Oil pastels for beginners…

Oil pastels are a vibrant and versatile medium perfect for beginners, offering a unique way to create stunning artwork with the right techniques and materials.
Here are a few easy steps to help guide you:

Step 1 - Choose the right oil pastels:
Invest in quaility - Artist grade oil pastels provide better quaility pigment, and blend easier than your student-grade quaility pastels.
Recommended Brands - These are some popular brands for beginners, Mungyo Gallery, Mont Marte, Paul Rubens. I recommend getting a set of at least 24 or more oil pastels for exploring different techniques.

Step 2 - Materials you will need:
Paper - Look for heavy weight paper, with a smooth or textured surface that grip the pastel pigment, and can handle layering and blending. Some good options are Mont Marte Oil Pastel Pads, they offer 200gsm paper, and heavy, textured, acid-free watercolour or drawing paper. Sennelier Oil Pastel Pad, are a top choice with a heavy weight and strong grip paird nicely with Senneiler Oil Pastels.
Blending tools - Chamois cloth: is excellent for blending large areas, its soft and can be wrapped around your finger for small areas. Paper stumps(tortillons): which is a tightly rolled paper tool with pointed ends. Useful for pushing and blending the pastel into the paper with light touches. Colour shapers: are silcone or rubber with a pointed tip, that can be used to create a smooth blend. Soft brushes: Brushes with soft bristles can be used for blending pastels.

Some Basic Techniques
Blending : Start by lightly layering your colours onto the paper and then blend them together using either a blending tool or your finger.
Layering: To layer your pastels, start with a light layer of colour and then work your way to darker tones, then apply a thicker layer over the first layer.

This video demonstrates different layering and blending techniques.

This video demonstrates different blending tools and techniques.

Tips For Beginners

PracticePracticePractice: Have fun with it! Don’t be afraid to experiment. Play around with different styles, techniques, and different surfaces. Also, don’t be afraid to get a little messy!

Choose simple subjects: Starting with easy subjects to draw, such as a piece of fruit or something familiar to you. Simple shapes and everyday objects allow you to focus on basic techniques like proportion, shading, and texture without feeling overwhelmed.

Watch tutorials: There are thounds of great youtube tutorials demonstrating various styles and techniques.

Other resources: Visit your local art stores, and libriaies for any how-to-books.