50 artistApril 2021 http://www.painters-online.co.ukExplore the creative
possibilities of oil pastels
Robert Dutton shows
that oil pastels are
versatile to use and an
essential part of the
artist’s creative tool kit
I
am constantly surprised that oil
pastels are often regarded as a
medium that is second rate, difficult
to work with and thus overlooked
for painting and drawing, yet they
make a great contribution to the artist’s
repertoire. Getting to understand the
properties and advantages of using
oil pastels to paint with is an exciting
journey – I’m constantly discoveringThe Last Snows of Winter in the Pennines, mixed-media on Canson Heritage 300lb (640gsm) Not
100-per-cent cotton watercolour paper, 20 3 22in (51 3 56cm).
Having created the initial foundation with acrylic inks, acrylic spray paints and photo montage
techniques combined in several layers, oil pastels were used to add contrast as drawn areas.
Masking techniques were used to create straight edges, which the oil pastel helped to sharpen
up. Scumbling techniques with lighter colours were used in the foreground, which allowed
saturated ink washes to be absorbed between the open drawn marks of lighter oil pastel
colours. The close-up, left, shows these creative techniques in greater detail. The final painting is
one of intrigue, with lost and found shapes and forms throughoutnew and rewarding ways of using the
medium, especially with mixed media.Quality
I advise using professional quality oil
pastels, even for the beginner, because
they have a high ratio of top-quality
pigments to binder. Cheaper brands
contain lower-quality pigments and
far too much binder; wax is often usedOIL
PASTELS