In progress ~

I've started a new portrait of 2 lovely girls.  I toned a sheet of Wallis sanded paper with Prismacolor olive green, brushed out with Gamblin odorless mineral spirits. It's a bit more even than what you see in this photo. Once it was dry, I used blue/violet to sketch the girls and a kneaded eraser to remove some pigment from areas that I want to keep light.

I used mostly Rembrandt pastels here. With pastels, I usually work from top to bottom, left to right, to minimize loose pastel falling on finished areas. Once the older girl is in, I'll start working in circles around the paper, adjusting, shading, and highlighting.

I didn't have much time in this sitting.  Still using Rembrandt pastels.

Yesterdays work.

I see a few things I need to adjust before moving on.

These girls are so cute, I find myself smiling through the entire painting time!