Working with Oil Pastels

Hello all-

I started working with oil pastels about a year ago with hit or miss results. There are a variety of ways to work with this medium, but I think the main issue to overcome is that oil pastels never really "dry out" I tend to frame mine with at least a single matte to keep the work from touching the glass. There are also several fixatives available. I have used the Sennelier brand with good results.

My first experiments with oil pastels was on paper. I just grabbed what I had lying around, which happened to be watercolor paper. This is the same scene done twice (something I rarely do) on watercolor paper with different finishes.

The paper with the smoother finish is very different that the same scene done on cold press paper. I used a scratch tool to draw in the branches on the shrubs. A big tip for working with oil pastel on paper: For archival purposes, you should apply a light coat of gesso to paper. Not everyone does this, but if you don't you run the risk of the oils seeping into the paper and discoloring it over time. Oil pastels can be loose or blended.

There are a variety of brands of pastels out there. They are all very different in texture and softness....additionally, they work very differently with each other as well. I find I can usually blend with Sennelier and Van gogh brands, but not cras pas.

For beginners, this is a nice resource for information.

This is a light smooth oil paint on gessoed illustration board.  I don't use any thinner when working with oils.  

Just blocking in basic shapes and color.

At one point, I realized that applying oil pastels over a loose smooth oil paint surface was a great way to work....I like the process a lot. Here is step by step process of hammerhead sharks:

Bit by bit, I work in the details with the oil pastels until I have the final piece:


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