Still Life Paintings

I haven't posted anything in a long time, so here are two still lifes. Two of the life drawing sessions I go to have been cancelled for August, and that has cut down on the figure drawings a lot. I've been practicing with still life drawings to make up for it. At least this way I can practice with color, which is hard for me to do, and composition. These were done in pastel. Feel free to comment, criticize, or question.

This nude was done in about an hour's time. I really enjoy the challenge of drawing the reclining figure from a foreshortened perspective. It's harder than a straight on view of the model, but a lot more rewarding if it's done well. I try to draw an "envelop" of the whole figure and then break the large contour into smaller parts. I then refine those smaller parts until it looks more like a drawing of the model. I use the head as a unit of measurement for things like hands and legs (mainly to compare size). Feel free to comment or criticize.