Today's efforts in the studio. Again started with Rives BFK paper. Toned it with crumbled saran wrap and fluid acrylics: turquoise, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, Quin Burnt Orange and Pyrolle Red. Used some compressed charcoal and a stick of Creatacolor 49500, which I have no idea what it is! Set this all with rubbing alcohol and started to apply hard and soft pastels. Excited about the possibilities.

THE WILD ONES!
Started with a small piece of BFK RIVES. Using fluid acrylics and scrunched up saran warp I toned the surface. I hate having to clean brushes and worry about managing acrylic residue in my septic system. So the saran wrap got the paint on the surface along with brushlike strokes. I started thinking sunflowers! Used Burnt Sienna, Quin Nickel Anzo Gold and Turquoise Phthalo.

Used some compressed charcoal to get more darks and create some lines. Brushed over with alcohol and like how it neutralized some of the color. The I added a layer of Golden Pastel gGround. Selected just a few pastels that varied in hardness and value, but kept the initial color scheme in mind. Later on added in some hints of yellow green and purple to spice things up!

Happy with the results! And the only brush I had to clean was the one I used to apply the pastel ground.