I was going through my work, preping for a class that I am teaching, and I found my first pastel piece.  How far I have come!  It is great to look back and see how much I have improved.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I cross-hatched because I didn’t know what else to do to apply the color.  And I oversprayed it with fixitive, something that I don’t even use anymore.    I subscribe to the Pastel Journal and by reading the techniques and paper choices of other artists, I played with my pastels which lead me to where I am today.  At least you could tell that I had some promise, and a good understanding of anatomy.