Happy Birthday, Indira!

This is another tree done in pastel (no time-lapse video this time). A few differences.. There is only one tree. In my previous drawing, I did four frames and in took Forever. This time, though, I was able to focus on one of them. This tree is also larger than the other four I've done. Also, last time I used oil pastels, this time I used soft pastels. If you are wondering the difference, think about drawing with Crayons vs. drawing with chalk (Crayons = oil, chalk = soft)

This is my first time working with this medium. The light blue color blended very easily with your finger, but the darker/harder the colors the more difficult they were to blend. Another issue that I've run into with pastels, both soft and oil, is that they come in sets. Sure, you can buy big fancy large fold out sets, but I'm a poor college student and am stuck with what Walmart decides to sell. Therefore, I am lacking in having a large selection of colors. I wish the tree could have been more shades of green rather than brown and yellow, but it is how I had to make it work. My preference is oil, btw. I like materials that feel real in your hand; something that smears and is thick. I definitely can see myself using the soft pastels later, though. There's a lot of untapped potential with them.

But! It is okay because this is actually a birthday present for my friend Indira, who most know as Desiree. I told her I would do a tree for, so here it is! Happy Birthday! :)

And a few details:

The styling is a tad more rough than what I'd wanted, but with the overall process of making it this is just how it came to be. I will begin practicing soon on more shading and softly applying mediums