After three weeks of intense observation, sketching and photographing of the Great Grey Owl on my property, I decided it was time to proceed with a painting. The Great Grey had proven to be a very co-operative model and I was eager to attempt a portrayal of her majestic beauty.

Photo A
I began by preparing a rough sketch of the composition on charcoal paper (left). Here I was
able to work out the details of the drawing making any needed adjustments as well as
experimenting with the colours and textures I would use in the finished painting. Once
satisfied with my design, I then transferred this line drawing to a sanded paper, masking
off all sections but the immediate working area (right).

Photo B
I tend to work from top to bottom and left to right, bringing each section to near completion
to avoid smudging my surface.  I block in small areas at a time building layer upon layer until
I've achieved the texture and depth I desire. I also work from dark to light and hard to soft.
For "Lady Grey"my entire palette  consisted of only 8 soft pastels and 4 pastel pencils. The
finest  detailing in the feathers being done with a very sharp 3H graphite pencil.

Photo C
I have now finished the final highlights on the owl and begin to block in the middleground
and foreground. Despite their name, Great Grey Owls are not just grey. Rather than
completing her with browns and greys I chose to use maroons, purples, blues and whites.
By repeating these colours in the owl, fence and vine, the surrounding landscape will
determine the atmospheric mood of the painting.

Photo D
The fenceline area had too much definition so I added a very soft Artworks white and a Schmincke
cobalt blue tone. I blended these over the entire surface with my fingers to lose sme of the
edges  and create a blowing snow effect.

The Final Step
The final step was to lay the vine over, around and behind the fence post and owl thus
incorporating my main subject into the overall scene.

This marks the completion of my first attempt at an artistic depiction of the Great Grey's
character. I look forward to developing future artistic tributes to a regal bird I
grew to know and love.

• To protect your lungs, never blow at accumulated pastel dust. Take the work outside or hold it over a newspaper and tap the back to get rid of excess pigment.


• Wearing a mask helps protect against inhalation of pastel dust and if you are using this medium daily, an air filter in your working space is a good idea.

• Pastel pigment can be absorbed through the skin. Try to get used to wearing disposable gloves. Gloves also help keep the work clean and it is much easier to clean the pigment off the gloves before changing colours than off your hands.

• As an alternative to gloves, and to prevent dry skin, breaking nails or sweaty hands from gloves try "Artguard Barrier" Cream by "Windsor & Newton". Just put it on before you touch a pastel stick.

• When using fixatives, spray in a well-ventilated area, preferably in a garage or outside.

Working on a dark paper allows me to easily judge mid-tone values and true colours. I use the pastels in a variety of ways —
scribbling, crosshatching, scumbling and feathering. Variety adds interest and energy to the paper surface.

Going to extremes
Working on a dark-toned, sanded pastel paper, I loosely
sketched in the main shapes with vine charcoal. I filled in
the darkest areas with the charcoal and the lightest areas
with a white conté crayon. Before moving on, I knocked
off the excess charcoal dust and sprayed the work with a
light coat of fixative.

Starting at the top
I began with the cloud formation. Using the sides of my
pastel sticks, I lightly applied broad strokes of burnt
sienna, ochre light and grey for the clouds and horizon,
then gradated into greenish and prussian blue and cobalt
blue, finally working into the warm horizon using
ultramarine pale. I was careful not to overload the
paper so I could make adjustments later. I then added
a few of the same colours to the field.

Moving to middle ground
Next, I developed the cooler shadows within the focal point
of trees using blue indigo tone, ultramarine and cold green
deep in the foreground grasses. I added more light ochre,
moss green and bohemian green for variations, with burnt
light ochre and ochre light for the highlights.

Unifying with colour
To finish the middle ground field, I filled in with cobalt
blue, then highlighted with moss green. I repeated
these same colours, as well as a variety of reds,
oranges and greens, in the stand of trees. For the
foreground grasses, I used cobalt blue, moss green,
pinks and ochres. Finally, it was time to blend and
push back the sky by lightly tapping it with my fingertip,
then layering on more pastel to keep the
‘bloom' or freshness of the colour.

Finishing with flair
Still working top to bottom, I continue to blend and
soften the colours through the middle ground and
foreground.

Finished — "Moment in Time" (14 x 30" or 35.5 x 76 cm)
I also added bright highlights to the fenceposts, and
finished with some lively strokes of colour in the
foreground grasses.