Oh, my, this is a truly exquisite drawing! Marina, it is just wonderful.

Did you use a dark ground? Can you also post a close-up?

Beautifully done, Marina!

Thank you Julie and Chris,
I worked on a white paper ( Fabriano artistico) and to obtain a very dark background , I used some pressed charcoal stick and pushed it with a stomp. Lots of black dust in the house after...
Here are some close-up.

Thanks for sharing the close-ups too.

Congratulations Marina!

I hope you do not mind if I tell you that this lovely portrait does not feel like an oil painting to me. Actually, I thought it was a pastel painting when I first saw the picture (I know you wanted to avoid it to look like a pastel but the colors do not make us think of a simple drawing at first!).

This is a typical case where you do not know if you should call a piece a "painting" or if you should call it a "drawing"...
We can see some strokes in the close-ups so it is still a drawing, but how well mastered!

Anyway, I am very glad to see your current works. Please keep posting :thumbsup:

Sincerely,
Karine

Just lovely Maria.

I think this is your best so far. The texture of the fur and skin are beautifully done. The roughness of the fur sets off the fineness of her face.

Marina, I am the last to get here, but I am glad I made it !
The range of colours you managed to suggest by only using tone is amazing.
Truely beautiful
Ilaria

Congratulations Marina,

I agree with all of the rest, this is absolutely beautiful! And I too am blown away with the range of colors you were able to suggest with black and red. What an eye opener.

Janel

OK,
I apologize to all who thought it looks like an oil painting : you are right. A friend came and when I asked her " Did you see my last drawing ? " she exclaimed " What ? I thought it was an oil painting !"
It's just me who can't see it this way...

Karine,
thank you for taking the time to comment. You are free to see what you want in my work.
I think it's like raising a child : you do your best, but there's a moment where you have no more control and your work has his own life ( in viewers eyes).

Sharon, Ilaria, Janel,
thank you very much for your enthousiasm. I didn't expect such reaction for a rather simple drawing. It makes me want to do some more to develop the possibilities of this technique...

Ditto to what Alex has said...all the technique's in the service of the spirit.

I'm amazed also at what has come from just the two colors.