You can achieve an oil paint-like effect with oil pastels primarily by blending them with a solvent and brush. Here's a breakdown of the techniques:
Techniques for Using Oil Pastels Like Oil Paint
While oil pastels have their unique characteristics, several techniques can help you achieve a similar look and feel to oil paints. One of the key methods is blending.
Blending with Solvents
- Solvent Application: The main method mentioned in the reference involves applying a small amount of solvent to the oil pastels with a brush. This allows you to blend and manipulate the colors as you would with oil paints.
- The solvent thins the oil pastel, making it more fluid and easier to move around.
- Use this method to create smooth gradients and seamless transitions between colors.
- Blending Process: Using a brush, work the solvent into the oil pastel to achieve a similar effect to blending oil paints.
Alternative Blending Methods
While solvent is effective, other approaches can mimic the blending of oil paints:
- Finger Blending: The reference indicates that you can also blend oil pastels with your fingers. This is a more direct approach and allows for tactile control over the blending process.
- The advantage of finger blending is that it avoids the use of solvents and is non-toxic.
- Any oil pastel residue can be cleaned from your hands with baby oil.
Applying Oil Pastels
When thinking about the way oil paints are applied, the following techniques apply:
- Layering: Like oil paints, you can layer oil pastels to build up colors, add depth, and create interesting textures.
- Scumbling: Apply oil pastel lightly in layers and short strokes, creating a rough texture, mimicking scumbling with paint.
- Impasto: Apply a thick layer of oil pastel for a raised, textured surface similar to impasto techniques in oil painting.
Tools
- Brushes: Using a brush with solvent as a blending tool is a way to work with oil pastels like oils.
- Paper or Canvas: Experiment with different surfaces, some may hold the pigment of the oil pastels better than others.
Summary
The primary method to use oil pastels like oil paint is to blend colors using a small amount of solvent on a brush, working the colors together. If you prefer not to use solvents you can blend with your finger and clean them using baby oil. Additionally, the techniques of layering, scumbling and impasto can help create painting effects with oil pastels.
