Thanks, Rheba. I will be a bit scarce the next couple of days. Should be back to normal by Wednesday
Brenda
Inktober 2023, Day 16 — Angel
Maggie. None of us knew when we claimed a tiny black lab puppy, that she would play a huge part in rehabbing my husband following brain surgery in 2000. We picked Maggie up two days after my husband was released from neurological rehab. Maggie gets credit for being the best dog in the universe. So loving, so gentle, so eager to do what we all needed during such a difficult time. I still have dreams of her. 
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Brenda, you made me tear up. Our pets truly are angels. Giving is their specialty . All the inktober drawings are awesome.
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Oh, that’s beautiful, Sonia. My husband and his sister both cried when they saw it. So powerful. Their love is so unconditional if you even love them just a little. In our case, our dogs are family members. I can’t imagine not having at least two dogs. Thanks so much for sharing.
Brenda
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I really like this one Brenda (speaking about the Koi fish). My other favorites are the Elephant and the Habanero peppers with such wonderful colors. I haven’t been at the forum for a while and boy do I have a lot of catching up to do.
Terri Robichon
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Brenda, you are doing great work.
I’m falling so far behind. I’ll have to catch up. Been out of town since last week. For those who saw the critique of the portrait I did of my friend, the guy in the portrait asked me to do a commissioned portrait of his grandson. So I guess next couple of weeks will cause my focus to change. And he wants it in color (color pencil). I’m up for the challenge.
Suggestions on paper welcome, Stonehenge, Mi Teintes, Pastel Mat, other?
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Pastel Mat for sure would be my preferred choice. Congratulations.
Terri Robichon
Congratulations on the commission! I would probably use Stonehenge paper. Since it is such an important piece, you might do a little sample of work with the pencils on each surface to see which feels right. I default to Stonehenge often these days.
Brenda
Thanks Terri and Brenda. I will probably do the test on each to see how they feel, and how the layers of color blend on each. I do want it to come out well for sure. I know Matt has recommended both. The challenge is smoth childs skin, and texture of stuffed teddy bear, fur collar on jacket, texture of ski cap. Shiny jacket. I have included photo for reference. I feel like i can deal with the build up of color regardless as soon as i get the feel for each paper. I curious as to which texture would be more dependent on type of paper. I do appreciate your input.
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Today’s Inktober prompt was saddle. I did a drawing of a McClellan Cavalry Saddle. It was used by the U.S. Army from 1859 to the 1940’s when the last horse cavalry and horse artillery were disbanded. I had a rough time with all those curves and the perspective. By the time I inked it I was just ready to be done. 
I think it might have been nicer with ink wash.
Brenda
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What a lovely child!! I’m still working on the one of my granddaughter, but it might not get finished until after Inktober.
Regarding paper, Lenet. I have used both Prismacolor and Polychromos colored pencils on Pastelmat. You can get a ton of layers on that paper, but you have to work sometime to get all the tooth of the paper covered in an area with fewer layers. With the Stonehenge white paper that I have, there are times I run out of tooth before I get all the layers on that I want. Part of that might just be me.
That said, those would be my top contenders for you portrait. How big will it be?
The birds below which you may have seen, are on Pastelmat. I used pan pastels for the background and the bird box. I don’t even know how many layers of colored pencils I used on the adult bird, but I could have added even more.
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Thanks Brenda, I just ordered some Stonehenge paper, i may order the Pastel Mat also. Client wants 8×10. Big I know, but I will have to soend some time.
I love those birds. Glad to see them again.
What burnishing technique did you use with the Polychromos? I have a set of those (haven’t used yet) and Prismacolor that I normally use. I am starting to try to do more in color. This will definitely be a challenge though.
Hi Lenet,
Obviously I am not an expert however, from my experience with polychromos they work rather well with pastel mat. You will find yourself sharpening often as more sharper pencil will fill the tooth of the paper better. This paper will allow you to develop your values slower due to need for layers, a lot more than on Bristol. By doing enough layers pencils will blend naturaly, fill the tooth and therefore allowing you to burnish by just slightly changed pressure on a final layer, be it by chosen color or a blender. I personaly felt that pastel mat gave me more control over my strokes but it does require some muscle work to build all those layers. I have included a close up of a blue jay I have made. There are at least 7 layers. Hope this contributes your question. Good luck with your project. I have no doubt it’s going to be a successful one 
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Thanks Janar75. Good to know. My last color pencil drawing seemed to start burnishing itself after 4 to 5 layers on Bristol Velum. Not sure if I was to heavy handed to begin with or the paper. By the end I really lightend up pressure but still could not get much more than 5 layers.
When my paper order comes in, I’ll experiment a bit before diving in. Appreciate the advice from your experience.
Lenet
@Brenda You’re making your inktober ink drawings look effortless
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Thanks Sonia! The hardest was that saddle. I thought I’d never get those curves right.
I’ve really enjoyed doing the challenge. I hope I keep the habit of drawing every day when October ends.
Brenda