Big scary tiger!

Sometimes the world doesn't take you to where you're expecting to go.

I went to an art workshop today, to a place I know very well, along with people I know very well. And I expected the day to go the way it normally does. The world has a pattern I am familiar with, and I tend to follow my own template within that pattern. Its what I expect. From previous experience, long since followed and understood. And so, I expected the same today.....

It wasn't difficult. The workshop was entitled "Animal in pastel" and the woman running it does beautiful pastels of dogs, cats and horses mostly. She also had brought along a stunning pastel of a hare, along with some landscapes, and some portraits. She mostly works on commissions of people and their pets. Particularly pets. I knew all this before I went. I knew she did pastels. I CAN do pastels, but am never as happy with them as I am working in oils, acrylics or watercolours, because I prefer a brush or pencil in my hand. I like the fine point you get with those tools. With pastel I can never seem to get the fine detail that other artists do, some very beautifully. So, I have a huge chunk of pastel in my hand and don't achieve the fine detail that I like, even as a loose painter. I don't mind getting dirty, as you always do with pastels. Its just the end result I don't seem to get. But still, that's all background information. I go to the workshops regardless of the subject matter because I ALWAYS learn from them regardless of the subject matter and the medium. EEEEEEVVVVVEN if it's a still-life in pastel - which would probably be my least favourite choice of art workshop!!! :)

Anyway, on to to-day. Last night I sorted out all the stuff I would need for today - art bag, pastels, pastel paper, kitchen roll, sketching paper, pencils, old shirt to wear, old towels, newspaper to catch the pastel dust, and the photos of the subject matter. I knew I wouldn't be drawing a domestic dog, although wouldn't have minded a fox or a wolf, maybe, for the interesting colours and tones. Nah, I much prefer cats. Any cats really. Big cats, domestic cats, lions, tigers, leopards, panther, any of those. That's what I do. Cats. Ok, I found a good selection of photos of big cats, and tigers in particular, and went along to the workshop armed with them. Sorted!!

But the day didn't go to plan. Not at all. The pattern didn't follow the normal way of things. It wasn't because there were only four people on the course instead of the expected 18 or so. It wasn't anything to do with the weather even, that was unseasonably warm and sunny for the time of year. No, none of those things. It may have been down to the tutor, who chose to do a beautiful Alsatian dog for her demonstration. That MAY have had something to do with it. But I still can't account for the fact that my big scary tiger, the one with black and white stripes, the one with huge amounts of burnt sienna, and staring yellow eyes, turned out like it did. I just can't understand what went wrong!!!!! How can it have happened? How COULD I have produced this painting from my carefully collected photos????! What went so terribly wrong??!

MMMmm........ I can only put it down to the fact that the photo was very appealing. And the fact that I REALLY enjoyed the drawing the subject matter, and really enjoyed doing the pastel. REALLY! And I am incredibly pleased with the result. And I don't normally like pastels!!!! And I don't do cute!!!

(The painting isn't signed because I haven't cropped it for a frame yet, but other than that is is all but finished).

Its all very worrying, this. I'm SUPPOSED to be an Erotic Artist! I think I need to re-consider.................................... LOL !!!!!