This page demonstrates the steps that a painting goes thru to become what
you see in the finished product, with pastels , this is a many faceted layering
process that can take hours to weeks to complete depending on the difficulty
of the subjects.
In this particular series the subject is two Texas whitetail bucks.
As I complete the steps of the painting they will be added.
The subjects & paintings will be changed from time to time so that you may see
different techniques
I hope you come back again to view the progression of  this painting and see
the finished painting.
In the first step a light  sketch is
made of the outline of the
subjects getting proportions &
muscling structure correct.
Usually I do this in regular #2
pencils.
At this stage I usually decide
between making this a pastel
painting or  just a charcoal
sketch.
Next an  idea of colors & depth
for the background is added
and a few rough details such as
outlines for the trees in the
background and such.
In the next step all of this is
smoothed out & blended with a
number of tools I use , from soft
brushes to my fingers them
selves . You can begin to see the
background take shape
somewhat at this point, but it still
needs a lot of work & building .
In this next step I  begin to block
in the outline of the bucks before
they are lost in the background.
You can see the depth of the
picture just beginning to show
from doing this . By doing this I
also accomplish defining  muscles
& shadows that I will build on.
In this step I begin to rough in the
shades I want the bucks coats to
be ,  and giving them a little color
difference in their coats so they
don't blend into one animal.
During this stage a also tweak
the background some as I go ,  
trying to attain more depth.  But
this painting is far from finished.
In this step .....just as I did with
the background , I am  now doing
with the bucks blending the
colors of their coats. Now that
the base is set the real work on
these two trophy bucks can
begin. This painting is about half
completed now.
Come back to see the progression of this  original artwork as it is being created!!!!!!!
Art Progression