I’m not quite done with the peppers yet, but I thought now would be a good time to add a background.

I started by crosshatching the background with a dark purple color.

Next, I blended the pastel with my fingers to create a more uniform look. I want the peppers to be the sole focus, so I don’t want the background to be too complicated.

At this stage, I added a darker color on either side of the peppers and lightened the top a little to create depth and incorporate the background further into the painting. I also filled in the “red halo” around the peppers.

The painting is starting to come together… all I have left is to refine the red pepper and add some more highlights to the others.