“Beach Reflections” A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

 “ Limitless and immortal, the waters are the beginning and end of all things on earth.” Heinrich Zimmer

Somewhere in December 2019, I was at Bogmalo beach ( Goa ), with family to attend a marriage function. Little did we know of what was in store for us in the coming months. And then in 2020, Covid struck and all traveling came to a halt for a long long time. Therefore this beautiful beach is a reminder of the pre covid carefree era, when I took out time one early morning to walk along the shoreline and capture some lovely photographs which I planned to paint later at leisure. 

Today’s soft pastel painting of an early morning scene at Bogmalo Beach is one of the many paintings that I have created in the recent times. What I loved a lot in this particular capture is the reflection of the distant hills reflecting on the water reaching the shoreline. 

“Beach Reflections”

A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 5” X 7”

Like in any typical soft pastel painting, I have used Canson Mi Teintes paper and my usual Mungyo, Kohinoor Toison Dor and Sennelier pastels. These pastels work great in combination and as of now I am pretty content with my collection and do not wish to add any more.

If you wish to see some of my latest artworks you can visit my Instagram site wherein I post my works more regularly. Thank you for browsing through my blog. 🙏

Why I love using Strathmore toned paper

 “A beautiful body perishes, but a work of art does not.” Leonardo Da Vinci

Today apart from posting my two more drawings in the “Sparrow series”, I decided to dedicate this post to “How and when I started using Strathmore toned paper” and “what I love most about it”. To be frank, it’s been years and it is difficult to keep a track of lots of things that have happened while I have been moving ahead in my art journey. Therefore my BLOG and INSTAGRAM help me go down the memory lane to browse through the recorded facts and I feel so grateful that I started sharing my artworks with the art community from around the world.

After checking the data I realised that my earliest drawing of “Eye Study” was posted on April 17th, 2017. So it was definitely around that time when I visited Art Lounge, which during those days was situated at Churchgate. I along with a friend of mine had traveled by local train to do our yearly “Art Stationery Shopping”. It see to be fun. I had seen some lovely charcoal and graphite drawings on Strathmore paper and that inspired me to one for myself and check it out. My first pad that I purchased, as shown below, continues to be used even today as there are still some papers left in it.

Strathmore gray toned paper pad

( 50 sheets )

My fascination for the subject “Sparrow” started after I started having plenty of sparrows all of a sudden in my balcony. It has been a pleasant change and I wake up to chirping of this beautiful species and it’s such a great way of starting the day. Sometimes I just quietly stand at one corner and watch their playful activities. 

For both the “Sparrow sketches” as given below, I have used Camlin graphite pencils namely 3B, 6B and 9B. For white pastel shading I have used Conte A Paris and General white pastel pencil. For my earlier sketching I experimented with combining graphite with Staedtler charcoal pencil, however I realised the blending does not go well. So I decided to keep my artwork limited to plain graphite strokes.

Holding on

A graphite drawing on Strathmore drawing paper

Size 4” X 5.5”

Balancing Act

A graphite drawing on Strathmore drawing paper

Size 4” X 5.5”

My personal review about STRATHMORE GRAY TONED DRAWING PAPER and why I love using it for my graphite and charcoal drawings 

1. It is 100% recycled, contains 30% post consumer fibre and is acid free.

2. The paper works great with graphite, charcoal, color pencils, ink etc and is very versatile.

3. It has a smooth surface and very fine texture which helps in holding the graphite and charcoal medium 

    pretty well.

4. Strathmore toned paper is available in two shades, gray and tan, which work as mid tone values. This

    makes it easier to judge the dark and light values and saves a lot of time as we need to apply only the 

    lighter and darker tones.

5. The paper is 118 gsm and this thickness is perfect to create some great artworks.

If you wish to see my recent artworks visit my INSTAGRAM site and if you like my works and they inspire you, please share with friends. Thanks for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks. 

Rocky Seashore - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.” Robert Wyland

Canson Mi Teintes  has been with me for a long number of years. It has been my favourite paper surface for most of my “Soft Pastel Paintings”.

When I like a paper a lot and it agrees with my kind of techniques, I make it a point to buy a good number of them for long term use. So during my initial years of pastel days, I went ahead and purchased quite a few of them in different shades. Then as I began my pastel journey, I realised that some dark toned shades went well for “Forest paintings” whereas “Seashore” subject did well on pastel toned papers.

Today after years of my working experience with pastels, I have realised that I love “Twilight” toned Canson MT much more than other colors. However, I am now left with one last sheet in this shade. My stock of other sheets too has diminished. So once the Covid Lockdown is over, I will be placing my order for my requirements. In the meantime I am trying to work small, ie 5” X 7”  or 6” X 8” sized works.

Today’s soft pastel painting is inspired by the beautiful rocky seashore at Bogmolo in Goa. I have used a mix of Mungyo, Sennelier Toison Dor and Sennelier soft pastels for the artwork.

Rocky Seashore

A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper 

Size: 6” X 8”

I keep my pastels organised color wise in different trays. Being in touch with each other the pastels get coated with pastel dust ( Multiple shades ), hence it requires to be cleaned up on a regular basis. Therefore every once in a way, I take a break and clean up my pastels and reorganise them so that the original vibrant shade is clearly visible. CLICK HERE to view my post on the same.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and do visit my INSTAGRAM feed to see my latest artworks. If you happen to like my works, I would appreciate if you share it with others. Thanks.

The Morning Calm - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

“Nature is the art of God.” Dante Alighieri

Goa has some beautiful beaches and Bogmolo beach is one of them. I happened to be there last December and captured the beach at different hours of the day using my mobile. The soft pastel painting that I am posting today is a morning view of the beach from the higher floor of our beach facing hotel. I loved the white buildings in the distant hills and the morning calm at the beach. At the beach, life is different. It is always a very relaxing experience. I look forward to being at the beach again.

Canson Mi Teintes is a great paper for pastel works and I have used it once again for my present seascape painting. As of pastel brands, I start my first layer using Mungyo pastels and then go on to use the Kohinoor Toison Dor and Sennelier in the subsequent layers. To create the small figures at the beach I have used pastel pencils.

“The Morning Calm”

A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper 

Size: 5” X 7”

I plan to create few more paintings on “Bogmolo Beach series” soon using both water colour and pastel medium.

To know about the papers I have been using for my pastel artworks CLICK HERE. ( I have created a detailed post in the past )Thank you for browsing through my artworks and do visit my INSTAGRAM feed to see my latest artworks.

Deeper into the forest - A soft pastel painting

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than one seeks.” John Muir

Of late, I have restarted working with my “Soft Pastel” medium. I began my journey with Mungyo pastels and then like any other artist, went on to add other brands like Kohinoor Toison Dor, and Sennelier. Now I use a mix of all these brands to complete a painting.

Today’s post is a complicated scene in my “Forest” series and I have used the textured side of Canson Mi Teintes paper for a change. In general I go with the smooth textured side. However I know of many artists who regularly use the textured side and I wanted to give it a try.

Deeper into the forest

A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size : 5” X 7”

Selecting a subject for painting is a very personal decision. Some years back I was a lot into “Portrait drawing and sketching”, and then over a period of time as I traveled to different parts of the country, I was fascinated by the stunning beauty of nature. I felt the connection and decided to capture the beauty of nature on paper using pastels and water colour medium. In a way I feel my paintings are an “Ode to Nature”.

To know about the papers I have been using for my pastel artworks CLICK HERE. ( I have created a detailed post in the past )

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and do visit my INSTAGRAM feed to see my latest artworks.

Pastel landscape on Canson Mi Teintes Touch paper

" Choose only one master - Nature " Rembrandt

Today’s post is one of my recent landscape paintings on Canson Mi Teintes Touch paper ( Purchased from Art Lounge ). We were traveling on the coastal road of South Goa, when we suddenly came across this road turn which had some dense growth of ancient trees around. The scene also had the perfect light and contrast, and I also fell in love with the hanging tree roots.

I decided to capture this scene using soft pastel medium. I primarily use Mungyo and Kohinoor Toison Dor in the initial layers and give the final touches of Sennelier pastels. ( Purchased from Amazon.in ). Apart from using pastel chalks, I also use Derwent and Kohinoor soft pencils in the end to create thin branches, roots, grasses etc.

"On the coastal road in Goa"

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes Touch paper

Size 5" X 7"

To know more about the papers I have been using for my pastel artworks CLICK HERE. ( I have created a detailed post in the past )

Follow my latest works and techniques on INSTAGRAM and if you love my works and they inspire you, share them with your friends.

Portrait drawing on Strathmore Toned paper

"You never outgrow drawing. It's so fundamental to everything." Debra Groessner

I haven’t done a portrait since long.  If you have been following my INSTAGRAM feed, you will know that am into landscape painting these days, both in watercolor as well as pastel medium.

Today's post is a portrait drawing of a beautiful Rajasthani woman on "Strathmore Gray Toned  paper". This paper has a very soft textured surface which works perfectly for my portrait drawing skills. I have used a mix of graphite, charcoal and white pastel pencils to create the tonal variations in the portrait.

Strathmore gray toned paper pad can be purchased online from Amazon.in . I have both gray as well as the toned tan paper pad which I purchased from Blick Art Materials, USA.

"A Glance"

Portrait drawing on Strathmore toned paper

Size 6" X 8"

To know more about the pencils used for the above portrait you can CLICK HERE , ie  my earlier post where I have discussed in detail regarding the same.

 To browse through my latest artworks and techniques you can visit my INSTAGRAM feed and share my works if they inspire you. Thanks.

Nikola Tesla - Charcoal portrait on toned paper

"Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born." Nikola Tesla

Today's charcoal portrait drawing is a tribute to Nikola Tesla, who was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system.

Albert Einstein was once asked how it felt to be the smartest man alive. Einstein's reply was " I don't know, you'll have to ask Nikola Tesla."

I have used Strathmore toned tan paper and a miscellaneous collection of pencils to create this portrait study. Drawing and sketching is always a welcome change. I have busy with my water color studies for last few months as can be seen from my INSTAGRAM page.

Nikola Tesla

Charcoal and white pastel drawing on Strathmore toned paper

Size 6" X 8"

Strathmore toned paper is a great paper to create portrait drawings using just two different pencils, a charcoal and a white pastel pencil. Few other tools that I commonly use are blending tool, eraser, charcoal powder etc.

I have not blogged much for the last many months and it feels good to be back at it again. My plan is to be a little more consistent from now on. I am also planning a few workshops in the next coming months and I shall be writing more about it in my "ART WORKSHOP" page.

Thank you for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks.  

Portrait study

"Drawing keeps the eye fresh, the mind alive and the intuition nimble." Timothy Nero

In 2017, I did not work a lot on my portraits and one of my resolutions this year was to devote time to create a few of them. When I initially got into portrait drawings, it was mostly charcoal on white paper. It’s only a few years back that I discovered the beauty of working on toned paper. The different toned papers that I have experimented with in the last couple of years are

• Handmade textured paper
• Canson Mi Teintes paper
• Fabriano Elle Erre
• Strathmore toned paper

Apart from the ones mentioned above, every once in a while I try out a portrait study on any ordinary textured paper too like the one below. I created the portrait study below on an ordinary grey textured paper that I came across in a stationery shop. It is definitely not as good as Strathmore or Canson Mi Teintes paper, but for the price that I paid for this paper ( Rs 20/- ) it is value for money.

After creating the portrait and capturing the emotions, I decided to darken the background using charcoal powder. The charcoal powder that I normally use in my charcoal drawings is a local make and pretty good. It is easily available in stationery stores. To know more about the charcoal tools that I use for my drawings CLICK HERE.

In Silence

Portrait study on grey toned paper

Size 6" X 8"

When I was in Sikkim during my last holidays, I stayed in a homestay high up in the mountains at Hee Bermiok in West Sikkim. While I was there I got to interact with the local people and I photographed some of them with their permission. I am now using these photographs as a reference to create a few portrait drawings in the series "FACES OF INDIA". Keep browsing to see some of them soon.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Presently I am busy with my art work and other commitments, but will soon start my "Art Workshops"in different mediums. You can also know about them through my INSTAGRAM account.

A soft pastel study on Canson Mi Teintes paper

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death." Albert Einstein

Taking a break from my water color medium, I created a small 5" X 7" study of "Waterfall" using my soft pastel collection. This scene had water flowing in different directions and to capture the movement and rhythm with the pastel strokes was challenging. 

Using an orange colored Canson Mi Teintes paper for the waterfall added warmth to the painting and I feel it works well for subjects like seascapes and waterfalls. For my forest and other landscapes I prefer using either dark brown or the twilight paper.

In October 2016, I created a post in order to explain regarding how I go about choosing the right colored paper for my pastel paintings depending on the subject and the atmosphere. CLICK HERE to read more about it.

Soft pastel study of waterfall
on Canson Mi Teintes paper

At the beginning of the year I had taken a decision to continue doing my portrait works on a regular basis and I suddenly realized that I have not really done much since January. Therefore my next plan is to complete a small portrait of "Albert Einstein" which I started last year on Strathmore Artagain 400 series paper using white pastel pencil. It is about eighty percent complete and I need to spend a few more hours on it to add the finishing touches. 

Follow my latest works and techniques on INSTAGRAM and if you love my works and they inspire you, share them with your friends.

Thank you for visiting my blog and your continuous support in helping me grow as an artist.

On the way to Uttarey, West Sikkim - A soft pastel painting

"Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and spiritual satisfaction." 
E. O. Wilson

Bordered by Bhutan, Tibet, West Bengal and Nepal, Uttarey is a small village located on the Northern slope of Singalila Range in North Sikkim. We paid a visit to this beautiful place while we were on a holiday to Sikkim last year in May. The road to Uttarey from Hee Bermiok had some stunning views on the way. The abundant greenery, the mountains, the waterfalls mesmerize you.

The soft pastel painting as below is inspired by one such scene that we came across while we were on our way to Uttarey. It feels good to be doing a pastel landscape after a long long time.

On the way to Uttarey, North Sikkim

A soft pastel painting on Canson MT paper

Size 7" X 10"

A few images of the steps leading to the creation of the painting as shown above. I started off by picking up a few pastels and placing them on a small white tray so as to avoid a lot of confusion as the painting progresses. I keep the pastel pencils by the side as I use them to create the small branches and other details where ever necessary.

Initial stage of the soft pastel painting.

I wanted to limit myself to a few pastels but as the painting progresses I have practically all my pastels out at my workplace. As seen in the photograph below, I have my Kohinoor and Derwent pastel pencils, Mungyo, Camlin and Sennelier soft pastels all around me as I add more colours to my landscape painting. 

My pastel collection

at my workplace.

Thank you for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks. If you wish to see my other works visit my INSTAGRAM page, where I upload my paintings on a regular basis.

At Dalhousie - Charcoal landscape on toned paper

"To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles." Mary Davis

Today's charcoal and white pastel drawing on Canson MT paper is inspired by a scene from Dalhousie, a beautiful hill station in Himachal Pradesh. This road was leading us to our hotel and the entire pathway was lined up by tall coniferous trees and variety of other miscellaneous dense growth on either sides. 

Being a resident of a crowded city like Mumbai, I never get to witness such a sight and hence enjoy every moment of it while I am out there. Nature has so much to offer us and the least we can do is to take care of the environment so as to preserve it for posterity. Drawing and painting places that I have visited in the past gives me immense pleasure. It is my way of sharing the beauty and magic of nature with the rest of the people who have either been there or yet to visit.    

Pathway in the woods

Charcoal and white pastel pencil drawing on Canson MT paper

Size 5" X 7"

This is first of my landscape forest paintings on toned paper. I am quite happy with the outcome and may go on to create some more in this series. Today I removed my soft pastel collection and sat cleaning and organizing them so that I can restart some colored works soon. I love charcoal medium too but working with the same medium for too long can lead to saturation and then a little change refreshes the mind. So keep looking for some new works which I shall be posting soon.

Thank you all for the support that you have provided me. My blog has now crossed 78,000 pageviews and it would not have been possible without the support of the viewers. Thank you all for the same. If you like my works and techniques do visit my INSTAGRAM page to view all my works together in Gallery format.

Stepping into 2018, a new beginning.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."Albert Einstein

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018.

The year 2017 has come to an end and this is my first post of the year. It was an interesting year with respect to my art journey and its time to share some of my favorite works that I managed to create in different mediums.

I am extremely happy that I could devote some of my time for my water colour passion and went on to create several landscapes and seascapes. It has been a struggle, trying to understand all about the different techniques involved in creating a single water colour painting and while doing so I am exploring, experimenting and learning a lot. The learning experience that comes with the process of painting is of utmost significance to me as it helps me grow as an artist.

Water colour paintings created in 2017

Find below few "Portraits" that I tried out on Strathmore and  Canson MT paper. Both these papers have great textures and I plan to work with them for my future works too.

Portrait drawings created in 2017

Some of my personal favorites in soft pastel paintings that I created in the beginning months of last year. 

Soft Pastel paintings created in 2017

In conclusion 2017 was a great year and I am grateful to all those who have been supporting me in my journey of art. My family, friends, my art workshop participants, my blog and Instagram followers, a very big THANK YOU to each and everyone of you for appreciating my art and motivating me to further continue working with same enthusiasm.

Thanks a lot for stopping by and browsing through my works. Looking forward to reading your comments. 

At Matheran - A Charcoal drawing

“The environment is everything that is not me.” Albert Einstein

When we are out in the wild in the proximity of nature, we come across scenes which capture our attention instantly. The painting actually begins in the mind, the moment we set our eyes on a beautiful scenic landscape.The forest pathway as below was a little away from our Homestay in Matheran and being early morning the sun rays found its way through the dense foliage to create a beautiful contrast of light and shadow on the forest floor.

It is interesting to create a dense forest scene using any medium. With charcoal medium it is mostly about getting the values right. I used kneaded eraser and Staedtler eraser to create the highlights on the pathway and at other places where ever required. Creating thin branches come easy using using any sharp charcoal pencil.

At Matheran

A Charcoal drawing on Favini paper

Size 6"X 7"

I have been working with charcoal medium for very long and I am a little saturated. It is not that I do not love this medium but at times we all need a change. So I am shifting to water colour medium to start with. Will be doing some seascapes and landscapes. No matter what medium, I personally feel that every medium gives me same amount of joy. It is this journey of art which defines me and I am loving every moment of it.

The year 2017 has almost come to an end and I shall be posting soon about some "New year  resolutions" that I have in mind for 2018.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks. 

Drawing a forest scene in charcoal medium

"Art is a line around your thoughts." Gustav Klimt

We were at Karnala Bird Sanctuary when I came across this scene, a pathway leading deeper into the woods. The sun rays  lit up the trees and the foliage in the distance. The composition looked good to me and I decided to capture it on a paper using my interpretation.

I have used willow charcoal and charcoal powder to blend in the background and later used Camlin and other charcoal pencils to create a few details in the mid-ground. Creating a charcoal work is a  great way of doing value study which helps me a lot in creating a coloured painting later. As many other artists say, I too have strongly started believing in the fact that "Value is more important than colour."

Walk in the woods

A charcoal drawing on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 6"X 8"

Half way through the painting, I suddenly remembered to click a photograph of the drawing while it was still in progress. So the image below shows the initial block in stage where in I have simplified the large shapes and created the basic foundation. I have used kneaded eraser to lift out the charcoal from the paper. 

Initial stage of the charcoal drawing

Using willow charcoal, Camlin charcoal pencil and kneaded eraser

 "Fog at the distance" and "Monsoon at Malshej Ghats" are my two other paintings which I have recently created on Canson Mi Teintes paper. This paper grips the charcoal powder pretty well on its sanded surface. I use the smoother side of the paper for my drawings. 

On the 22nd of December I was invited to judge one of the Fine art competitions at MOOD INDIGO Festival, hosted by IIT, Bombay. The event was titled "MONOSTROKES"  and the participants had to create a sketch using the different grades of graphite and charcoal pencils provided to them. 

MOOD INDIGO is the annual cultural festival of Mumbai and the largest in Asia. It attracts a whopping crowd of 1,39,000 students from more than 1700 colleges nationwide. It was an honor to judge this event and a great experience too. I am looking forward to attending more of such events in future too. 

Thank you for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks.

The Fence - A charcoal drawing

“As music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight.” James McNeil Whistler

I am blogging today after a long number of days. Last week was busy as I was preparing for my "Charcoal drawing Workshop" which happened on the 17th of December at Art Station, Four Bunglows. I had in all nine participants in different age groups who were keen on knowing the basic techniques that I use to create my charcoal drawings.

On the 13th and 16th, I was invited to judge three different events in the "Fine Art" category, by Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. These competitions ie "La La Land", "Wat-A-Waffle" and "Artathalon" were part of their annual "VAAYU FESTIVAL". Each competition was unique in its own way and it was a great experience to be a part of this event. The student committee who organised these events put in lot of efforts since last many months and I appreciated their efforts in making these events a success.

Today I am posting a charcoal drawing of a landscape which I completed last week using willow charcoal and my other basic charcoal drawing tools. It is a beautiful morning scene that I came across during my early morning walk, while we were at Coorg, also popularly known as Madikeri. It is a small hill station in Karnataka. The fence with the barbed wire running along the border had a great appeal and hence I wanted to keep that as my main focus in this drawing.

The Fence

Charcoal drawing on Cartridge paper

Size 6” X 8”

I have been working with charcoal medium for a long time now and getting very tempted to get back to my "Soft Pastels". Soft pastel being a dry medium is quite like charcoal medium and I have to more or less use similar technique of creating marks. I love pastels for its vibrant colours and if you are into this medium do browse through the works of EDGAR DEGAS, ( 1834 - 1917 ) a French artist who used pastels in many of his artworks.

Thanks for visiting my blog and browsing through my works.

Portrait of a woman from North Sikkim

"I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart." Vincent Van Gogh

Thangu is a beautiful small village in North Sikkim and I had the opportunity to be there while we were on our way to Gurudongmar Lake. Most tourists stop here for breakfast before proceeding ahead. The lady who owned the restaurant had very pretty features and as an artist I felt the desire to ask her permission to photograph her so that I could create her portraits.

She spoke very little, was immersed in her thoughts and I was not sure if she was going to like the idea of photographing her. However to my surprise she happily gave her consent and I went clicking her photographs from different angles so as to get the best composition. It was a sunny morning, so I could capture the light and shadows on the face which makes it interesting to understand the face anatomy while drawing it.

It was such a pleasure to meet her and know her. Travelling to remote places like Thangu introduces us to people, their life and culture and additionally we get the opportunity to see parts of our own country which are so heavenly. I have posted a few photographs of Thangu in an earlier post. 

Inner peace

Portrait drawing on Canson Mi Teintes paper

size 6" X 8"

Of all the mediums I do, which one do I love doing the most?. I am asked this question very frequently by my friends and students. I find it very difficult to answer this because I truly and undoubtedly enjoy working with all the mediums. 

When I start off with charcoal, I get totally immersed in it with passion. It is the same with every medium that I am involved with. In conclusion, I feel one must do what one loves and let the passion flow on paper. Art should not have any limitations. End of the day it should make you happy.

If you wish to see all my paintings in gallery format, you can visit my INSTAGRAM account.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Fog at the distance - A charcoal drawing

"Without good drawing, the foundation of a painting will collapse." Ken Danby

 Today's post is a charcoal drawing of a landscape with fog in the distance and a fence running along in the foreground. The inspiration for this drawing has come from a photograph by Garry Hayes, a geologist who writes a very informative blog Geotripper.com.  I go through his blog frequently and enjoy reading the contents.

I have used Camlin pencil, charcoal powder and willow charcoal to create this artwork. Creating the fog using the different tools was an interesting experience. What I enjoy more than the drawing is the exploring and experimenting that enables me to discover new techniques to handle different elements in a landscape. For example in this painting I needed to create the grass and I wanted a little texture in the foreground. So I used the charcoal powder, the willow charcoal and after a little blending created the strokes of grass. It worked well.

Sharing a beautiful poem that I came across on "The Fog" by Carl Sandberg

The fog comes 

On little cat feet

It sits looking 

Over harbour and city

On silent haunches 

and then moves on

Carl Sandberg

Fog at the distance 

Charcoal drawing on Canson Mi Teintes paper 

Size 5” X 7”

My charcoal tool box is a collection of miscellaneous pencils of different brands which I have been purchasing for the last many years. When you enter an art store and come across something new and different you cannot resist buying it. Many a times it has happened that I have gone and purchased a pencil after reading a whole lot of reviews on the net and yet to my disappointment discovered that it is does not work for my kind of technique. Does this discourage me from buying more pencils? Not at all. I do that even today. It is a small investment compared to the happiness that I achieve by experimenting and exploring which in turn helps me to learn a little on a daily basis.

Frequently used charcoal tools

in my charcoal tool box.

Thank you for browsing through my blog and if you wish to attend my Charcoal drawing workshop, you can register by sending a mail at manjupanchal5@gmail.com

Portrait drawing

"To draw, you must close your eyes and sing." Pablo Picasso

Quotes are beautiful. I find them very inspiring. No matter how passionate or self motivated, there are days when nothing seems to work. Quotes speak the right words at these moments.  

My today's post is a portrait drawing of a beautiful old woman with great features. I met her in Hee Bermiok, Sikkim while I was holidaying there in a traditional homestay high up in the mountains. She came up to our homestay, climbing all by herself and her agility, enthusiasm and bubbly nature inspired me. I had the pleasure of interacting with her and I got to know a lot about her way of life. It is so peaceful out there and I consider her fortunate to be able to enjoy pristine nature.

I have already created a side profile drawing  of this beautiful woman and posted it earlier in August. This time I decided to sketch her front face in order to capture her expression, emotions and feelings. Her curled up scarf over her head, which left a few braided hangings accentuated her looks. I also loved her traditionally designed nose ring which I found was pretty unique. 

In Quiet Moments

Charcoal and white pastel pencil drawing on

Strathmore gray toned paper.

Size 5" X 7"

As an artist I love doing both "Landscapes" as well as "Portraits". Portrait drawing takes much longer time than a landscape painting. Therefore I do it in stages by taking frequent breaks. The portrait such as above took me about a week to complete but once completed, it gives me immense satisfaction. The feeling cannot be described in words. It motivates me further to create more works such as these. 

Thank you for browsing through my artworks. 

To know about my upcoming workshops CLICK HERE.

From photograph to charcoal drawing

"While drawing, I discover what I really want to say."Dario Fo

As an artist I am always looking for meaningful quotes as they speak my thoughts and keep me inspired. The above quote holds true, I guess for most of us. It is through our art that we slowly discover what we are trying to convey to the viewers. 

Malshej Ghat is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats range in the Thane-Pune district of Maharashtra, India.The site is nestled in the lofty rugged hills of the Western Ghats. The road journey to this place will take you through winding roads, lush greenery on either sides, thick dense fog and countless number of waterfalls touching the highway. 

We visited this place in the monsoon season this year and I found some perfect subjects that I was looking to paint.. My today's post is a charcoal drawing of one such scene from Malshej Ghats wherein the majestic mountain slopes can be seen fading off in the distance. This drawing was not planned but while browsing through my stationery I came across a white sheet of Canson Mi Teintes which initiated the idea of experimenting with this paper out for my charcoal drawing?. 

I love to experiment with new papers all the time. I have created a post regarding the "Papers I use for my charcoal drawings". After using Canson Mi Teintes, I am quite convinced that it will be an added paper in my list for charcoal drawings. It has this beautiful sanded smooth surface ( which I also use for my pastel drawings ) which takes on the charcoal pretty well.

Sometimes it takes just one drawing to come to a conclusion and there are times when you want to check a paper/paint again and again and you are not really sure if it is going to work for you. 

Monsoon at Malshej Ghats

Charcoal drawing on Canson MT paper.

Size 5.5" X 7"

Initial stage of charcoal drawing

The above image shows the initial stages of the charcoal drawing wherein I have "Blocked In" the different elements in the scene, namely the sky, the mountains slopes etc using charcoal powder and my other blending tools.  The distant mountain slopes are kept light and without any details to create atmospheric depth.

In the subsequent layers I use the pencils and the kneaded eraser to create the highlights and shadows

The photograph from Malshej Ghats

which inspired me to create the charcoal

drawing such as above.

While on location, I try and take a few different photographs with different compositions and later after a little editing I use the image that looks good to to be converted into a painting. I also do a few quick "Thumbnail sketches" using my charcoal pencil and sketch book to roughly block in the value scale in the scene. It always helps. 

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