‘Slumber’ a moment captured in pastel

After my husband leaves home for his office, the dogs find one of our many cosy chairs and fall Iinto a deep slumber. I usually sit, enjoying the birdsong outside and reading, writing my poetry, catching up with my nature diary, or sketching. Today, instead of using a drawing pen or charcoal I picked up a dark grey hard pastel. Gently I tried to capture the essence of my border collie, the muddle of soft fur, tucked into the plump folds of the cushion and herringbone wool covered armchair. I loved the way her wispy tail curled around her. I had to work quickly because I knew she would stretch out her paw or move her head slightly. With every few deep breaths of the warm, ccomfortable dog, I gradually built up the tones and strokes to form her likeness. It is always difficult to know when the drawing is finished, but I focused on capturing the essence of  my dog deep in slumber.I hope you enjoy looking at her and relaxing.