Soft pastels with goggies

These two soft pastels were my b-day gifts for children of my partner. I did not have any brilliant ideas for gifts for two very intelligent 6 year olds so I came up with these two friendly doggies. I enlarged a detail of a white bullterrier - please click on the images to see them bigger.

P.S. The third soft pastel with a cat went to my parisian friend's daughter. I will try to make a reproduction of it when I am in Paris (somewhere in a very distant future).

P.S.2 The title of this post is not a spelling mistake. If you want to know why, have a look here!

More

I am looking at Edgar Degas' soft pastels, writing this with a huge book of his works on my knees. He was experimenting with various techniques of using the soft pastels crayons to that extent that some of his works got destroyed in the process or were beyond repair when art museums got them for their collections. If you will be visiting Musee d'Orsay have a careful look at his work in soft pastel technique set up in the darkened section on the top floor. But my favourite work of his (oil on canvas), red La Coiffure, is in The National Gallery's in London collection - I am planning a visit this summer. 

I hope my works are doing well on the walls out there!

First ever

Drums please!

These were my first ever commissioned illustrations! It was couple of years ago when I got a phone call from a posh, glossy wedding magazine (where my friend worked as a stylist). I was to illustrate an article about marriage contracts. Within a very short deadline (was it a day or two? I cannot remember now) I produced two 50 cm x 70 cm (18" x 28") soft pastels. Editor could not choose between them so she decided to print both.

They did not know what had hit them...

Baby soft pastel

A special gift for a pregnant friend. Please do not forget to click on the image to enlarge it!

Coffee flavoured still life

Still life with coffee and tulips