Tag: oil pastel

Oil Pastel Urban Landscape

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8″ x 10″, oil pastel on wood panel

I’m challenging myself to draw more freely and not rely so heavily on photos. I always use my own reference photos and generally draw with my laptop in front of me, referring to the image and zooming in to analyze details. Some part of me has had enough of that approach, however, but I know I’m not an imaginative artist and prefer references. So, I went back in time, thinking about film photography and considering using references that are small. Perhaps they capture the composition, the season, a particular mood, but they’ll leave room to improvise and loosen up a bit. I’ve leaned toward this more and more this past year with my drawings, but I decided to test myself.

I bought an Instax wide instant camera, and now I can take photos that can’t really be blown up to obsess on detail. The quality is mediocre, but the process is delightful. Having the photo develop right in front of you creates a certain kind of nostalgic magic. Although some photos turn out very nice, especially with bright lighting, most are kind of crooked and murky. I know I could also rely upon a plein air sketch, but I’m not quite that ambitious. Yet.

With this particular drawing/painting, I put down a coat of Gac100 as a sealant and then a coat of black gesso so I’d have a dark layer. I covered everything with a moody layer of oil pastel and scratched out my drawing. Everything that’s dark is scratched out.

I love the idea of using the scratchboards that come with a pre-applied layer of black, but that process is to scratch out highlights. I’m more interested in scratching out the darkest areas. I’m now in a period of exploration. What’s coming in the mail? Water soluble beeswax paints.

Oil Pastel on Wood

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8″x10″, oil pastel on prepped wooden panel

A very bright sky and foreground and some interesting, semi-circular barns. I prepped the wooden panel with two coats of Gac 100 by Golden as a sealant and then two coats of gesso, leaving brushmarks. The buildings created the composition, so I felt like all I had to do was capture it.

Which Way to Go?

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At this point in a painting or drawing, I generally feel halfway done. The painting is blurry, full of mid tones, and has an unfinished feeling.

Stonehenge 500 illustration board, 12”x16”

I’m using oil pastels, and I’ve found that things can go really bad when I’m at this stage. Adding in more layers can create a heavy, dull look. Putting in the darkest shadows can suddenly create weird purples or blues, and relying too much on black can be overwhelming.

I used Golden high flow acrylics to stain the background and then added two coats of clear gesso.

When I return to this image from the start of it all, I can reassess what I’d like the finished piece to look like—a complicated set of branches with sparrows peeking out here and there, a big sky behind it all, and a focus on texture and pattern.

Best to leave it alone to see if this is still what I’d like to achieve. Letting a piece sit for a few days is the best way to figure out where you are.

Categories: Art Pastel

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