Sennelier La Carta Pastel card ( Review )

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

For a very very long time, I have been using only  Canson Mi Teintes paper  for my soft pastel artworks. However lately I began exploring La Carte Pastel card by Sennelier which I purchased from Blick Art Materials a while ago. It’s not that I am unhappy with Canson paper as a choice but there are times when I feel the need to add more than three to four layers which gets difficult in Canson Mi Teintes paper as it’s surface cannot hold more than two to three layers of pastels. Whereas a sanded paper can accept many layers of pastels on it and as an artist you get the freedom to experiment with soft, hard edges. It’s very versatile.

Below are some of my 3” X 4” soft pastel studies that I created on Sennelier La Carta pastel card and I am totally in love with it. It’s great to be working with this sanded surface and I am truly enjoying it. So if you are looking to work with a sanded paper, then do go with this one as I highly recommend it. 

To browse through my latest artworks ( I am more active these days on Instagram ), do visit my INSTAGRAM portfolio where in I share my art and my thoughts behind creating it.

 

If you wish to know more details about each of the above paintings, do browse through my Instagram portfolio where I am more regular at posting my artworks in different mediums. 

Frothy Sea waves - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

“Choose only one master - Nature”.  Rembrandt

Today’s soft pastel painting is inspired by the beautiful “Frothy sea waves” which reach the shore after a long journey. When observed closely, the froth creates interesting shadow patterns on the sands below. Soft pastel, I feel, is a great medium to capture the beauty of these waves on paper.

If you have been regularly watching my blog and INSTAGRAM feed, you will know that for most of my pastel paintings, my preferred choice of paper is undoubtedly “Canson Mi Teintes” which is available in many different shades. I settled for this paper for the following reasons:

1. It is an acid free paper, guaranteeing longevity
2. Available easily on many online stores in India
3. It is available in 42 different shades which helps the artists in picking the right one depending on
    the subject.
4. This paper has a dual surface, a rough textured the and smooth textured. Both sides are usable.
5. As compared to many other papers, Canson Mi Teintes is very reasonably priced and for beginners
    it is an excellent choice.

Frothy Sea waves

A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size: 5” X 7”

These days I am into both the “Water color” as well as the “Soft Pastel” medium. I enjoy working with both of them and am trying to keep a balance between the two. 

Do browse through my INSTAGRAM feed to see some of my latest works and thanks for visiting my blog.

One Morning at Bogmolo beach in Goa ( Chitrapat handmade paper )

“The day will be what you make it, so rise, like the sun, and burn.” W C Hannan

When I started with watercolors, a few years back, I decided to work with many different papers available in the market. ( Check out on my INSTAGRAM page for my works and reviews of different papers ). Over a period of time I realised that I enjoy working with only a few of them. Chitrapat handmade paper is one of my preferred choices for the following reasons:

1. It is very reasonably priced as compared to imported papers.
2. It has good water retention quality
3. It is an acid free paper so helps preserve the quality of artwork in future
4. Works good for wet on wet technique
5. Easily available online in many art stores across India

“One Morning at Bogmolo Beach”

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 5” X 7”

For the above artwork I have used Winsor and Newton Cotman and Camlin Artists water color tubes. I enjoy working with both these brands and would recommend it to all water color enthusiasts. 

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and I appreciate your support in my art journey.

About Fabriano Aquarello water color paper

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.” Leonardo Da Vinci

I have not posted anything in my blog for a long time now. However I have been painting and uploading my works regularly on my INSTAGRAM page, which takes a little less time and is fairly simple. Moreover it also helps me keep a record of my paintings, papers and paints I use etc.

Today’s post is a Still life painting of “A slice of Apple” on Fabriano Aquarello 200 gsm paper. I placed this cut apple near my kitchen window in the direction of sunlight, to get the desired composition.

I have been using Fabriano Aquarello 200 gsm paper for a quite some time now. I find this paper very good for the following reasons:

• It is acid free
• The colors stay bright on the surface
• It is made of 25% cotton, is a student grade paper but a high quality paper to begin with.
• Very economical compared to many other similar papers.

 This is my personal evaluation and from artist to artist the opinion always differs. I purchased my Fabriano Aquarello pad from Amazon.in , however there are many different online art stationery stores which sell this paper today and it can be 

A Slice of Apple

A water colour painting on Fabriano Aquarello 200gsm paper

Size 5” X 7”

The paints used for the above still life painting are Winsor And Newton Cotman tubes and find them really good for the price that I have paid for it. I purchased individual tubes of those colors which I use predominantly in most of my paintings. 

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and do go through my INSTAGRAM feed to view some of my latest works and techniques.

Watercolor Still Life painting of "A Slice of Apple"

"The only time I feel alive is when I am painting." Vincent Van Gogh

The above quote is so very motivating. Anyone who is passionate about painting will connect with it immediately. I try to paint a little every day and it drives up my spirit instantly. I always look forward to painting a new subject everyday, be it still life or landscape.

Today's post is a still life painting of "A Slice of Apple", which when placed near my kitchen window in the direction of the sunlight, cast beautiful long shadow across the table. I wanted to capture this moment using watercolor medium. I created this artwork on Arches cold pressed paper,

which is a great acid free, high quality paper and I plan to use it a lot in the future.

The Light and Shadow
Water color painting on Arches Cold Pressed paper 300 gsm
Size 4" X 5.5"

I love working with still life objects as it gives me the freedom to experiment and explore. It provides me with unparalleled learning opportunities be it design and composition, mixing colors or understanding more about depth and perception. When I get saturated with my "Landscape" and other works, I take a break to do a still life painting and it immediately refreshes me.

Thanks for browsing through my artworks. To see all my artworks, visit my INSTAGRAM profile.

Charcoal and Graphite Portrait drawing of a boy

"I am interested in art as a means of living a life; not as a means of making a living."
Robert Henri

Some months back I had purchased Canson Bristol paper from "Art Lounge" with an intention of trying it out for my graphite and charcoal artworks. It is an extra white paper with a very smooth surface. I used it initially to do my "Eye studies" and later started a portrait of a young boy which for various reasons never got completed. Therefore I decided to put in a few hours on it and finally completed it. In this particular drawing I have used a combination of both graphite and charcoal medium.

In conclusion, I love the Canson Bristol paper for its extra white colour. However since I have not worked much on a very smooth surface, I am feeling a bit uneasy at this stage. In fact all the papers that I have used in the past have a textured surface and so I have got very comfortable using them. But at the same time, I do not want to give up on this paper and may try one or two more portraits to make a final conclusion ie to keep it as a preferred choice for future or to let it go.

CLICK HERE to know about the papers that I use for my charcoal drawings.

Young Boy

Charcoal drawing on Canson Bristol paper

Size 5" X 7"

Posted below is the image of the Bristol paper by Canson

I enjoy doing both landscapes and portraits. However landscapes take much lesser time as compared to doing portraits. My portrait drawing happens in stages. I never complete it at one go. I take my time and as and when I am in the right frame of mind, I sit at it and little by little I add the layers. It is interesting to see the portrait develop and when it finally completes it seems like a big achievement. 

 If you wish to purchase any of my artworks, you can browse through them on my INSTAGRAM page. I shall communicate with you regarding the availability of the painting, the shipping procedure and other details.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Niagara Falls, in charcoal medium

“Drawing is like making an expressive gesture, with the advantage of permanence.” Henri Matisse

I finally completed my charcoal painting of Niagara Falls which has taken a long number of hours. It is sized 16" X 16" and is done on FAVINI paper. I framed it with black mountboard around it and a 1.5" thickness black frame made of fibreboard. When I started this particular work I was using Camel and KOH-I-NOOR charcoal pencil. Later in the final layers I have used Conte A Paris and General charcoal pencil too. I did not use any fixative as I did not feel the requirement. The painting is framed under the glass for protection and long durability.

Niagara Fall

Charcoal painting on FAVINI paper

Size 20" X 20" ( Including the frame )

Framed painting of Niagara Falls

For any inquiry related to my paintings you can write to me at manjupanchal@hotmail.com

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. 🙏