Hey Heather, As much as I wanted to paint the mossy tree limbs, I found this photo in my stash and decided to give it a try. It’s from somewhere along the Oregon Coast.

I watched the class, and the interesting part was painting along while using this photo instead of yours. Your tips helped me know where to start, but it felt different. I was my own "blind leading the blind" situation. I have so much to learn about pastels, but I’m really enjoying the process. It reminds me of when I used to paint with oils. The medium is quite forgiving, unlike watercolor, although my hand keeps smudging the chalks while I work! 

I can’t stress enough how much easier clean-up is with pastelmat. I do need to purchase some Invisible Gloves, as my hands are breaking out from the chalk. I also wore a mask today because I could still smell the chalk in my nostrils even when I went to bed last time. Learning..