Using Texture In Pastel

I thought our cat would make the ideal subject in this Texture exercise, from his intricate markings to the fluffiness of his fur and whiskers. Again, I saw this exercise as a chance to use Pastel and Charcoal to gain experience before starting the assignments and I feel I am getting to know how Pastel blends and when not to over-work things. I believe I have captured his expression well and am particularly happy with the white fluffy fur on the chest. 

Learning from my first attempt using Pastel, I chose paper to compliment the subject, in this case, with Garfield being ginger, an orange/yellow paper seemed appropriate. Having got the foundation already, concentrating on the ginger markings was easy to blend, the paper helped fill any gaps. I like my use of white Pastel and found myself using it in a similar way to a Patrick Caulfield Piece, white being the negative space and not the paper. 

Original Photo