The Emotive Pastel Portraits by Tammy Gabriel

Tammy Gabriel is a portrait artist based on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand.

“Since COVID-19 lockdown in April 2020, I have been creating pastel portraits and taking commissions.

I am self-taught (I have been told that I was drawing since I could hold a pencil) and have always been fascinated by people, figures, and especially faces and hands. I love to show a person’s individual character and expression through a painting. I love working with shadows and light and interesting compositions.

Initially, I started with graphite sketches, experimented with acrylic, and then progressed to oil paintings.

A few years ago, I discovered watercolor and had some fun experimenting with the effects and bright colors that can be achieved with that medium.

Most recently, I have found pastels – my favorite medium to date. I love the rich, smooth effect, which is perfect for portraying skin tones.”

More: Tammy Gabriel, Instagram, Facebook h/t: boredpanda