I've been practising and learning to use oil pastels for a few weeks now, and decided to do a painting using all the methods I've taught myself so far....I must say that these techniques are my own learnt from trial and error, I'm still learning and trying out different things with them all the time. It may well be that some or all of the techniques I've taught myself are used generally with oil pastellists, but as I've not had any tuition on them, or even any books on the subject...(are there any out there?)... for the moment I'll consider them to be what I've personally taught myself...no one else has taught me.
Also as oil pastels seem to be gaining in popularity, I thought that to share my experiences as I go along may benefit some people, hope so anyway.
I took some pics of Rhododendrum bushes yesterday and thought they would be a good subject to try out my techniques.
So I took a sheet of black Somerset Velvet, size 15 x 11 inches and sketched out the flowers using a white coloured pencil...I next layed in the first strokes of colour using directional strokes and working all over the painting.
I'm not worried at this stage about detail and such just getting the colours down
The second pic shows more colours added...then the first stage of blending these colours together with a brush dipped into white spirit, the excess taken off by dabbing the brush onto a paper towel, I use a small hogshair oil brush which is fairly stiff, then working the brush into the colours and blending them together and pushing the pastel into the paper following the shapes of the petals, again I'm not concerned about detail, just getting the colours down and following shapes.
The third pic is as it stands at the moment.... I'm now building up more and more colour, blending and adding colour using my handmade blenders which I prefer over any other for this medium
As I work on the painting, I find that the flowers are taking a shape moulded from my hand, nowhere identical to the ref pic as I've missed petals out and altered the shapes here and there. The beauty of this medium is just that...moulding and shaping the colours by pushing and blending them together to form the shapes and contours of the petals, it's a very satisfying experience... I have a long way to go yet....still no fine detail added, like the flower centres..just defining and sculpting the many shapes and curls of the petals and subtle colors and shadows, trying for a good transition in the blending of one colour into another takes time and patience, I'll now continue working on the flowers this way..... so far so good... a long way to go.
Comments appreciated and thanks for looking.
cheers,
Mo.
.. do you want some tulip shots? have a good one.
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