Oil Pastel Drawing of a Landscape

I'm still experimenting with oil pastels and tried a different surface.
This watercolor canvas had an odd tooth that filled quickly and the colors are overly bright since blending was almost impossible.

Rainbow Trees Abstract Oil Pastel

I recently took a class in oil pastels and I thought I'd try a different surface. I wanted to experiment before making a major commitment to the work so I decided to do a simple abstract painting of the rainbow trees in Hawaii.
They have a lovely colored bark and the greenery is towards the top, unlike our local trees.
I did this on a heavy watercolor paper that has an odd tooth that is too geometric for watercolor. The surface saturates quickly with color so it becomes difficult to apply additional layers. I found I need to plan the drawing more with this surface but it blends very nicely with a stump. The colors are cleaner and brighter.

Oil Pastel Landscape Painting Class

I took an oil pastel class last night. This is my first attempt at cray-pas and we worked on an unusual surface, ultra suede mat board. I felt like I was making a velvet Elvis painting but the instructor loves this surface.

She likes how the nap pokes out; I don't care for it. The gray splotches are from the nap standing in clumps.

I've ordered some books from the library and I'll give the medium another shot with a different canvas.