View from the Compost Pile

"View from the Compost Pile" is our neighbor's house. One evening last winter I was taking out the compost and looked over and was struck by this view. I took a photo (I work mostly from photos) and this is the result.

Lake in Winter

"Lake in Winter" is a study of Lake Winnepesaukie, about an hour from where I live.

Our Kitchen at Night

I did these two drawings "Our Kitchen at Night" and "Parker River Study" using Caran d'ache water soluble crayons. They are a little like the crayons we used as kids, only better. They have much more pigment and when you apply water (with brushes), they explode with color. I layer the colors, working generally from light to dark. They dry fast. I draw on mat board (acid free "mat guts", a friend calls them, being the inside part you are left with after cutting a mat), although illustration board would work fine.
The end result winds up looking like something between a pastel, watercolor, and egg-tempera.
I work small with these- 8x9" or less.

The Parker River Study