Trotter's Van in Pastel Pencils | Picture Feedback

Les sent me a painting of the Van from "Only Fools and Horses" that he has just completed, he asks for a few tips as to how it could be improved.“Please find attached a painting I have recently finished using Faber Castell pastel pencils, but unfortunately I used a light grey pastelmat paper.I wonder if you could have a look and tell me where I could improve it overall, I am not happy with the trees and I was not sure how I do the ground which is meant to be a gravel path, also the shadow under the van does seem right. I have also attached the reference photo for you to compare with.”This was an ambitious project and Les has done well to achieve a reasonable painting. First lets deal with the trees, it would have helped to darken these still further as it would have made the van stand out better. There are many examples on this website for trees and indeed more on the way, so view them to practice the techniques. The shadow in the gravel under the van should be developed at the base colour stage, I would use 270 (Warm Grey I - Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencil Range) for the lighter areas and 273 (Warm Grey IV) for the darker areas. 175 (Dark Sepia) can then be applied on top of the 273 an this can graduate in strength for the very darkest areas, you could even add a touch of 199 black to develop extra depth. Once this is in place then the detail and colours of the gravel can be applied.I would also have darkened the back window using the greys and added the greens to that. The black lettering is difficult, I would have drawn this out with an ‘F’ or ‘B’ graphite pencil at the drawing stage until I was happy with the spacing. For the number plate I would have again drawn out the letters but this time use a lighter graphite pencil, I would then draw out the letters using a sharp white and then with a sharp 175 cut round them, this would have avoided the smudged look.Get feedback on your artwork from Colin by becoming a member and get access to over 100 hours of pastel pencil tutorials.To purchase the individual faber-castell colours mentioned in the article above, visit our online shop.