EXPLORING OIL PASTEL – White Paper

Use all the colours in your oil pastel box in one way or another.
Experiment with ways to apply colour and texture.

Applying Pressure

1. Draw with the oil pastel and deliberately change the pressure to get different effects.
2. Wiggle your wrist as you change the pressure.

Blending

1. Choose two or more colours.
2. Colour a section with the darkest colour.
3. Colour on top of the first layer with the next lightest colour.
4. Press hard to mix the colours.

Blending

1. Use your finger or a small piece of sponge to blend the colours together.

Scumbling

1. Use the tip of the oil pastel.
2. Draw lightly with a loose, rounded, scribbling motion.
3. Build up layers to fill the space.
4. Scumble directly on the paper or lay down a base coat colour first and then scumble over it.

Laying Flat Colour

1. Remove the wrapper from the oil pastel.
2. Lay the pastel flat on the paper and move it across the surface.
3. Change the pressure to get different effects.

Mark Making

1. Use the tip of the oil pastel.
2. Explore ways to make different marks.
3. Try dots, straight, curved, hatched and scribbled marks.

Stencil

1. Cut a pattern along the edge of a piece of heavy paper to use as a stencil.
2. Hold the stencil firmly in place.
3. Colour over the edge of the stencil onto the paper.
4. Remove the stencil.

Cross-Hatching

1. Draw a series of thin lines beside each other.
2. Draw a new set of lines on an angle over top of the first set of lines.
3. Use the same colour for each set of lines or change colours for a different effect.

Stippling

1. Draw a series of dots beside each other.
2. Vary the spaces between the dots to change the intensity of the colour.
3. Draw different coloured dots among the first set to shift from one colour to the next.

Rubbing

1. Place a piece of paper on top of a raised surface.
2. Move the flat side of an oil pastel across the surface of the paper.

Sgraffito (Scratching into the oil pastel)

1. Apply thick layers of oil pastel.
2. Use a toothpick or other pointed tool to scratch into the layers of oil pastel.
3. Create a variety of patterns.

1. Fill the entire page with colour and texture.