Baby Orangutan

I've been wanting to find more time to practice working with pastels and had a first attempt by copying this image of a baby Orangutan.  I love the way I can apply layers of colour and create both incredibly smooth and also heavily textured effects with this wonderful medium.

"Val"

I think it was Leonardo da Vinci who once said that an artwork was never finished only merely abandoned...and so I am abandoning this one for a while as, although I have been working on it a little at a time over several months now, I am still not happy with the hand which has so much hair falling over it.  I think it might be best to come back to it later when I can see it with 'fresh' eyes.

"Jay"

Ever since I first saw a beautiful black and white photograph of Jay taken by Steve Horsfall, who is an amazingly talented photographer, I wanted to do this drawing of her.  After some initial sketches I worked the drawing  in venetian red and dark brown pencil on cream paper and I hope that I have captured the essence of Jay, just as Steve did when he took this lovely image of her.  (Drawing reproduced with the kind permission of Steve Horsfall).