a hot night and a new haircut

It has been hot down under... especially last night... too hot to sleep soundly, so i found myself sketching in the wee hours of the morning... and it was good

I used a stronger sketching paper with a finer tooth and it took the harder punishment I seem to produce when I have a conte crayon in my hand... but the natural sanguine colours where perfect to do a portait of rebecca a new twitter friend... and a fellow Victorian to boot ... I loved her furtive look

I know a new haircut can mean a lot, just click on the link and listen to the great waif song.

harder than it looks

I'm new to using Conté Crayons, they were invented by the same guy that invented the modern pencil (graphic inside a wooden stem) Nicolas Conté. they are harder than pastels... they are made of fired clay and wax as well as natural pigments, such as iron oxide, carbon black and various clays and produce a sanguine tones like an old sepia photograph. They took me by surprise... they act more like a sketching device (eg pencil of pen) on standard cartridge paper, maybe because of the square shape and hardness. Their soft pastel cousins, which I think should be used more like paints...like a textured paper with lots of tooth.