measures just about 8 inches from the bottom fo the chin to the top of the head. I rarely do anything smaller than that.

I find it hard to believe after seeing your lovely work that you have any troulbe at all with details. Were you talking about "Proud Housewife" when you said that? I have been watching your progress and I think it is coming along great. You work much like I did on this one, working from one section out. If you feel stuck, move on to something else for a bit. I find it helps. In any case, I think you handle features beautifully.

Thank you for the kind comments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Monro Congratulations. For a first pastel this is amazingly done. I especially appreciate the textures of the jacket as that kind of detail absolutley drives me nuts.

Richard, I wish it was my first pastel but it is only my first on a custom panel. Sorry if I confused you. I hope the nice compliment will still apply.

Hi Lisa--
This is a beautiful piece, and you've done an amazing job on that quilted jacket, I love it!

You're in critiques, though... so here are some little nitpicky things that catch my eye:
- Her eye on our left seems stretched towards the outer corner, and isn't turning as it moves away from us
- Her near fingertips are reading below the nail as somewhat flattened? It could be that they are pressing into the arm there, but somehow they appear to be resting lightly on the fabric...
- The far wrist/hand reads a bit thick/boxlike to me?
- the angle of her mouth line and the bottom of her nose is different from the line of her eyes (which may just be the skew of her face, if her features are not symetrical)

Of course, the color question is difficult to address since it is so monitor specific... But I think you've done a nice job on keeping her skin tones away from the orange cast and generally her skin tones are very believable. I especially like the skin tones on her neck... her face seems cooler (than the neck) --maybe a little much cooler on the lower half of the face?... but that could just be my monitor so take that with a grain of salt!

Lisa,

This is really beautiful. I like everything about it.

I have two nit picks since you're asking -- first, her posture would indicate that she may be leaning against the wall, if this is true, I would think a slightly darker value would be indicated in the vicinity of her left shoulder as it contacts the wall. It seems a bit conflicted to me as it is.

The other item would be the slightly higher value of the hands. They seem just a bit brighter than the brightest notes of her face. And you might want to look at the temperature relationship between the shadowed forearm and her left wrist. It may be a value thing instead of temperature, I'm not sure. Also, the dark crease in that underneath forearm seems a bit too pronounced.

Her face, clothing and background are very beautifully done. I only wish I could do as well.

Terri, thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed response. I hope you don't think I am arguing as I really want to learn but I have looked over my source photos and am posting pieces of them here so maybe you can help me. It was hard to find exactly the right photos since I combined so many but I think I found my best references for the eyes and hands. At least I am close.

First, I have cropped the eyes so you can see if you think it is Kelly or me that is off. I do see that I have "opened" her eyes a bit more so I know I am off there. Do you still see the problem with the direction? I am having trouble seeing it.

Second, I am posting the hands. I do agree with your comments but that is what I see in the photo with regard to the shape of the wrist. Any suggestions on how I could change/alter my representation of it so it reads better? I never really did like the way her hands were resting. Had it been a commission I would have changed it. I was too anxious to try this new board.;)

She is not symetrical (not way off though) and I am comfortable with the placement of the features but I can see why that is a little bothersome.

I am indeed having a terrible time with accurate color. I only have a Koday 4.1 MP camera which not only distorts the images but also picks up even the slightest underlying red colors and magnifies them like crazy. I have tried color correcting in Photoshop (which I know quite well) but it is too time consuming to isolate certain areas for color correction when the camera is so cheap.

Your comments are excellent and you have really made me look very hard at the drawing. Thank you so much. I am anxious to hear your thoughts once you have seen the photos.

Mike, thank you so much! She is leaning lightly against the wall but the only part touching would be her back shoulder blade. I would like it to look like she is more firmly placed so do you think I can still darken a tad at the shoulder? I agree with what you said. I was just too afraid to get it too dark. Once I do that it's hard to go back in pastel.

I have posted a photo of the hands in the above post and I am hoping you can tell me based on what you see whether I am off in my values on that arm. I am sure you are right. I think the shadow under her arm is too deep.

I have taken another photo of the work which is blurry but better color and posterized it in grayscale to see if my values are okay. Please look at that (posted below). I didn't use a flash when I took this one (which explains why it was blurry). I'm thinking the flash on my camera which aims straight for the middle, hit the hands and made the value lighter than it actually is. Of course I am basing this on my grayscale version which is the best way I know to check. Are there any other sure-fire ways of checking relative values? I really have to sacrifice color for clarity. I need a tripod.

I appreciate you also looking carefully at this. Thank you again for your help. You are a sweet and smart person.

Hi again Lisa.

I see the resemblance in those eyes... and being able to compare with the reference still think that the eye on our left is 'stretched'. It also appears to be angled slightly flatter than in the reference. I'm attaching a direct (scaled to the width of the eyebrows) vertical comparison with overlying guidelines... both eyes actually seem slightly on the wide side relative to the eyebrows... but it is that the eye on our right doesn't seem to curve away from us on the outside corner that troubles me. If you look at the guideline that spans across both her eyes from outside corner to outside corner... you'll notice a deep shadow at the left most hash mark on the reference where the white of the eye appears to continue on the painting... the brow bone between the brow and top eyelid (both eyes?) is also more in shadow (both eyes?)... Don't know if pushing that down a tiny bit would help?

On the hands... you're right, that's an unfortunate, kind of problematic reference. Sometimes you've got to take things as far as you can with the reference, then step away from the reference and look only at the painting and address how it reads. I agree with Mike that reducing the values of the lights on those hands seems called for.... reducing the contrast this way (both hands) might help to reduce that appearance of flatness/boxiness. Perhaps unifying the shadows under the far wrist might help things on that side. In any case, reducing the brightness of those hands will allow our eyes to be directed more towards her face. . .

Lisa-- just reread your response to Mike... had missed the note re: your painting being photographed with a flash... if that's what's making the hands jump out.. then disregard my comments on their value. . . :bewildere

Terri,

Ah, now I do see it. I have to admit, I had to look REALLY hard to see it but I finally did. Thanks for doing that. It really helps.

As far as the hands go, did you see the grayscale version? I think it more accurately depicts what I see in person...that there is quite a value difference between the face and the hands which for some reason isn't evident in my photo (with flash). Boy, that hand reference was odd. I'm not so sure I am good enough to make adjustments on my own so next time a better reference is in order.

All in all, your insight is great and so helpful. Thankfully this is just practice on the new board. I'm feeling like I made lots of little mistakes. I'm going to have to pay closer attention!

LOL! I just saw that you saw the response to Mike. We must be posting at the same time! Yes, the flash threw off the values. The grayscale one shows it more accurately because it is based on a photo taken with no flash. Too funny.

If you haven't had a chance, you might want to check out the threads on photographing your artwork... there are lots of ideas for getting best results. . .

WOW!! This is "practice only"??? My goodness, I can't wait to see you really step up to the plate. Just beautiful - the jacket is incredible!

I have a worse camera than you - 2 MP. Getting the enough detail was never a problem, and when I was doing only charcoal drawings, the camera was fine. But now that I am doing pastels, I realize the color this camera puts out really stinks. I can color "correct" in Photoshop, but I think there is so much more than that - there is no color fidelity - it doesn't capture the subtle shifts in color that should be there, and I can color balance all I want, but I am left with inventing an awful lot.. I'm getting a Nikon D-70 next week and am anxious to see the difference. And I'm determined to work more from life.

But I'm sensing that the whole color, palette, skin tones issue is the "holy grail" of portrait painting - extremely elusive and difficult as it depends on the subtlest shifts in hue, color temperature, chroma, and, of course, the values have to be dead-accurate.I think there are a lot of artrists who can render very well, but very few artists really achieve mastery with their overall skin tones.It is very humbling to even make the attempt.

I'm afraid to ask: how long did this one take you?

Lisa, first of all I want to say that this is an excellent piece and I would be thrilled to have painted it. Secondly, the fact that so many good artists are going over it with a fine-tooth comb means that you are grabbing people by the lapels with it. (I love reading these comments, they are all so interesting and useful.)

Can I add a nitpick? I would take out the horizontal crease in her neck. This is the sort of "detail" I personally leave out when I paint attractive people, especially women. This is a taste issue, not a "likeness" issue. (I find people to be either attractive or interesting, and almost always, both. I try to make them attractive, but if it's hopeless, then I make them interesting.)

You are amazingly prolific, Lisa!

David, I am so flattered you stopped by to peek and yes, practice only. What was I thinking?! I just wanted to do something more than a vignette for a change but man, that jacket. Yikes.

Are you always this nice? It makes it so much easier to know you are nice because I am SO jealous. I can pack up that little artist voodoo doll for now. And now with you getting a nice new camera I am doubly jealous. Are you trying to kill me?

I'll get you back! I won't be getting you back with my wondrous color. I'm still working on the long list you mentioned and I doubt I will ever "arrive." After painting for so many years it amazes me I never even really considered temperature, even value. I just paint what I see. I skipped a lot of color theory classes. How embarrassing. The best I can say is my color is slightly better than my miserable camera might have you believe.

Now for the fun part. This one took about 8 hours.

Did it work? Did I get you back? I didn't think so...

Linda, thank you for commenting. What you say means a lot to me. Really. I don't know how "grabbing" this is but you are sure right about getting constructive feedback. It is really helpful. If I could just live up to the suggestions and remember what I learn for the next one I would be so happy.

Kelly is coming by to see this even though it is practice but I do want her to think of it as flattering so I am DEFINITELY going to heed your advice and wipe out that line. Smudge here, smudge there and it will take a few years off. She'll never know. :) Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to get a likeness I forget that people don't always want everything they have to shine through in a portrait. Excellent reminder.

Again, thanks!

Now I'm seriously jealous, eight hours, you must work like a mad woman :D

I think I'm up to 20 already and I've only done her head! Mind you alot of that is comtemplating each mark I make.

Lisa--All of that incredible detail in 8 Hours?! Amazing! This a great piece and the skin tones are so realistic. I could go on and on about the detail in the jacket.

Carolyn, no need for even a hint of jealousy. I have said before and will repeat: Speed doesn't mean quality. It simply shows impatience. I promise your 20 plus hours will be well spent and you will have a beautiful piece. Honestly, when I paint or do pastels I sit down and it turns into a freak show. I don't stop even for the potty. I work until I can't anymore and that is usually around 5 AM. I don't even step back like most people do to look over what I am doing. My husband says I am driven. I will let him think that but it's just plain old lack of constant discipline or desperation for cash (after all, one must eat).

Jenni, thank you! I'm glad you liked the skin tones since I have really been struggling to make them better. The jacket itself went on and on and on. I will stick with solids for the next few. I've had my fill of patterns for the month. No wonder I tell clients to put their children in something simple. If I had to do patterns like this all the time I would be crazy----er.

You are both really supportive. Thanks!

Oh good grief, you know I gotta chime in. Lisa, Lisa, Lisa. You REALLY think you need to slow down with the pastels? This is amazing, simply AMAZING.

A couple of things that bothered me have already been mentioned; the eye and the shadow behind her. I'm gonna take a pic of mine at eight hours, and most will be thinking "Dang, how are you going to save that?"

Have you seen the work of Jane Lund, her work is hard to find on the net. You might find some poor quality ones, but I remember an article on her in maybe the Pastel Journal and they had good pics. Anyway, her stuff was very detailed. I believe some could take up to 18 months to complete. I think. This kinda reminds me of it, but 17 months, 29 days, and 16 hours quicker.

You rock!

Hi Lisa, I'm so glad you tried this surface and liked it so much! This one is moody compared to the other one. The first Kelly was very sensual (with attitude), this seems more mysterious.

Next time you do your reference work, try to think of things like the hand position in advance. Or better yet, catch it during the shoot. I once had a client come back for a session, just to photograph her hands. My original reference looked okay at first, but when I painted the hand it looked more like a claw. No matter what I tried it still looked like a claw (not good on a 5 year old girl)!

I like this version also, for a practice piece it is very successful. And even if the jacket was a pain to do, it really "makes" the portrait.

Jean

Jimmie, Jimmie, Jimmie, YOU ROCK (and you are funny) and if there is one thing I know about you in this short but pleasant experience so far, it's that you always do "save" it. In fact, yours never seem in any danger. Never. Thanks. I am definitely going to put in the darker shadow near the shoulder and I will revisit the eye. Sometimes I just get sick of these "practice" things though and I want to chalk it up to experience albeit short and sassy.

You know, as you draw you are probably humming a tune, pacing yourself, thinking in depth about your composition (which shows) and enjoying the experience while I listen to music most people at my age laugh at it's so obnoxious, drink soda like it's going out of style (no caffeine though) and color at a pace that would make you think I just saw a ghost or worse. It's almost like a disease. I think by doing more than vignettes I will add lots of time to my pieces. Maybe one day I will spend a week on one! I shudder at the thought but there is still hope.

Hey, thanks. Your comments always brighten my day.

Thanks Jean! Yes, I love creating my own texture. I found it a little tricky to get as much of a texture as I would like (without lines) but after a few layers of the ground I think I have a formula. I almost like it straight out of the jar with a roller and then followed quickly with a soft brush. Can this stuff be sanded? I haven't tried that yet.

Yes, with photo shoots I will try to plan more in advance. Great advice. I didn't plan at all to use any of the photos that showed hands and so I only had one or two to choose from and they weren't good. Still, I liked the facial expression so I went with the best I had. I hope to plan better if I can ever get a commission that goes beyond a vignette. I've been reading up in the reference photo section in preparation for what I hope will be an improved system for photos. Since I do so many children's portraits odds are I won't be working strictly from life any time soon so I better get it down if I want to get past this rut I feel I have been in.

Again, thank you so much for your advice on the pastel ground. It has really been helpful and saved me money.

JIMMIE, perhaps you have a fever or are coming down with something. Have you been eating properly? Taking your vitamins? I just looked at Jane Lund's work and I think you might want to rethink putting her name in a sentence that has anything to do with me. WOW. I have never seen her work until now but let's just say I had to get a tissue to wipe off the tears. If only...

I just got back from California and I am so pleased to see this wonderful piece. Don't you just love the Golden's Acrylic Medium for Pastel!. It can be adapted to just about any pastel technique and made into unlimited sizes! The only limits are ways to frame it!

You have a well thought out piece that is well designed. One thing I have learned over the years and is really helpful to portraiture is editing. When you use a photograph for a reference, it is hard to know when to stop with the detail. Leaving out or enhancing details is a subtle art that can really add a personal aesthetic to a painting.

That said, I find The eyes and the eyebrows a little harsh, especially the eye to the left. It does seem stretched out and could use a softer edge. The left cheek could be simplified and softened a bit as well. The frown marks between her eyes could be eliminated as well as the throat line, as Linda pointed out. You don't have to put every thing in.

I usually work on a photo print, with oils, adding cheek and lip color if needed and modifying and softening areas until it still looks like the subject but better.

One of the best ways to help with this process is to continue working from life. You are usually limited by time and money to make quicker decisions and are usually farther away so you are not concentrated on the details. It will also help you define a more personal style.

I hope this helps.

Lisa,

Seriously, is there still any room left in your next portrait intensive workshop this summer? I should seriously consider attending. I hope you will do anther eight hour demonstration for the benefit of the class! That would be wonderful to experience. What are the dates again?

Wonderful inspired work, Lisa!

Garth

Sharon, welcome back! Yes, I really love the pastel ground. I also love that I don't have to special order panels and pay a fortune. What a great tip.

I definitely have the disease of not knowing when to stop on the details. For me the details are the fun part but I guess I should think more about flattering people so I can keep getting work. I know I wouldn't want anyone to paint me the way I actually look. So, I am for sure wiping out the neck line and I think I will heed your suggestion to soften the eyebrows. I should say that the eyes and eyebrows are Kelly's most stunning feature in person. Her eyes are VERY dark and deep set and her eyebrows look drawn on even though they aren't. They are just perfectly plucked (which I can't imagine since it hurts so much). Still, since this is practice and could be a sample I think it is right to do what you suggest.

You can put oils on a photograph? Regular oil paint? Where have I been?! I can use Photoshop and follow your advice but I didn't know oils could be put on photos. See, I am showing how much I don't know.

I love working from life but barely get the chance since I do so many children's portraits in pastel. The local university does have evening model sessions that can be attented. I've been thinking of doing that again. It's great for honing drawing skills. You are right about stepping back from the painting more when working from life. Photos just aren't the same but I try to make due with what I can.

Thank you very much for your help. I feel privileged to have you respond and I'm grateful for your input.

Garth, you blinked and missed my speed painting workshop? See! You can't blink. The next one will be yesterday (wink). But seriously, it will be decades before there is any hope of a worthy workshop from me--and neither of us are likely to live long enough to see one (even if you are 20). I appreciate your thoughtful comment though. Thank you. I have another speed item to post once I get time to take a photo of it. I did it earlier tonight. You can tell me if it is a wonderful experience or not. Don't hold your breath in anticipation however and please don't blame it on the cute subject.

Thanks to both of you!

Lisa, this is lovely.

Is there anyway you can post a super - extreme closeup? I would like to see your stroke detail. Do you blend all of your applied pastel?

I think someone mentioned the chroma change in the hands? Personally I think you have them right - a woman of her age would have hands with a bit more red in them.

I'll look forward to that close up! IhopeIhope

Elizabeth, thank you so much! I also appreciate your comments on the hands. I had a teacher in college who told me the same thing about adult hands though I can't say I really had that on my mind.

Please find the close up you requested. If you want a higher quality version feel free to e-mail me and I will e-mail one back to you. I have found that with this new pastel ground I do not need to blend quite as much with the texture I have been able to create. It sort of blends itself. I do some smudging of course with my fingers. I like a softer look for skin. In fact, my finger was bleeding earlier (I thought of Jimmie and his Wallis warinings) and I had to put a liquid bandage on it! That's the first time that has ever happened to me. I don't think it's the rough texture. I think it has more to do with my pastels getting larger and slightly more complicated.

So, I hope this helps. It's the clearest I could get. Color is off but the texture should show. I think it has a similarity to linen. I brush in both directions with the ground. Thanks again for replying!

Thanks for the close-up Lisa.

You know the guys just don't understand that by this lovely ladies age we have those reddish hands from smacking those fellas around! ;)

I will need to search about your panel process. I have used the wrong material for the backing before and the sanded primmer really warped it, rendering it useless. But this is looking very promising!

Sorry to be so intrusive, but when you say brushing, do you actually mean with a brush or those cracking fingers of yours?

Hint for the fingers, the texture of the paper or panel can reek havoc but this is also compounded by the pastel actually drying out your skin and cuticles - I don't know if you have noticed this. I try and wear latex gloves when I can stand it, it also keeps your skin's natural oils (well what's left of them) off your surface. I am pretty sure you knew all this, but just in case someone reading might not of...

Lisa,

Actually they use oils for the tinted photo technique, which gave me the idea to do that.

Yes, regular oils and a Q-tip. You can really play with it. The older emulsion style prints work better than the new digital prints. In the digital prints the color can come off if you want to make to many changes that require wiping.

I hope my comments did not lead you to believe that I did not think that this was not an admirable piece.

Elizabeth, I am just now learning what I want to do with the board but I either use masonite or MDF panels. I have done one that I primed with gesso and them applied the pastel ground (made by Golden). That was fine but added more texture from the gesso than I wanted. This particular one was on MDF which I lightly sanded (very lightly). I did not apply gesso. I made a mildly diluted batch of the ground and added a little bit of Golden's matte acrylic to give it a color. I then took a big Purdy house paint brush for trim which is about 3 inches wide and swooshed on the ground. While still wet, I delicately swooshed back over it with the brush----very delicately in one direction. After that was dry I did the brush routine again in the other direction. That gave almost a linen weave look to it and a great texture. I recommend trying it. I think I will use it for all my larger pieces. I'll probably stick with Ampersand Pastelbord for the smaller standard size stuff. It's great to have options and it saves a lot of money.

I don't know if I could do pastels with gloves on but I might just give it a shot. My fingers really hurt today. Thanks for the reminder about oils from fingers. Any oil I had has been sucked out. I need a lotion fix.

Let me know if you try it. I'd like to hear your thoughts and discoveries.

Sharon, thank you for the info. I didn't know oils were used for tinting. I thought phtoographers used special tints. I haven't seen a regular photo in years since the computer age but it sounds like a good thing to try.

All of your comments are greatly appreciated. Please don't ever hesitate to speak your mind. Everything I learn here helps make me better even though it doesn't always show in the work.

Lisa,

Have you tried using one of those fabric band-aids wrapped over the tip of your finger for blending? It still has a pretty good sensitive feel.

Goodness gracious - six hours! I'd take sixty hours and it still wouldn't be this good!

I think you might find that the problem with the eye on our left is that the angle is too flat, too level, and that it should tilt down more at the outside to match the angle of the other features. I find a common problem that artists (especially me) have to fight is the tendency to make features that would look right only if the model's face was absolutely vertical. I always have to stop myself and check the angles of features when I'm working from an angled pose (which is most of the time.)

Hi Mike! Great idea! Those are my favorite bandaids anyway since they don't hurt when you rip them off. I have never tried using them for pastels but I just bought new ones and think I will give it a shot. Thanks for thinking of the health of my fingertips. :)


Michelle, you're very sweet and you do great work! Thank you for the nice words.

I think that eye is the issue as well. It does need to look like it turns more. I have that same problem of turning faces more toward the viewer. I wonder why that is. Thanks for your helpful comments.

There are special funny shaped finger bandaids that I like to use. I put one on each finger cause I tend to use them all (both hands). Emu oil is great stuff for repairing damaged skin.

I call that angle problem parallelism! I fight my tendency for symmetry in every piece that I do. I thought it was from my drafting days, ductwork and boiler piping, refrigeration lines and electric circuits, yuck!

Jean

Lisa: you are a champion, trying to beat two men: . Passion and speed of Delacroix, style of Ingres.
World champion Lewis said that his key to win---
I suppose that the runway under my feet were a scorching steel plate.

I should suppose canvas were a knife, for I have a bad habit of looking too long at a canvas.

Lisa, this is amazing! I looked at your pic briefly when it first came out, but with my work I didn't have the time to really read until today. I thought this was oil, because of the fine detail. Do you use pastel pencils too?

Jean, thank you for the finger saving tips. My finger tips are really a mess.

I also have the curse of wanting symmetry. You can see it all over my house. What is that?!

SB Wang, yes, speedy and I wouldn't recommend trying it. As you can see I often leave out the important details. Thank you for looking.

Julie, very kind of you! I'm happy you like it. I really enjoy doing detail work. Yes, I use pastel pencils for the little stuff like eyelashes, lips and nostrils. All the rest was done with the standard sticks...even the jacket but I break my pastels to get a sharper point. Thanks!