After finishing this, I didn't want to share it. I wasn't happy with how this braid study turned out, and I almost left it in the drawer. But learning means creating pieces that don't always meet your expectations. Those are often the ones that teach you the most. #GraphiteArt #Art #Pencil

Every finished portrait starts with small studies. Eyes, noses, ears, paws, and fur. Each one helped me better understand light, texture, and the small details that bring an animal to life. Do you enjoy seeing the finished artwork, or the practice behind it? #GraphiteArt #ArtistProcess #Pastels

Flower with Water Droplets I thought drawing water droplets would be the easy part of this study. I was wrong. The highlights took the most patience, slowly lifting graphite with an eraser until the droplets finally started to look like water. #GraphiteDrawing #TraditionalArt #GraphiteArt

Bee The background on this piece challenged me more than the bee itself. Some areas of the paper didn't seem to accept the pastel properly, which made parts of the painting frustrating. Fortunately, those issues never affected the bee. #PastelArt #WildlifeArt #PastelPainting #Art

Wine Glass Glass, reflections, water, bubbles, lemon, and splashes. This drawing challenged me in almost every way. There were parts that frustrated me and others that I was thrilled with. Graphite study completed from a tutorial by Emma Towers-Evans. #GraphiteDrawing #StillLife #GraphiteArt #Art

Tiger Eye Pastel study completed from a tutorial by Kimberly Russell Art. I was searching for pastel tutorials when I found this one. The eye immediately caught my attention and I was mesmerized by the colors and reflections within it. 🐯🎨 #PastelArt #WildlifeArt #Art #SoftPastel

Graphite eye study completed from a tutorial by Emma Towers-Evans. I like how a drawing comes to life by building up tones with graphite and then erasing out the highlights and details. It seems almost magical. #GraphiteDrawing #TraditionalArt #DrawingStudy

This German Shepherd was my first full pet portrait after returning to soft pastels. Before tackling a larger piece, I spent time studying eyes, noses, and fur. #PastelArt #SoftPastel #GermanShepherd #DogArt #AnimalArt #Art #TraditionalArt #PastelPainting

I promise I don't only draw animals. 😄 This is an iris graphite study. One of the things I enjoy about graphite is how it slows me down and makes me notice details I might otherwise overlook. #GraphiteArt #GraphiteDrawing #BotanicalArt #FlowerArt #TraditionalArt

Barred Owl. Another older pastel piece while I work on a new pastel painting. I've always enjoyed wildlife subjects because of the patterns, textures, and details that make each animal unique. #PastelArt #SoftPastel #OwlArt #BarredOwl #WildlifeArt #TraditionalArt

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers with Coneflowers. One of my older pastel pieces. I still like the quiet space in this one and the balance between the birds, flowers, and all that green. #PastelArt #SoftPastel #BirdArt #WildlifeArt #TraditionalArt

Animal eyes are usually what pull me into a drawing first. With pastel, I like slowly building up the color and texture around them until the piece starts to feel more alive. #PastelArt #SoftPastel #CatArt #AnimalArt #TraditionalArt

Attempting braid study. Studio assistant had other priorities. 🐾✏️

One of the things I enjoy most about drawing animals is slowing down enough to really study texture and small details. Soft fur, tiny shifts in color, edges that almost disappear into the paper. #PastelArt #SoftPastel #RabbitArt #TraditionalArt #Art

One of the things I like about graphite is how subtle the shifts can be. Soft edges, tiny changes in value, and slowly building form a little at a time. #Graphite #Drawing #Art #TraditionalArt

I’m new here and starting a space for my artwork, Pastel & Pencil. I’m getting back into graphite and pastel drawing after years of production work and wanted a place to share studies, pieces, works in progress, frustrations, progress, and the slower side of rebuilding a creative practice.