Indian Paintbrush in Pastel Pencil

Continuing the trend of pastel pencil pieces for 2024, here is the newest addition to the portfolio. This is a drawing based on a photo I took last year at a local recreation area here in Missoula. It was growing along the trail and the raking sunlight filtering through the trees lit up the flower of the plant in golden highlights and set it off against the much darker green background. I was happy to find this composition and have been waiting to convert it into a drawing for quite a while, well before I decided to give pastel pencils a try.

They turned out to be an early ideal medium for the strong contrast and colors of this piece. It really shows the versatility of pastel pencils to be able to go from detailed animal furs in browns and tans to bright crimson and scarlet of an Indian Paintbrush. The strong highlights would present a challenge in any medium and these were fairly simple to maintain with the opacity of the pastel pencils.

As I continue learning more about pastel pencils, I grow increasingly amazed at their versatility.