FINE ART PASTEL PAINTINGS BY FRANCESCA DROLL|fd@abacusgraphics.com
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Francesca Droll Fine Art

1 month ago

Francesca Droll Fine Art

Day 11 of the Strada Challenge.
Beached, 9" x 12", pastel

A week ago, I decided that September 11 was the last day of my personal challenge. Fortunately my day job has been keeping me very busy and I just couldn’t fit in all that needed to be done in a day and still get enough sleep. I’m past the point in my life where I will exhaust myself just trying to keep up. That lifestyle was for a younger version of myself.

I went back down to the lake to begin the plein air painting of the log that I had sketched the day before. I set up my easel and worked for about an hour and a half but the rock that I was sitting on became so uncomfortable that I had to quit. I planned on coming back the next day to finish. If you're interested in reading more and seeing a step-by-step account of the progress of the painting along with a short video, please visit my blog on francescadroll.com. ... See MoreSee Less

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Francesca Droll Fine Art

2 months ago

Francesca Droll Fine Art

Day 10 #stradaeasel
It was a busy day and I had planned on doing a still life indoors after I got back from shopping in town. It was such a beautiful evening when I got home that I just had to go down to the lake and paint. It took awhile to put away all the groceries and our CSA farm share, so I got a late start down at the lake.

The sun was just about a half an hour above the horizon. The summer is waning and the sun is setting earlier than I'm used to. I knew I wouldn't be able to get far with a painting so I opted to do a sketch of a scene that intrigued me. The low sun angle was creating beautiful cast shadows and the smoke in the air was casting a warm glow over the landscape. I took a photo and then did a pencil sketch to become familiar with the log and its root protrusions.

Tomorrow is forecast to be the same as today and I'm hoping to get back down to the lake and do a pastel of the scene. I'll start earlier and get the composition down in big shapes and then add the finishing touches during the golden sunset hour. ... See MoreSee Less

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Francesca Droll Fine Art

2 months ago

Francesca Droll Fine Art

Day 9 #stradaeasel
Peek-a-Boo, 8" x 6", pastel
I visited a friend's yard today after hearing that her grapes were ripening. I thought that it would be a fun challenge to try and capture the little blue orbs hanging from their vines.
As always, it is a race against time and the movement of the sun. I didn't even do a preliminary sketch to save time. I took a photo when I started so that I could use it for reference. I painted the grapes and leaves as I saw them in front of me but used the photo to make sure I didn't stray from the light and shadows as I first put them down. I moved pretty quickly and spent about an hour and a half at the easel.
The little study needs more work but I felt I caught the essence of the sunlit vines and the reflected greens on the blue-purple grapes in shadow and the warmth of those in the light.
In the photo of the easel, you can see the bunch of grapes in the upper left corner. The lower bunch were my models although I was painting them from a slightly different angle than this photo. You can see that the sun had moved significantly from when I started. ... See MoreSee Less

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