9 techniques for working with oil pastels from the book The Art of Pastel: Discover techniques for creating beautiful works of art in pastel

This page from The Art of Pastel: Discover techniques for creating beautiful works of art in pastel contains 9 different techniques for working with oil pastels.

 

Click on this page from The Art of Pastel to read about the different techniques: scraping back, blending, crosshatching, stippling, drawing back into, smudging with finger, highlighting, blending with turpentine, and acrylic toned base. Want tons more techniques for working with pastels? Grab yourself a copy of:

The Art of Pastel:

Discover techniques for creating beautiful works of art in pastel

By

 Marla Baggetta, Nathan Rohlander, William Schneider

The velvety strokes of pastel have enchanted fine artists for more than a century. From airy strokes to bold marks and soft hues to vibrant shades, the versatility of pastel makes it suitable for a wide range of subjects and moods. Now anyone can experience this multidimensional medium with The Art of Pastel.

Inside this comprehensive guide, five artists provide instruction for using soft, hard, and oil pastel—each sharing his or her unique approach. From portraits and landscapes to rich floral scenes, this book contains a wealth of inspiring images that artists can re-create step by step.

Nathan Rohlander holds an MFA in drawing and painting and a BFA in illustration. He is currently an instructor at Laguna College of Art and Design. Marla Baggetta has been a self-employed, professional artist since 1983. She currently lives in Oregon and holds painting workshops. William Schneider’s oil and pastel artwork has appeared in numerous publications, and he is a member of several artists’ associations. He lives in Illinois with his wife and youngest daughter.

 

Comments

[Suella]

Some very useful techniques there. I like the impetus to combining media and add things like turpentine. Using grafitti techniques withthe penny nail and pencil is also useful.

I'm not very familiar or confident with using oil pastels but recently I watched a skilled artist use an iron and toughened glass surface to alter the consistency of her oil pastel work. She also heated the pastels and used them blended to make an interesting background.

[Eileen]

I've always loved working with oil pastels. You hardly hear anything about them anymore. I'm happy to learn of this book and some new techniques to try. Thank you.