The Shaded Pathway- A Soft pastel painting of a landscape from Coorg

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau

I finally completed the soft pastel painting of a scene from Coorg, ( Madikeri ) which I started in November 2016. After doing the initial layer of blocking in the colours, I had taken a break. I normally intend doing a painting at one go as it is so much more convenient. After an interval when I get back to an older work, it is a lot more struggle to restart it all over again. It is like the momentum is gone and I have to recollect everything about the scene and visualize the steps all over again.

However this is one of my favorite scenes that I came across during one of my morning walks in Madikeri and I did not want to give up on this one. It took me longer than expected to complete, but I was happy that I finally completed it.

The shaded pathway

Soft pastel painting on Fabriano Tiziano paper

Size 7.5" X 10"

For my soft pastels I am mainly working with Canson Mi Teintes and Fabriano Tiziano paper. To read more about the papers that I use CLICK HERE.

Of late I have been spending a lot of my time with my small sketch book. I just created a new one exclusively for my AQUARELLE GRAPHITE works. To create a small work sized 4" X 5.5" all I need is a sketch book, a Cretacolour 8B aquarelle graphite pencil, a brush and water. I am enjoying this new found activity because many a times I just have about an hour to myself which is not sufficient to start with some serious work. At such times I get down to doing my study works of different subjects. It is more of experimenting and exploring and is lot of fun.

If you are passionate about art and want to get started with a particular medium then you can attend one of my TWO DAYS ART WORKSHOP which I conduct on a regular basis. My upcoming workshops are listed in advance, so you can register for the same.

Thanks for all your support and keep browsing.

Creating a Charcoal sketch of Mandalpatti Hills (Karnataka) on Canson c a grain paper

I have officially run out of Scholar drawing paper. Therefore I decided to do my present charcoal sketching on Canson c a grain paper. The subject for my present work is a scene from Mandalpatti hills which is about 25 to 30 kms drive from Coorg ( Madikeri ), Karnataka. We visited these hillw in the month of August and being monsoon season the place was green all around. Using the charcoal medium I have created the tonal values as seen in the landscape. I may use soft pastels in future to create the same scene on paper. 

As decided earlier I avoided using willow charcoal in this sketching and went ahead mainly with the powder and pencils. In the original scene the sky was very cloudy but to keep the composition simple I used kneaded eraser to create just a few ones with soft edges.

The Hills
Charcoal sketching on Canson c a grain paper.
Size 5" X 7"

For creating the above sketching I also used the General compressed charcoal stick ( sparingly though ) which has been with me since last year but for some reason I did not put it to use earlier.

It creates bold black strokes and I am beginning to like it. I may start using it more regularly now.

Next I am working with "Charcoal and pastel pencil on toned paper" as my two days workshop for the same is coming up on next weekend. 

Ending my post with an inspiring art quote

"It's only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise, that you have rendered something in its true character." Camille Pissarro

Two landscape study works in charcoal medium

Two study works using the charcoal medium.

Composition, colours and value. They all play a very significant role in creating a good artwork. In order to get a better understanding of a landscape, I generally go for a thumbnail sketch or a study work which I create in different mediums. This time I decided to do a value sketch using willow charcoal, charcoal pencil and charcoal powder. 

Both these sketches are sized 4.5" X 5.5" and will serve as reference when I will recreate these subjects in colours using soft pastels. 

Tonal value sketch of a scene from Coorg

A study work

Tonal value sketch of a scene from Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

A study work

"I sometimes think there is nothing so delightful as drawing."  Vincent Van Gogh

I totally agree with the words as quoted above. Drawing and sketching is the foundation to art. As the drawing gets better so does the painting. I enjoyed creating the charcoal sketches such as above and I may do my future "Thumbnail sketches" too in charcoal medium.

To view my selected artworks you can visit my gallery at DEVIANTART

A soft pastel painting of a morning scene from Coorg ( Madikeri )

Soft pastel painting

If you happen to be at Coorg ( Madikeri ), a beautiful morning scene such as below is a common sight. Coorg is amazing all throughout the year. It is a small hill station close to Mangalore. 

I started this forest landscape in soft pastels during one of my soft pastel workshops and later spent a few more hours working on it adding the finishing touches.

A simple morning walk in nature helps me come across a lot many potential subjects for painting. This scene appealed to me a lot for its "Light and shadow" play on the trees, the foliage and the road. I have used a black coloured Canson Mi Teintes paper for this painting but in future plan to try out other coloured papers too.

A morning at Coorg

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper.

Size 6" X 8"

An inspiring quote

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." Vincent Van Gogh

A walk in the woods - Coorg ( Madikeri )

In the past few days I have created several thumbnail sketches of Landscapes and seascapes 

using the soft pastel medium. The plan was to create final pieces of art referring to some of 

them. Along with the study sketch, I will also be using the original photograph taken by me.

The first soft pastel painting that I have finally selected is inspired by my visit to Coorg, ( Madikeri ). Coorg is a very quiet and peaceful hill station in Karnataka. Its green all round 

the year and a paradise for photographers and artists. Any road you take leads to some great 

views. The trees, the bushes, the red soil, the distant hilly mountains, you can spend hours and 

hours soaking in the beauty of the surroundings.

The image below is of a soft pastel painting created referring to one such sights that I came 

across during my routine morning walks. The early morning sunrays, the fence running across 

on the left, the green foliage around, some wild flowers, each element adding to the beauty of 

the landscape.

No matter how many landscapes I do, everytime I am doing a forest scene, the greens intimidate

me the most. Getting the right green becomes a challenge. Therefore I use soft pastel palette

which is a combination of Mungyo, Gallery and Kohinoor soft pastels. Each brand comes

with a different collections of "Green shades" , therefore combining all of them I get fairly

different shades from bright to dull. The Camlin brand too comes with some beautiful greens.

A walk in the woods

Soft Pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper.

Size 6" X 9"

Soft Pastel Palette

A Mix of different brands.

Another of my soft pastel painting is in progress referring to my Phuket and

Phi Phi islands visit recently. From forest, I am moving to cliffs and mountains and some

breathtaking views of white sanded beaches.

To view my paintings you can also visit my FACEBOOK page. If you like my works

please share with friends. Thanks for browsing.

Demo works of forest scenes created during my ART WORKSHOP

I recently conducted my usual Two days soft pastel workshop. The first day is like a warm up 

for the participants where in they understand all about the soft pastel medium, the papers, the techniques etc. and then go on to create simple works like seascape and landscape with mountains. 

On the second day I normally go about doing demo works of forest scenes, wherein I explain 

my step by step technique that I follow to create a landscape starting with the sky,

followed by the trees, bushes, the pathway etc. The painting technique that I follow normally

completes in two layers of soft pastels.

These demo works are normally completed in a duration of thirty to forty minutes each and

I add a few details here and there once the workshop is complete. Both the demo works as seen

below are done on Canson Mi Teintes paper are done with reference to my photographs from

Coorg. ( Madikeri )

Two soft pastel demo works done during

a Two days soft pastel workshop.

Since I am working a lot with soft pastels these days, I decided to experiment and explore.

I used a Prussian blue coloured hand made paper ( with textured surface ) and created a 

seascape on it using soft pastels with an underpainting created using wet brush

 on pastels. Just an experiment to check out if pastels work good on

 handmade textured paper. Will post the image of my experimental work soon.

Capturing the landscape at Mandalpatti using Canon 7D

While we were in Madikeri in August this year, we heard one of the local guys mention Mandalpatti as a very beautiful place and situated about twenty kms away from our homestay ( COORG ). I had never heard of this place but decided to google it. Looking at the images we made a quick decision to visit this place where only a four wheel drive can take the tourists across on the steep slopes.

The place is a visual treat for artists, photographers and every other person who loves to be part of nature. I could see all possible shades of green in the grassland which covered the hills like a soft blanket.

Apart from the spectacular views from the hills of Mandalpatti, the winding roads from Madikeri to Mandalpatti itself was a pleasure.

The muddy pathway created to take the tourists around

to capture the stunning views all around.

The hills and mountains covered with grassland.

Clouds touching low almost touching the tips

of the mountain peaks.

Another beautiful view of the western ghats

at Mandalpatti

Another beautiful view of the far off hills

Mandalpatti hills allow you to have a 360 degree view of the hills around. Fortunately the place has not been too commercialised and there are no hotels or homestays in the vicinity. The area is clean and well maintained. Mandalpatti is part of Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary.

If you wish to visit this place ever read some of the reviews in tripadvisor.

My new travel sketch book for Pencil and Charcoal sketchings

When I am travelling, I make it a point to carry my ART TRAVEL KIT which includes a small sketch book and bare minimum art materials which can help me create few study sketches or paintings. Last year I created this small water colour "Travel sketch book" as shown below which has small hand made papers bound together.

You can read more about this sketch book in my earlier POST wherein I have written in detail about it. When I am away from home I prefer not to carry my pastels as it is a very messy affair. Later some day I may organise my stuff and start on that too.

Travel sketch book with 40 hand made sheets

size 3.5" X 5"

For my August trip to Madikeri and Goa, I decided to create yet another sketch book for my charcoal and pencil works. For charcoal and pencil works I just need to carry a few of my favourite pencils, kneaded putty and eraser. These materials easily fit into a pencil box and very convenient to carry in case on wants to do PLEIN AIR painting.

To create my charcoal TRAVEL SKETCH BOOK, I made use of Canson c a grain paper which has slight texture on one side. I cut them into uniform size of 4" X 5" and got it spirally bound at a stationery shop. However since charcoal and pencil sketches smudge easily, I have used butter paper ( glassine ) between the sheets so as to preserve the work for longer duration.

Travel sketch book for creating

charcoal and pencil sketches

A.  Canson c a grain paper

B. Butter paper

While I am away from home, I am unable to do a large sized art work. Therefore these travel sketch books with small sized papers, enable me to explore and experiment. At times I am relaxed and I have the time to create a small study work on location but there are moments when I want to but due to various factors am unable to create my work outdoors. Hence I make it a point to capture the magical moments on camera so that I can refer to them and use either water colour or my pencils to create small study works.

The biggest advantage of carrying these small sketch books is that I get to do so many different subjects and each of them takes not more than twenty to twenty five minutes. Moreover the work is done in a very loose and free manner, in a fun way so there is no hesitation at any point. I will soon be posting a few small works created in this book.

Back to my Coorg Landscape painting - soft pastel work

The scene below is yet from another of my COORG ( Madikeri ) photographs. We would set out for our morning walks with simple digital camera in hand, exploring the muddy pathways, spotting the birds, butterflies, insects etc. It was such a pleasure. Each road had something different to offer. 

I have been looking at these very photographs but somehow earlier I never saw the prospect of converting it into a painting but now that I am doing a whole lot of landscapes, I find my subject more easily. Some very simple landscapes with bushes, twigs, fallen leaves etc can make for a beautiful art work. My struggle with the greens continue and I wish to buy a set of pastels with probably 48 shades of just GREENS in them.

The Muddy pathway

Soft Pastel Painting on white Fabriano Tiziano paper

© Manju Panchal

Soft Pastel painting Madikeri ( Coorg ) Landscape by Manju Panchal

Created a soft pastel painting using my COORG holiday photograph, where in I have blurred the background using different colours to suggest trees and foliage. I did not want to spend more than forty five minutes in creating it.

Using KOH-I-NOOR soft pastels I have scribbled and blended to get the texture of the bark on the tree trunk. Coorg , also called Madikeri is a beautiful hill station in Karnataka and the lush greenary around there is just awesome. Perfect for photographers and artists and of course nature lovers.

The painting below is more of a study work and also an attempt to test the new paper which I recently purchased ie Fabriano Tizianao.  Its texture is almost similar to Canson mi tentes. I will be doing my next few paintings on the same paper so as to get a better feel of the paper. If it is able to hold more layers of pastels on its surface then in future I can order bigger sheets from FLIPKART and use this paper for my larger sized art works.

Madikeri Landscape

Soft pastel painting on Fabriano tiziano paper