Conte Crayon, also known as Oil Pastels have turned out to be a good alternative to my beloved oil paints.
The fact is, with a job plus two cats and two big dogs in a lovely, but small old farmhouse = Big Mess!
What I enjoy with this medium is you get the rich colors of oil paints but no paw prints tracked cross your wood floors. Since they don't cure and dry I can start and stop as my schedule allows.
In this drawing of Donnabella I used a watercolor paper which added an element of texture that is also fun.