Colored pencils, pastels, and oil pastels

Exploring Colored Pencils, Soft Pastels, and Oil Pastels

Creating with colored pencils, soft pastels, and oil pastels offers a delightful exploration of texture, color, and blending techniques. Each medium has its unique strengths, encouraging artists to express their vision in different ways.

Materials

Colored Pencils:

• A set of colored pencils (e.g., Prismacolor or Faber-Castell)

• Erasers (kneaded and regular)

• Pencil sharpener

• Smooth paper or sketchbook

Soft Pastels:

• Soft pastel sticks (e.g., Faber-Castell or Rembrandt)

• Pastel paper or textured paper

• Fixative spray for preservation

• Tissues or blending tools
  
  
  

Oil Pastels:

• Oil pastel set (e.g., Sennelier or Cray-Pas)

• Heavyweight paper or canvas

• Palette knives or blending stumps

• Cotton swabs or tissue for smudging

How to Start

• Concept: Decide your subject or theme. For these works, the focus was on nature scenes, particularly autumn landscapes.

• Layer: Begin with light pressure to layer the base colors.

• Blend: Use tools like blending stumps or fingers for soft and oil pastels, and gradual layering for colored pencils.

• Add Details: Define finer details like tree branches or leaves using sharpened pencils or pastel edges.

Additional Tips

• Colored Pencils: Use burnishing techniques for a smooth, glossy finish.

• Soft Pastels: Blend gently to avoid muddying colors. A tissue or pastel blender works wonders.

• Oil Pastels: Experiment with sgraffito techniques (scratching through layers to reveal colors underneath).

• Layering: Apply multiple layers for depth, whether with pastels or pencils.

Composition Tips

• Focus on contrast between light and dark areas to add dimension.

• Use leading lines like pathways or rivers to guide the viewer’s eye.

• Embrace the natural flow of the medium—allow pastels to create soft transitions and colored pencils to define sharp edges.

Experimentation Ideas

• Colored Pencils: Try creating gradients or crosshatching for texture.

• Soft Pastels: Layer colors with a soft hand to achieve a glowing effect.

• Oil Pastels: Explore impasto-like techniques by applying thick layers.

For the Classroom

• Younger students: Stick to simple shapes and layering techniques.

• Advanced students: Introduce blending, sgraffito, and underpainting with complementary colors.

• Safety Tips: Use non-toxic fixatives in well-ventilated areas for soft pastels.

Artists to Explore

Colored Pencils:

• Morgan Davidson: Known for her vibrant, detailed pencil illustrations.

• J.D. Hillberry: Excels in realistic pencil art, focusing on texture.

Soft Pastels:

• Karen Margulis: Specializes in expressive pastel landscapes.

• Margaret Dyer: Creates stunning pastel figure paintings.

Oil Pastels:

• Kazu Sano: Known for his rich oil pastel illustrations.

• Diane Townsend: Creates vibrant, abstract oil pastel works.

Reference:

Dyer, Margaret. The Art of Pastel Painting. Watson-Guptill Publications, 2005.