The sea waves washing ashore - A soft pastel study.

Soft pastel painting

The soft pastel painting as below has been inspired by all the beaches that I have visited in the past. I particularly chose to do this composition in order to have a better understanding of the anatomy of sea waves. When the waves are reach the shore, the transparency is so visible. The foam that forms on the surface of water has a unique wavy pattern and depending on the light source it casts shadows on the sand beneath. It's a great feeling to stand at the beach and watch these waves move back and forth in a constant rhythm.

The waves at the shore

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 5"X 7"

For this particular painting I used a very limited set of colours as posted in the image below. The brand that I normally use are Mungyo and Kohinoor Toison Dor. I selected the pastels at the beginning itself and placed it on my temporary palette( An old ceramic plate). Making a choice of colours at the beginning saves a lot of time and confusion as I have a big collection of blues and greens.

Limited soft pastel palette

 as used for the above painting.

Art quotes inspire and motivate me continue painting.

Posting a beautiful quote- 

"I would rather die of passion than of boredom." Vincent Van Gogh

To visit my latest artworks you can browse through my Instagram feed.

A Rocky Seashore at Bamboo island - A soft pastel painting

I love painting seascapes. Having spent my childhood close to the sea, it brings back memories.
I have a big collection of photographs and sketches yet to be painted and I don't think I will ever get tired of painting this subject. In fact the more I paint the more I fall in love with it.

The seashore as below has been created using very soft pastels ( Mungyo and Koh-I-noor ). I rarely use the hard pastels. In fact I have just one set with me and I never felt the need to purchase more. The scene below is from Bamboo island, part of Phi Phi Leh ( Thailand ).

In this particular painting I got to create a few textured rocks, the froth on the sea waves and their shadows. While adding the waves in the shallow waters I had to pay attention to the perspective in the scene. In all painting this scene was a new learning experience. I am looking forward to creating a few more seascapes soon.

A Rocky Seashore

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 7.5" X 9.5"

I am blogging after a long "Diwali festival" break. As an artist I would love to paint and blog everyday but I have this priority list in which my art is sometimes not at the top. There are other very important personal things to be taken care of. However as and when I get free time to myself I devote it passionately to my art. 

The next painting that I may begin is of a forest pathway from Coorg in soft pastels. It has been a long pending assignment which has already painted visually in my mind and I just have to put it down on the paper. 

Last week while browsing through the net for nature and wildlife photographers in India and I came across some amazingly beautiful photographs taken by Rathika Ramasamy. I am truly inspired and have become a big fan of her works. If you are into photography or nature study you must visit her site.

Ending with a quote  - "Art does not reproduce what you see. It makes us see." Paul Klee

Drop of water - A pencil drawing

Sketching a drop of water using pencil and charcoal medium

I got to create the "Drops of water" as below in my recent two days "Charcoal sketching workshop". I had two participants who went on to do different subjects in the charcoal medium but wanted to see the demo of "Sketching a water drop". It takes roughly ten to fifteen minutes to complete each of these. 

I demonstrated one sketch and later on went ahead to create two more on different papers. 

Pencil drawing on grey ordinary paper.

Pencil drawing on Canson Mi Teintes paper.

White pastel pencil sketching on

Dark blue hand made paper.

My fascination for sketching "Drops of water" started when I was deeply involved into still life paintings. I would pick up fruits and vegetables and place them near my kitchen window where I had good amount of sunlight falling on them at an angle. Then at times I would place drops of water on the subject and observe the light and shadow play on them. 

Posting below one such still life painting that I created in August 2014, where I had placed an orange on a folded cloth with three little water drops on the fruit. I created this artwork using Derwent colour pencils and pastel pencils. I miss doing my still life paintings and one of these days I will try to take out some time to redo one such works is soft pastels or charcoals.

To know about my upcoming Art Workshops you can CLICK HERE.

In order to view my works in other mediums you can visit my INSTAGRAM page.

The shadow at the beach - A soft pastel painting

"An artist must have his measuring tools not in the hand, but in the eye." Michelangelo

Simple quote that speaks a volume. All the painting starts in the mind itself. The eyes
see it all. The observation gets sharper and better with time.

I recently created a beach scene from Bamboo island ( Thailand ), using the charcoal medium.
The place was so full of colours that I could not resist myself from creating a soft pastel
painting of the same.

Therefore using my cleaned up Soft pastel palette I went ahead to recreate this memorable
scene using vibrant shades of blues and greens. The water of the ocean, changed colours from
green to shades of blue, as it receded towards the horizon.

I titled this painting "The light and the shadow" as the source of light played a predominant
role in the painting. Another appealing factor to me in this particular scene was the rocks that
were so clearly visible under the crystal clear waters.

The light and the shadow

Soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 6.5" X 8"

I spent my childhood years close to the sea. Hence the affinity is pretty strong. It brings back

sweet memories. The love for the sea and seashore continues to exist but now I am into admiring 

the beauty of nature. Using my creativity and imagination, I am busy trying to capture it live on a blank piece of paper so that I can hear the sea waves splashing at the shore. The sound of the

waves in a continuous rhythm is so relaxing to the mind.

Having completed this painting my latest resolution is to add a few more "Seashore paintings" to 

my " To do" list. 

The morning glow - Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

"A Picture is a poem without words" - Horace

The image as below is of a painting created from a reference photo that I clicked while we 

were at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary ( Also known as Keoladeo National park ) some years

back. It was early morning and we were in the boat that was quietly moving through the waters

in the marshy wetlands, surrounded by greenery on either sides. The weather was cold, the 

warm sunrays were perforating through the foliage and it was so very quiet. It was a lovely

place to be and is a must visit for all artists and photographers alike.

The national park is a host to more than 366 bird species. It is a major tourist centre and has

been declared a protected sanctuary in 1971. 

Using soft pastels I have tried to capture the morning glow. I have also created yet another soft

pastel painting of a beautiful scene from the same place. Shall be posting it soon.

The Morning Glow

Soft pastel paintiing on Canson ( Black ) paper

Size 6" X 9"

I have submitted this painting in the weekly challenge conducted by DPW.

I have my precious collection of photographs which I have been collecting over a period

of years. Slowly and steadily I am shortlisting them and then as the mood sets in, I paint

them. Some landscapes have been a challenge to paint so they have been

shortlisted long time back but it is now that I am daring to them one by one.

There are a few beautiful forest scenes from Matheran which I plan to do shortly.

One of them in particular has these morning rays hitting only a trunk and part of

foliage in the early morning hours. Rest of the elements in the landscape

are as if in shadow. I took that photograph with the intention of painting 

it one day. I should be painting it soon.