And Two New Scratchboards

End of Day #1: Great Blue Heron
5x7", scratchboard
by Sandra LaFaut © 2015
from my own photo references

End of Day #2: Trumpeter Swan
6x6", scratchboard
by Sandra LaFaut © 2015
from my own photo references

2 New Studies

 "Misty Morning study"
9x12", acrylic on canvas board
by Sandra LaFaut
along the River Raisin, Veteran's Park,
Monroe, Michigan
donated to Monroe Art League

"Life on the River study"
9x12", acrylic on canvas board
by Sandra LaFaut
Tundra Swan and Common Mergansers
along the River Raisin, Veteran's Park,
Monroe, Michigan
from my own reference photos
donated to Monroe Art League

I'll be doing these over in some form for my own use at some point. These are on provided canvas board which I normally never use. I prefer gesso board and possibly oil paint instead of acrylic.

Article link on deciding what to paint

I like this article on choosing a subject for a painting.
That Certain Something by John Hughes

Between the Parks 1 & 2

So...on to a few pastel paintings. I succumbed to the urge to buy a 72 piece starter set of soft Unison pastels to go with the hard pastels and pastel pencils I already had. I also purchased some UArt sanded papers and a few pieces of Pastelmat, along with some Pastelbord from Ampersand.
I did 5 small pastels of the same scene on different surfaces. These are the 2 that I liked the best. The rest hit the trash.
This scene is a roadside pullout between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Bob and I were there several years ago and I did a small plein air painting at that time.
The first one is about 6x9 and on UArt 320 and the second is 5x7 on pumice primed gessoboard.
For all the colors I have now I still lacked a color to make the mountains the color I thought they should be. That will be my big adjustment to pastels, never enough colors.