Original Pastel Painting
by Marie Donato
26" x 35"
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The clouds are what enticed me to paint this scene. One thing about the Midwest is the remarkable four seasons. Even though it is spring now this painting reminds me of the clouds we can have in any of our dramatic seasons. It is spectacular to see the moon in a day lit sky.

View the original of this pastel painting at OA Gallery in Kirkwood, Missouri. 

It is common to be too tight and focused on details EARLY ON.

​Ironically being LOOSE in the beginning will actually improve the final details in your drawing. 

​You do not have to dread the blank sheet of paper in front of you. Here are some ways to help you relax and enjoy drawing. 

Be loose and very general with your beginning pencil lines, make a soft suggestion of where the eyes and face will be.

Remember that all of these soft lines will be covered up with future mark making and shading. So don't worry about messing up.

Why? Sometimes a pencil point or line can be too restrictive. Powdered graphite is easier to put down broad, loose, value shapes of darks.

Please don't be afraid to get your dark shadows in, because again future marks will go on top.

​No ... the second photo above isn't darker than the photos to the right.  You may think I lightened some of the eye area, I didn't.  

​What I did was go darker with the eyebrow, lidline, and lashline. It's just an optical illusion. Those darker marks make the values before it look lighter.

Have fun and enjoy drawing.

Are you interested in drawing tips and classes?  Learn about private individual instruction with Marie
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Starting a new drawing can be very intimidating.  Here are three tips to get you started. 

No details ... at least in the beginning. Details are the fun part, I know. I understand the desire to want to start with them, but save them for later. You need your foundation first. Keep your drawing soft and loose.

Step back, LOOK at your subject or photo, and find the overall direction of the figure, and then draw directional lines for a guide.  Next, find your largest shapes. Look for circles, ovals, rectangles, whatever shapes you see in your subject. Progress to smaller shapes from there.

Draw with a light line using a soft lead pencil. I usually start with a #2 school type pencil or a softer lead, like a 6B drawing pencil.  You'll sketch many lines in the beginning because you are exploring your subject and getting to know it. Do not expect to put down the exact marks in the beginning. Be kind to yourself and have fun sketching!

Okay 1) Skip the details, at first. 2) Get the overall angle of your figure and identify the largest shapes you see to the smaller ones. 3) Use a soft pencil, very loosely to explore your subject.

Have fun drawing!

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People are often curious as to how a portrait starts and progresses. Sometimes I'll show video clips of a portrait progression on Facebook. I also like to sketch live so that people who might be interested in a portrait can watch a little bit of the process. As part of the team at OA Gallery I have the opportunity, sometimes to sketch while at the gallery.  It's a great perk and fun way to catch up on some portrait drawings. Stop by the gallery for a visit.

Contact Me to find out when I'll be at the gallery next.

I love our amazing St. Louis Art Museum! It is so beautiful!
A favorite thing is to bring my class to the museum to explore and sketch. 

We sketched from two masterwork paintings.​
Our emphasis was sketching the large shapes of the figure in the painting, creating a loose drawing in charcoal and pencil.
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​With no pressure, our sketching is done as a form of personal journaling, for each of us to explore and to become more aware of this incredible painting.  

Portrait of a Woman
by Nicolas de Largilliere
c. ​1696

We moved on to a second amazing painting by Robert Henri.
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​Again our emphasis was on sketching, and getting the overall strong direction or angle of the subject's figure. Then we moved on to creating large shapes to small shapes, with minimal detail.  

Betalo Rubino, Dramatic Dancer
by Robert Henri
1916

To reward all our lovely sketches,
​we relax and enjoy a luxurious lunch together!

What a treat!!
​A super fun fantastic day was had by all!!
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Join the Fun--
​If you are reading this and are interested in taking
Art Classes with Marie Donato,
​check out Marie's Art Class Info Page
for more information.


Have a Great Day!
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What a great class! Fantastic finished work by my Portrait Drawing Class at OA Gallery!  The focus of this portrait class was drawing the portrait on toned paper using graphite and charcoal. It's great for students to have a connection to their subject, so students are encouraged to bring their own photos. 

Demonstration Drawing where I begin by loosely laying in the large shapes of the head, face, hair and neckline and then I start the eye area. 

My art class students are working hard and making beautiful progress!

What a great job they did! I have the best students!
Thank you all for making it such a fun class!!

If you are reading this and are interested in taking
Art Classes with Marie Donato,
​check out Marie's Art Class Info Page
for more information.


Have a Great Day!

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Here are photos of a corporate portrait painting created in pastel.

The first step is always drawing for me. I sketch my ideas out and work within the client's chosen size of the portrait.
​For this portrait commission I was asked to create an upper torso/head and shoulders portrait. I sketched my final drawing onto the sanded pastel board. When working on a pastel painting, I usually work top to bottom because of the fall of the pastel dust. It is much cleaner that way.

To protect my hands from the abrasive texture of the sanded board and to keep them clean, I  wear gloves. 

For the skin tones there are many layers and many additional colors added to create subtle nuances in the complexion.

Finishing up the jacket.

The completed portrait!

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Wow! An art lesson at the Saint Louis Art Museum was a unique opportunity and treat for my drawing students!  As an art teacher my hope is that my students have fun while learning!  So I arranged a visit to the Prints and Drawings Study Room.  Visiting the Study Room was a rare occasion to get a close look at Master work dating back to the 1700's!  From there we went on to the main galleries to create sketches from two Zorn portraits. We all had a blast!

17 works on paper were chosen from the Art Museum's collection.  Many of the works were unframed, matted only, and amazingly, not under glass.  Magnifying glasses were supplied for closer inspection of the beautiful marks and details!

St. Louis Art Museum

The Prints and Study Room
​was a pure delight to us all!
We saw works from Ingres, Renoir, Childe Hassam, Berthe Morisot and others.

Beautiful pastel by Mary Cassatt

Pastel painting created in 1753 by Maurice Quentin de la Tour

Etching by Anders Zorn

Questions answered by the Study Room Manager, Heather Hughes, were so helpful!  

Great information! 

From the Study Room we sketched from the Anders Zorn portraits.

 We divided up between the Zorn portraits, Lucy Turner Joy and Halsey Cooley Ives.  Mr Ives was the first director of the St. Louis Art Museum.

Sketching Lucy Turner Joy by Anders Zorn
Great fun!

To top it off we gathered for a delicious relaxing lunch at the Museum's Panorama Restaurant!
​What a perfect day!

As an art instructor, it is my hope to share my excitement for drawing and to create fun learning experiences for my students.  

We definitely will be visiting the museum again! 
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Join Marie's Fall Drawing Class and learn the techniques and tips she has acquired over the years, and discover the joy of just creating!
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