How to Use Oil Pastel Paints
Oil pastel paints are pastel sticks made of pigment mixed with nondrying oils and waxes. They can be intermixed with traditional oil paints, used in mixed media, or used to create artwork on their own. Oil-based and brightly pigmented, oil pastels can be used on almost any surface including canvas, paper, wood and even irregular surfaces like rocks or found objects. Oil pastels can be mixed with turpentine and painted on with a brush, but the most common way to use oil pastels is as a crayon.
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Instructions
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Prime your canvas thoroughly by applying two to three coats of gesso with a brush. Allow to dry completely between coats.
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Hold the pastel like a crayon, and slowly fill in large areas of the canvas with solid colors. Shade each area of the painting with the appropriate background color.
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Use other colors of oil pastel to begin to add detail into these sections. Add other tones, and blend them with the background color by using your fingers on the canvas. Be aware that your fingers will create "brush strokes," so make sure they are always moving in the direction appropriate for the subject of the painting.
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Continue to add layers of color in this manner until the area is completed.
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Scrape the opposite end of your pastel stick with the blunt end of a paint brush, sharpened wooden dowel or other sgraffito tool. This will pick up a small amount of pastel on the tool. Carefully sketch in fine details, adding more oil pastel paint to the tool as necessary.
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Continue until your artwork is complete. Unlike traditional oil paints, oil pastel paints never completely oxidize or dry. This means it is necessary to seal the art to protect it from smudges or damage. Using an oil-based spray varnish, coat the canvas with one to three coats of varnish, allowing to dry for at least an hour between coats.
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References
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