When it comes to painting with pastels, you have a choice of different types that you can use. If you are used to or have been using soft pastels, using oil pastels will open up a whole new world for your creative energy. I have listed some of the pros and cons of how to paint with oil pastels below:
The cons
Due to their oily texture, oil pastels are not as easy to remove from the surface of the paper. Fine detail and extreme precision is something you will find difficult to achieve with these pastels. Oil pastels are more difficult to blend because their oil makes them adhere quickly to the paper, which also leaves less room for error. They take longer and require more pastels to fill in large areas of your scene, portrait, or whatever piece of art you are creating. Its oily texture makes darker colors prone to smearing, making it difficult to add lighter colors.
Simple remedies for the cons
Choose the area you want to color first, and then draw the outline. You’ll leave less room for error when it’s time to add your oil pastels. Choose a painting style, object, and scenic option that doesn’t require fine or intricate detail, or use another instrument (such as the edge of an eraser or blending tool) to scratch away fine detail.
For areas that need a lighter color, outline them with a white pastel to make sure they don’t bleed. If smearing occurs when adding the darker colors, simply scratch off the white area for easy fixing. Choose smaller paint sizes to eliminate the need to fill in large areas of space, or choose colored paper to start with instead of white paper, which creates the illusion of fuller color.
The professionals
Because of their smooth texture, oil pastels are bold, vibrantly colored works of art. They don’t have a dry, powdery texture, so the vibrant color won’t diminish if bumped. Unlike the flaking that occurs with soft pastels, fixative sprays will create a brilliant shine on oil pastels and prevent bleeds. There are a wide variety of surfaces (such as cardboard, wood or canvas) on which they can be used. Oil pastels do not require the use of many supplies, such as brushes, palettes, easels, and turpentine (or other cleaning supplies), etc., that other mediums do.
Getting out of your comfort zone of soft pastels may not be what you want to try right now, but this type of pastel may be just what you need to help you with artist’s block and unleash your creative imagination. The pros and cons speak for themselves. After reading this article, you may still not be convinced that using oil pastels is right for you. Don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself. A picture is worth a thousand words!