A Figurative Charcoal drawing from the past

"As a child I drew like Raphael but it has taken a lifetime for me to draw like a child." 
Pablo Picasso

I have been organising my paintings lately and while doing so came across some of my old artworks created in charcoal medium. When I first began using this medium, I had limited tools, namely charcoal powder and a charcoal pencil named AMBASSADOR. Using these two mark making tools and a set of beautiful tortillons I went on to create many charcoal artworks.

Today I am posting one of the old works, which needed little touch up. It is a charcoal drawing inspired by the loving relationship between father and son. It is the time spent with the children that creates beautiful memories.

Moment of Joy

Charcoal drawing on paper

Size 8" X 10"

I have titled the above painting as "Moment of Joy" because this image conveys a feeling which probably we have all gone through while we were growing up. It evokes our childhood memories and we try to recollect what it was like to be out with parents and the precious moments that we spent with them. Time moves ahead and we are left with these beautiful memories.

I have been juggling between the charcoal and the soft pastel medium. Both are dry mediums and being self taught, I have experimented and explored both and come up with my own way of handling it. As we continuously work with a medium, we develop a mark making technique that keeps evolving with time. The way I create each stroke be it in charcoal or pastel, now defines my works. 

Portrait and figurative works have always appealed to me and I am glad that I am finally making a serious attempt at restarting it. So my paintings now will be inspired by "People and Places". I will continue my landscape painting as well.

Thanks for browsing through my works.

The crystal clear waters at Phi Phi Leh

The more I travel, the more I get inspired to paint some beautiful moments spent in
nature. Sharing a small poem that I came across recently,

On Nature 

" There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
   There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
   There is society, where none intrudes,
   By the deep sea, and music in its roar,
   I love not the man less, but Nature more."

   By George Gordon Byron

Nature has so much to offer to us humans. We in return can appreciate and value the
wealth of treasure and take care of it by saving the environment from deterioration.

Continuing with my soft pastels, I completed my third painting in the "Phi Phi Leh" series
and I still have a long list to go. The soft pastel painting below is yet another magnificent
view that we got to see while we were on our tour around Phi Phi Leh island in the Long
tail boat. I have used colours as per my perception and interpretation of the scene.

Harmony

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 6.5" X  8.5"

Every tourist who comes to Phi Phi islands pays 20 Baht towards waste management.
There are more than one thousand tourists coming to Phi Phi islands every day and we
were glad to see the place ( Phi Phi Don ) clean and well maintained.

I take art workshops from time to time in different mediums. If you are passionate about
art and are interested in learning the basics of Charcoal or Soft Pastel please mail me
at manjupanchal@hotmail.com and I will get back to you.

Thanks for browsing my artwork.

A dry leaf and its shadow

When I started with my landscape paintings in 2014 I realised that needed to work on tree

anatomy, mountains, sky etc as these are some of the major elements in a landscape painting.

Therefore I went on to do a whole lot of tree trunk sketches on toned paper which 

eventually helped me a lot. 

Similarly doing a " Leaf series" has always been playing on my mind. So the the recent " DPW challenge " Explore your Garden" challenge kind of helped me achieve this desire too.

I took out one of my toned Canson papers and created a simple sketch of a curled up leaf

which is in its initial stages of drying up. I decided on the view as seen from top so that

I could capture the shadow as well which made a very neat composition with sharp edges.

Sketching this leaf reminded me so much of my still life works. I followed almost the same

step by step procedure using a charcoal pencil and a white pastel pencil. The movement of

the pencil on the smooth side of the paper gave me the desired texture that I wanted.

Curled up

Charcoal and white pastel pencil sketching on Canson paper.

Size 4" X 5"

A beautiful quote

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home" By Twyla Tharp

I draw, sketch and paint on a regular basis. I decide on the "Subject" that appeals to me. There

is no rule, no regulation, no routine that I follow. What I follow is my heart. My mind speaks

to me. Decisions change in a few moments. Sometimes I sleep in the night after having

programmed myself for a pastel work but in the morning something catches my eye and I go

on to do a different medium altogether.

Today I am sketching a leaf but I know there are two pastel paintings which are in progress. 

However that can wait. It will all happen at its time. A hasty approach to a painting can

ruin it right at the beginning. I will be posting another leaf sketch soon.

Dhankar Monastery in Spiti Valley

The soft pastel painting as below has been inspired by my visit to Dhankar Monastery which is

in Spiti valley ( Himachal Pradesh ).

From Shimla to Kunzum pass, we had a memorable journey three years back. On the way

we got the opportunity to see some spectacular mountain views especially in Spiti valley.

I have a great number of photographs shortlisted for painting and the one below is one of

them. The white houses against the backdrop of the mountains in shadow made for a

very interesting composition.

Dhankar Monastery is situated at an elevation of 3890 metres, between the towns of Kaza 

and Tabo, in Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. It stands precariously on the fragile

mountains which are slowly weathering. There is a tar road connecting to Kaza, so one 

can visit this place by a four wheel drive. The place is quiet and the view is captivating

all around. 

Dhankar Monastery
Soft Pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper.
Size 6" X 8"

As of now I am taking a break from my forest paintings and am trying to do more of

Mountainscapes. Recently came across a beautiful blog GEOTRIPPER by Garry Hayes,

a teacher of Geology. The blog is very informative and I enjoyed going through it.
Wetcanvas.com is another great site for artists looking for information.

The next painting on my list is another scene from Phi Phi Leh with limestone cliffs
and turquoise blue waters. I also wish to paint a waterfall scene from Iceland ie
Gulfoss. Iceland was visited by my husband some time back and I have some amazing
photographs from there.

Phi Phi Leh island - A paradise on Earth

My second painting in "Phi Phi Leh" series just got completed. This painting is a cropped up
scene from a bigger photograph wherein the entire island could be seen as a big boulder
emerging from the ocean. My mobile photograph is not too clear, hence I am posting an image Courtesy :  travelblog.org ( This site refers to the island as Paradise lost and found and I totally
agree with it )

Approaching Phi Phi Leh

Photo courtesy: Travelblog

We started out tour at around 11 am in the morning from Phi Phi Don in the Long Tail boat.
The next six hours were spent in admiration of the island, the cliffs, the crystal clear waters.
It was a visual treat. What I saw as an artist was a perfect harmony of colours in Nature.

The vertical limestone cliffs at Phi Phi Leh have a wide range of colours. As per my observation
and interpretation I have used the shades of blue, violet, green and brown. The crevices and
fissures have been painted with very dark colours. I have painted the distant cliffs in  much
lighter values to add atmospheric depth. There are sparkles of light on the water surface
which I have painted with a very pale shade of pink.

The Approach to Phi Phi Leh

Soft Pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 6"X 8"

These days I try and use more of my KOH-I-NOOR soft pastels as they are soft, and work

well on Canson Mi Teintes paper. I have used fixative only for the first layer. The second layer is

normally the final layer for me and Canson paper cannot take more than two layers of paint.

To know more about these island and to view photographs taken by tourists 

one can visit TRIPADVISOR.

My next soft pastel painting in progress is of my favourite scene from Himachal,

ie Dhankar Monastery in Spiti Valley. This painting has been long due

but for some reason I never got to start it. Now that I am already into

painting mountain scenes, I decided to start off with this too.

Limestone cliffs at Phi Phi Leh ( Thailand )

I painted the scene as below with reference to my photograph taken at Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Leh
is an uninhabited island that lies 1.5 km off the southmost tip of Phi Phi Don. The stunning
vertical cliffs capped with foliage give way to small sandy beaches and tropical coral seas.

We took a six hour Long tail boat tour which took us all around Phi Phi Leh. The view all
around was amazing. The water all around was so crystal clear that we could see the
submerged rocks and other thriving marine life underneath. As an artist when I look at the
marvel of nature I immediately begin to interpret the colours, the source of light, the shadows
and this acute observation combined with the reference photo helps me recreate the
magical atmosphere on paper.

Getting the colours in the rock right sometimes can be a struggle such as this one. But I have
been doing so many forest scenes of late that a change of subject is like a new beginning in
itself. after having done this one, I am doing another of "Phi Phi Leh" series. The next one will
probably require a little less effort.

 The Vertical Cliffs
Soft Pastel on Canson Mi Teintes paper
Size 6" X 8"

What I enjoyed doing the most was the rocks that can be seen under the blue green waters.
Thailand is blessed with beautiful beaches. This place also reminded me of
my visit to Langkawi in Malaysia where we had similar tall cliffs.

Phi Phi Leh ( Thailand ) 

Image courtesy: Google.com

The next soft pastel painting that I am doing is from a photograph which I clicked while

we were approaching Phi Phi Leh by the Long Tail boat.

Painting the greens

We were at Kilim Geoforest in Langkawi, Malaysia, two years back. ( Ecotourism 

destination )The soft pastel painting below is from a scene at one of the beaches that we 

visited while we were touring the island. 

When I see something beautiful in nature I photograph the place so that I can create an 

original painting in future referring to the same. However some scenes are complicated 

and intimidating so I keep postponing my decision to paint them. This scene has been one 

of them but the place was so beautiful that I knew some day I would be painting it.

I finally took the decision of getting it started last week using my soft pastel medium.

It went through various stages of correction but nevertheless I completed it. 

Some art works become a source of great learning experience and this happened to be one

of them. I had to paint the foliage in background as well as in the foreground, taking care of

the cool and warm colours. The greens cannot be created by mixing of different pastels as this

is a dry medium and too many layers can cause the "MUDDY EFFECT". Hence I have to

depend on all the greens available from different brands. 

This particular painting has lots of greens and blues in it and to tone it down I have added

the warm browns at places. Overall it was a tedious affair but lots of fun too. Every painting

poses a different challenge and this challenge keeps the interest going.

Amidst the greens
Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper.
Size 6" X 9"

Kilim Geoforest park is a beautiful place with an ancient heritage, countless natural wonders, 

home to myriad of flora and fauna, and a vibrant local community of Kilim village. It is a must

visit place for all nature lovers, artists and photographers.

One of my favorite paintings from Langkawi that I painted in 2014 is as below. 

Soft pastel painting on Fabriano Tiziano paper

SOLD

My plan as of now is to continue working on both Landscapes as well as Portraits

and to blog more regularly. Will be posting another soft pastel painting soon

created referring to my recent visit to Phi Phi Islands.

Thanks for browsing.

Exposed roots - A study work on Canson Mi Teintes paper

I came across this tree when I last visited Karnala Bird Sanctuary. It is a fairly simple 

composition and I have used a beige coloured Canson Mi Teintes paper this time for a 

change. The colour of the paper acts as the mid tone value. The brightest shade is achieved

by using the white pastel pencil and the darker shades are obtained by scribbling with 

Camlin and General soft charcoal pencil.

I have done little blending at places but mostly used the pencil strokes to achieve the bark

effect. I do these works very often and call them study works because everytime I do one of 

these I try out some different stroke or effect in an attempt to evolve my technique and to learn something further.

Charcoal and pastel study work.

Size 5" X 7" 

In my last post I wrote about having purchased the water soluble graphite sticks by Camlin

I am posting an image of the same below ( Courtesy google.com )

The pack has three graphite broad diameter sticks. I would have preferred something thinner as creating strokes can get difficult with these. So the next better option was to sharpen the tip of 

one of these. I have used it to create few thumbnail sketches which I will be posting soon.

When I see a new product such as this, I buy it off instantly because if it works good with

me and my kind of works then I know I can incorporate it along with some other medium later.

I think I can combine this with my normal graphite pencil to create small forest sketches. It is

a THOUGHT PROCESS which may eventually work out. Trying out new materials and techniques is a great way of challenging oneself and I truly enjoy doing these things.

Thanks for browsing.