Several ways to paint with oil pastels. Properties of oil pastels
Oil pastel very different from dry. In fact, these are familiar to many wax crayons- acts as a binder for the pigment linseed oil... People who do not know about pastels in general often come to the store and buy just oil pastels, because of its bright colors and beautiful crayons.
I bought myself an experiment box. It turns out that there are tons of ways to use these beautiful multi-colored crayons. I have 36 colors of Mungyo Pastels, excellent shades from acidic to natural. This is how they look. Suitable for samples well, if you want something even better, you can see Van Gogh and Sennelier.
Drawing on plain pastel paper
It is better to take paper in light colors, because most likely it will shine through the strokes and give a shade to the whole picture. I took a dark gray sheet and regretted it, because the dark shades are lost, and the light ones are almost invisible. Oil pastels are difficult to rub with your finger, crayons are mixed right on the paper, giving a smooth color transition. In some places, you can scratch individual strokes with sharp. If after drawing there are pellets, I just gently brush them off later.
Drawing on sandpaper
Paradise paradise, because the colors become saturated and the result is a fireworks display of hues. The rough base holds the pigment well and sometimes it turns out to make accents even with light crayons, although it is better to observe the sequence from light to dark. It is assumed that the pattern covers the entire surface of the sheet. When choosing sandpaper (sold in A4 sheets in building stores) look at the number. The smaller it is, the better. From 800 it is better for dry pastels, it is more convenient to rub on it without erasing your fingers. I drew at 280 and I liked it, in principle, you can safely take up to 400.
Painting with solvent
Some people convert oil pastels into painting materials using a solvent. Turpentine, pinene and white spirit are mostly suitable. As written, it is carried out with a brush with a solvent due to which the pastel becomes liquid, similar to paint. As a result, we get a kind of underpainting, similar to a dark watercolor painting. In the shadows, we try to match the tone to the final result, and in highlights and midtones it is better if the underpainting is slightly darker. In the future, the underpainting in the shadows will remain, and the shadows will turn out to be transparent. You can blur it with a brush, a finger wrapped in a cloth. You can dip the chalk itself in a solvent and run it over the paper. You can also use canvas as a basis.I myself have not tried this technique yet, so I will show an example from the Internet of how a pastel blurred with a solvent can look.
Sgrafitto
Magic technique that looks like an engraving. First, the entire surface of the sheet is covered with a light tone, then it is shaded with black chalk and then the drawing is scratched with a sharp tool. The contrast of light and dark creates an image. I like the fact that it looks like a linocut and allows you to make very thin lines. Again, I can't show my work, because I painted in this way for a long time, back in the artist. Therefore, an example from the Internet, which in the end may turn out
Encaustic
Painting is done with paints in molten form (hence the name). A type of encaustic is wax tempera, which is distinguished by brightness and richness of colors. Many are written in this technique. early christian icons... It originated in Ancient Greece.Today, encaustic paintings are painted with an iron. Here is a video that explains the process. Even highly detailed works can be drawn in this way.
Finally, a few features of oil pastels.
Over time, the oil is absorbed into the base and the pattern becomes slightly darker. If the pattern is based on white paper, yellowish oil stains may appear on it, so it is better to use colored paper or cover the entire surface of the pattern. There are also cases when over time the oil appears in droplets in the picture, you just need to carefully remove them with a solvent.
Oil pastels, unlike dry ones, do not require fixing. Sometimes oil pastels are varnished, but I think this is superfluous. Store pastels in a folder carefully so that it does not stick to anything. It is best to keep the drawing under glass. The glass should not touch the work.
In general, oil pastels seem to me to be a very bright and lively material. It is suitable for the "sloppy", generalized in style, paintings... For those who like to tinker with details and smooth undertones, most likely oil pastels will not work.
One of the oldest drawing materials is pastel. Oil pastels, dry pastels and wax pastels are the main types. Great artists created their masterpieces using pastels.
Lively, bright colors, soft and velvety structure - all this distinguishes pastel from other materials for drawing. If you still do not know how different types of pastels differ among themselves, then this article is for you.
Oil pastel
Oil pastel differs from other types of pastels composition, which contains a binding pigment - mineral oil. It creates a dense and oily texture.
In terms of color properties, oil pastels produce less matte colors than dry pastels. Oil pastel drawings are easier to store because they do not smudge. It is great for outdoor art, but tends to melt in the sun.
Shading, oil pastels lend themselves to using a solvent. For these purposes, a compressed paper stick or paintbrush is intended.
Dry pastels: soft and hard
Dry pastel is commercially available in pencil or crayon form, and can also be soft or hard. The binder gives it hardness, and the more its content, the harder it will be. The softest can only contain pigment.
Dry pastel is somewhat similar to graphite simple pencil, about the properties of which I wrote in the article "".
Since soft pastels include large quantity pigment, it becomes velvety and easily crumbles, and the most common white chalk will give the color a matte finish. She creates in the picture beautiful texture, easy to shade and mix. But you need to be careful, because the chalk breaks easily, and the applied drawing is smeared. This type of pastel requires an extremely careful attitude towards itself.
Hard pastels create a sharper and more subtle touch. Unlike soft, it is not as bright. On sale there are both pastel pencils and in the form of crayons.
The pencil is more comfortable and allows you to tidy up your strokes while keeping your hands clean. Dry pastels require rough paper, because only such paper can hold this material.
Dry pastel, or rather its powder, can be used in decoupage or in other techniques.
Wax (watercolor) pastel
Wax pastel or watercolor, as it is also called, in fact, unique material, which contains a water-soluble component. After falling water droplets on the created with wax pastels drawing, it acquires all properties watercolor drawing.
Wax (watercolor) pastels give a great texture to the stroke. To create the effect of a watercolor painting, it is washed out with water using a brush, and you guessed it, mixing colors, in this case, is much easier.
So we learned all the properties and features of pastels different types, and the next one, I am sure, will seem to you no less interesting.
There are only four types of pastels: oil, dry, wax and watercolor. But only two of them are the most popular. The similarities, differences, as well as features of oil and dry pastels will be discussed in the article below.
This species contains oil, hence its name. This makes it very bright and has a certain degree of transparency.
Oil pastels are considered versatile, they can be used to paint on various materials, including the outside of buildings. The final image, obtained using oil pastels, is very bright, not matte, with rich intense colors.
To her positive qualities it is worth attributing that she does not smear hands and surrounding objects- does not dissolve dirt. After use workplace differs in purity, unlike many other types of types.
The disadvantages include the fact that this pastel does not dry like paint. Clamps are rarely applied to it, but if you do not place the finished picture under glass, it will lubricate over time due to the mechanical effect on it the environment... While painting, it can be mixed with various other types of paints. But you need to paint with pastels exclusively over paint. The reason is the same oil in the composition. Due to the fact that the pigment does not dry out, any paint on top of it will be unstable. An exception, in this case, are cases when oil pastels are used for a sketch.
Dry pastel
Represents pure pigment... In this case, a solid is added to the composition as a binder, for example, gum arabic solution... Dry pastels can be soft or hard, depending on the amount of solid binder in the formulation. However, so that the pigment does not lose its color, the binder is added just as much as needed so that the crayons retain their shape.
It is produced most often in the form of multi-colored crayons. Most often used in painting. Easy to apply and mix with other colors on paper. Drawing with dry pastels always turns out to be matte due to the inclusion of chalk in its composition. The softer the pastel, the brighter the color will be when painting.
Soft crayons crumble very easily. It is difficult to work with them if there is no practice. But hard crayons practically do not crumble at all, but they have a less saturated and not so deep color.
What common?
- The objects in question, despite their difference, are pastels.
- Both are considered extremely popular. Nevertheless, dry pastels are the most popular.
- It is necessary to store them at temperatures from +18 to +20 degrees Celsius and without admitting direct sunlight to them. Indoor humidity should not exceed 55%. For this, rice is often placed in a box of crayons. It absorbs excess moisture and prevents the material from deteriorating. Even finished work made with pastels, it is better to store in a glazed frame. But there should be a small space between the glass and the painting.
- Oil and dry pastels come in the form of crayons or pencils. And outwardly, they are quite difficult to distinguish, if you do not look at the names. For a beginner in art and artistic craft they can be identical.
Difference
- Their binders are completely different. For oil, oil is used, and for dry, various solid components, as well as chalk.
- Drawing with oil pastels is bright and smooth. And when painting dry, you can get an exceptionally matte, not very bright, as if velvety picture. In this case, the brightness of the latter depends on the degree of its hardness. The softer, the brighter its color.
- Shading the line obtained with oil pastels is possible only when using a solvent. Dry does not need such substances - it is easier to work with it in this regard. You just need to use a special brush.
- Hands are not smeared when working with oil pastels. Dry is taken both on the hands and on any objects that it touches - paper, table, clothes, and so on. You need to carefully work with it, otherwise everything around will be smeared.
- The finished drawing with oil pastels, as well as dry ones, can be smudged. That is why such drawings are recommended to be stored behind glass - so that they do not deteriorate. But if we talk about the risk of smearing, then it is higher in the case of dry pastels, nevertheless, oil is not very easy to lubricate, but it is possible.
- It is not necessary to fix the oily variety, but the dry one is necessary with a fixative.
- You can paint with oil on different materials, it easily falls on any possible one. To obtain the pattern, dry paper is usually used. Moreover, if the dry pastel is hard, and not soft, it is taken worse. Therefore, use a special paper with a rough surface.
- The use of these materials can vary considerably. Dry pastels are used not only in painting. If crumbled, it can be added to various soft materials to give them color. Oil is usually used for painting.
- It is dry pastel that is used to create new shades or mix colors. Oil mixes poorly.
So, oil and dry pastels differ significantly from each other. Each of them applies in specific cases. But they are also similar. Outwardly, it will be very difficult for an unknowing person to distinguish both species from each other.
Oil pastels differ in many ways from dry pastels, which are described in other articles, and cannot be used in combination with them. As the name implies, in oil pastels, the pigment is bound by the oil, creating a dense and oily texture. Compared to soft pastels, the choice of colors is slightly limited and there are fewer color gradations. However, this tool is becoming more and more popular, and manufacturers are gradually beginning to respond to the request by increasing the color ranges of the material.
One of great advantages oil pastels are that they do not require fixing, which makes storage easier; as finished drawings are more difficult to smear. Since these pastels, one might say, do not get dirty at all, unlike soft ones, they are perfect for working outdoors. However, they tend to melt at elevated temperatures, which is very inconvenient, like painting with butter; therefore it is better to work with them in the shade.
As with soft pastels, strokes can be applied with either the end or the side of the stick. You can paint with oil pastels on any of the standard pastel papers or surfaces designed for oil painting, such as canvas and paper primed with oils or acrylics. Oil pastels are sometimes used as additional remedy when working with oil paints.
Advice. For outdoor use, include a bottle of white alcohol and rags or paper towels with your sketching kit. If the pastels are soft, it will be necessary to wash your hands..
Oil pastels on pastel paper:
Oil pastels on paper primed for oil paints:
The colors in the following illustration are mainly blended optically by creating a network of line strokes. For a vivid effect in foliage white the papers were allowed to shine through around and between strokes.
Roy Sparks. Foliage:
Color overlay
Layers of color can be created with oil pastels in the same way as soft pastels or colored pencils, but due to their oily texture, they tend to clog the grain of the paper more quickly; so from the very beginning try to work with the oil sticks lightly, without pressing hard. Better way to color levels is the use of the tip of a stick, which quickly becomes blunt, resulting in wide rather than thin lines. Keep the stick close to the end so you won't be able to push too hard. You should also strive to create a grid of lines that you can gradually fill to create areas of denser color. Oil pastels cannot be erased in the usual way but they are washed. If you make a mistake or want to change part of a drawing, dip a rag in turpentine or white spirit and gently wipe off the color, then let the paper dry before applying any further pastel strokes. Generally, turpentine or alcohol can play important role in the work with oil pastels.
Advice. You cannot mix oil pastel colors with your finger, but the mixing effect can be achieved by applying one color to another with strong enough pressure..
Mixing colors on paper
The stable contour is made with yellow oil pastels. The artist chose a “cold” blue-gray paper to provide a contrast between the vibrant orange and yellow colors.
After application diagonal lines orange was put on both fruits yellow... Strokes are kept open to add color without jamming the paper. When the primary colors are set, more contrast can be introduced, and a complementary color, blue, is used for the shadows on the orange.
One of the oldest materials used for creativity is pastel. She wrote their works by Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci and other artists. Pastel can be used as an independent means of image or as an auxiliary material in other techniques. The latter include polymer clay modeling and decoupage. Pastels stand out alive bright colors as well as a velvety structure. 
Pastels are made from a coloring pigment and a special binder. The latter can be wax, mineral oils or gum arabic. In stores, you can buy pastels in the form of rimless pencils or crayons. There are currently three types of pastels: dry, watercolor and oil. We will take a closer look at oil pastels, as well as how to use them in painting. 
Oil pastels are similar to wax crayons and are quite soft. In addition, the colors are highly saturated. Pastels are now produced in the form of small cubes with a round or square section. They differ from wax ones by the presence of many pigments, high elasticity and resilience. It is worth noting that oil pastels hardly get dirty; after applying it to the surface of the sheet, there is no need for auxiliary fixation in the form of varnish.
If you know how to paint with oil pastels for beginners, then you know that almost any surface is suitable for drawing with such paint. The main advantages of this tool include good opportunity blur it. For this the artist needs to have a special solvent for oil paints, as well as shading - a special stick made of compressed paper. The latter is dipped in a solvent and then washed out to obtain the desired shade. Solvent painting should be done in a properly ventilated area. 
The texture of oil pastels makes it possible to create effects that simply cannot be achieved with other painting techniques. For various decorative paintings oil pastels are often used. The technique of its application allows you to convey deep and rich tones of the depicted object. Various art drawings, which are made in this way, it is recommended to store in frames and under glass, while there must be a small gap between the pattern and the glass. This is necessary to preserve the image, since drawings made with pastels are highly susceptible to minor damage, shedding, and are easily erased.
Oil pastels require a rough base, as they do not adhere well to the surface. This technique requires special paper, for example, sandpaper, suede, canvas, loose fleecy cardboard, parchment or torchon paper. The advantages of the material under consideration include the ability to remove and overlap several layers at the same time.
Today oil pastels are presented in many shades, of which there are over one and a half thousand. This diversity makes it possible to implement virtually any creative ideas v different genres... The pastel technique has come a long way from the usual tricolor drawing to real painting, which became especially popular during the Baroque period, and is now preferred by the Impressionists. 