Oil Pastel Drawing (Thoughts, Tips and Memory Lane Trips)

​Because I’d been using oil pastels a lot again this year, I thought I’d end the year with a few thoughts about what really is one of my favourite mediums~

I can’t say when I started to use oil pastels, for sure I did at school. They rank right up there with crayons, coloured pencils, and water-based markers (and ‘Guitar’ watercolours ^_^).

I’m fairly sure I still have this Christmas card I did in sixth (?) grade where you filled in the inside with solid colour fields, then drew in pencil real hard on the outside cover. Then you got a reverse duplicate in colour on the inside flap.

So sorry, too lazy to dig that card up, but these thingies I did back in `93 were within easy reach so I thought I’d share these here. (Embarrassingly, I can’t say I’ve improved all that much since then.)

So yeah, I used to use oil pastels for landscapes, mostly and still life, that kind of thing~I have a vague memory of teaching an oil pastel drawing class or two a while back.

Anyhow I’m pretty sure I’ve written about this elsewhere on the jillablog before, but I think what I love most about working in oil pastels is how they remind me, I guess, on some subconscious level, I don’t know, of chalk.

Drawing on Black

I don’t know if schools these days still use chalk on black boards (we had white boards by the time I was in uni and art school). I think I remember asking my brother or somebody with kids whether they still did in school and I don’t remember what they said.

But drawing on a blackboard was always such a big deal for me and coloured chalk was always that much more special. Maybe that’s one reason why I always like to use oil pastels on black. (Then again, I like to paint on black, too, so, I don’t know ^^)

As an aside, so, this year, I unexpectedly had a chance to illustrate another book, and, given the *explosive* nature of the subject matter it didn’t take me two seconds to decide I wanted to do it in oil pastels.

I had some little trouble convincing the publishing company to allow me to do the illustrations on black (mainly because of my people-pleasing problem). But I’m real glad I pushed back and that God allowed me to persuade them to let me have my way.

I hope I’m not committing some breach of contract here but I made this little study to demonstrate the difference. (So that’s my ‘demo study’ on white and my original study on the right.)

I’m not sure you can see it from the study on white, but another reason I like to work on black is boy are pastels messy. Unless you plan on filling up the entire thing, just be aware that your work can quickly turn into a sea of unwanted *smudgery* if you’re not careful.
​

Picking Out Paper

The illustrations themselves had to be of a certain size, which killed me because the truth is I was already swimming in perfect pastel paper (in black, of course) that wasn’t big enough. Then again the paper I had didn’t have this texture I’m very fond of for working in pastels.

This is the paper I’m talking about~you’ll have to excuse this example (because it was handy), I’m pretty sure I did this a bazillion years back for some children’s magazine.

If you look back to the original study I did of that angry little boy, you’ll see the texture isn’t quite the same. And as you may have guessed, I rather prefer paper that’s not only heavy enough but *rough* enough to, I guess, remind the back of my brain of drawing on a blackboard.
​

Pastels on Paint

When I can’t have that, I like to rough things up by painting on the paper just so I can get that *abrasive* ‘tractiony’ feel (what can I say (as I’m sure I’ve said), I’m an abrasive person).

At first, it used to be just ground colour (especially when I had recourse to chipboard or cardboard when I didn’t have any paper). But then I guess that just naturally progressed to just full-on painting which I’d *wake up* with pastels.

So, as folks who are familiar with my work know, I’ve got quite a few examples of that on canvas and paper. (While it’s true the cold-pressed paper I use is rough enough for my taste, I like to paint it first, anyway ^^)

​Pure Pastels

This year, however, I found myself indulging in using oil pastels on their own without relying on paint (inversely) to *beef it up* ~ after all, that’s how I’d started out using them in the first place.

It was just so good to rediscover the joy that comes with using this medium (and the dirty hands, too lol) ~ the immediacy of it, like how it’s so direct.

Like that’s one reason why I guess I never really got into digital art ~ the computer got in the way. Even when you paint, the brush is between you and the colour and the support. With pastels you’re  sticking the colour smack dab onto the surface, with no tool between you at all.

There’s not a whole lot of set up or prep (as I think I’ve told you), you just jump right in and go for it. And after all these years there are still things I’m hoping to be able to figure out or get better at.

Portraiture, or figure drawing, for one, for sure ~ as you can see, I’ve done paint-it-first-then-pastels-after portraits with indifferent results, but I’d love to be able to pull off a decent portrait in pure pastels someday, just for my own satisfaction.
​
Like this is one of several attempts I’ve made at a portrait of my niece (although I don’t think it’s the pastels’ fault since I can’t seem to do her justice in any other medium).

See, up until now, quite a chunk of my work in this medium has been more on the illustration side or for what I like to call potatoes and blobs.

But if the drawings I’ve made this year are any indication, I think I’d like to spend a little more time trying to ‘get serious’ with oil pastels again. Maybe even cook up a whole series that could possibly, I don’t know. Get, ‘used’ somewhere.

I’ve never exhibited pastels only work before~and if you’ll browse around on my site you’ll see I haven’t got a page for that, either (it’s always pastels with something else).

I mean, don’t get me wrong~I miss painting (and I think one reason I’m having this, *unsettled* sort of feeling at present is because I haven’t painted anything in a while). It’s just having gotten back on this horse, I’d like to see where else and how far it can take me.
​

Oil Pastel Pointers

So I thought I’d wrap this up with a word or two of unsolicited advice in case you’re new to oil pastels but would like to give `em a go (and you aren’t afraid of getting your hands dirty ^^)

1. Don’t just buy one box. It’s easy to get carried away, the sticks will shrink before you know it, and you’re going to hate it if you run out of the one colour real quick.

2. Stands to reason how ‘oil painting rules’, viz. ‘dark to light’ apply to oil pastels (there’s a reason I used them in my quick start guide for oil) ~ but the other way, works, too.

3. You can use the *messy-ness* of the medium to your advantage~personally, I like it when little bits of colour stick to the thing ^^

4. I don’t know if this is because of the brands I’m using (which are Pentel, Cray-pas, and our local bookstore’s house brand) but the pastels tend to dry up after you don’t use `em for a while. So they might ‘need a little push to get the engine to turn’ sometimes.

5. Oil pastels also ‘melt in your hand (not in your mouth lol)’ (I don’t know if that’s because of the brand or the climate back here) after extended (and intense) use, so no. 4 may not necessarily be a bad thing.

6. If you’re my age or older and the dreaded A-word is in the cards for you, drawing with tiny pieces can get real hard on the fingers, if you know what I mean. Although, I gotta say, drawing with a smaller piece (or one ‘smooth side’ from using it a while) does have its advantages.

7. Try not to rub your eyes or scratch your face, use your phone, or hold food (because yeah, dirty hands). Just keep the tissues (and if you’re me, a bottle of rubbing alcohol) handy ^^


If you’ve got any more pointers, I’d be so grateful if you could share them with me, because like I said, I’d like to continue exploring this medium and hopefully get better at it.

And if you’re trying pastels out, I wish you the same joy that comes with losing yourself in the vibrant colour and comforting texture of this wonderfully messy yet uniquely expressive medium.
​