I have been working on a series of birds in pastel. This one (9x13 soft pastels on velour paper) is one of my latest:
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Hello Ginny. Oh my lord! What a beautiful rendition of a bluebird. I love the bird, but I also think you did a great job with the background. It reminds me of a field with grasses bent by the wind. Nice work!
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This is amazing! I love it
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I love the way you rendered the background. It really makes the blue on the bird pop.
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Thank you, all. 
Very nice Ginny! Straight to the eye! 
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Beautiful! Amazing work.
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Beautiful blue bird! What is velour paper?
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Thank you, Candace. Velour paper is a deeply textured paper which feels a lot like velour fabric or even suede. It has a nap and, so far, I have been unable to fill it with layers of pastel. I tend to apply it heavily and velour paper is the only thing I have found that can take it. It is also forcing me to loosen up and not worry about details. Maybe you can ask Matt about it for the Member’s Minute. 
Thank you, James. I appreciate it.
Thank you, Logan. 
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I admire your patience with pastels. I gave up because it was sooooo dusty.
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Hi Ginny, thanks for the comment on my eagle.
I love your bird. Is it the velvet that makes the feathers look so soft?
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I think so, Estelle. It takes some time to get used to the softness and “blurriness” of the velour paper when you first start using it. I didn’t like it at first, but it is getting easier to work with.
Yes, Candace, I agree. When I first tried soft pastels, I got so disgusted, I actually gave away my pastels and vowed to never use them. But, I bought some more and kept trying, because I love how they look. Now, I really enjoy them. I do not enjoy the dust any more than I used to, but I am learning how to deal with it. The velour paper holds the dust really well.
This is beautiful. He looks like he could fly right out of the picture.
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Thank you, Lori. 
Absolutely stunning! Looks so realistic. I, too, am not familiar with velour?