This medium is just so exciting and the results are so satisfying, I try to regularly work them into our schedule, especially for newer students. Even absolute beginners can be successful!
We don't focus too much on drawing skills - this project is more about learning to work with oil pastels to blend colors to create shades and highlights, and adding texture such as fur, feathers, softness, roughness, etc. to the image.
To remove the stress of drawing a 'perfect' image, we transfer the image that we've chosen directly from a photographic resource (usually a calendar picture) to the paper using tracing paper and carbon paper. (Click here to find out how we do this.) This really does allow the student to move on from the drawing phase and get the business at hand - learning to paint with oil pastels.
Once the basic outline of the model has been transferred the paper, the fun begins! The resource photo is placed on an easel for easy reference, and oil pastels are held up and 'matched' to the colors in the model. These chosen pastel sticks are then set aside as the color 'palette' that will be used for the painting.
This particular animal art project is one I've done several times over the years. We sketch the image of a bird or an animal on a 9" x 12" sheet of black (sulphite) construction paper, and then we fill in the colors and textures with layered oil pastels.
We don't focus too much on drawing skills - this project is more about learning to work with oil pastels to blend colors to create shades and highlights, and adding texture such as fur, feathers, softness, roughness, etc. to the image.
The artist then begins filling in the figure with color - and determining along the way whether to press firmly or lightly, use long lines or short lines or dots of color, and how to layer colors to create shadows, or layer white to create highlights, or create textures atop colors.
We also learn how to use a sgraffito technique to scratch or carve textures (such as fur) into heavily applied oil pastel.
In this post is shown an always-favorite subject for oil pastel critter paintings: owls. In the past, our homeschool art club in particular has enjoyed creating oil pastel owls around Halloween time.
Here are some 'kitty' portraits.
I've have found that art students of any age (even adults!) can find success and great satisfaction painting birds and animals in oil pastels.
All of the paintings shown in this post were created by young artists ages 8 through 12, all of whom were trying oil pastels for the very first time!
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