I have been using oil pastels as a sketching medium prior to painting my pet portraits. They are very helpful tools in choosing and mapping color for a painting. However, I have been so enthralled with them, and the painterly quality that you can get, that I have started doing some more finished pieces using oil pastel. The pieces here are sitting in my studio and I find myself going back to them to add a bit more color, blend something, or scratch into areas. It's a lot of fun!
Reflections at Lake of the Pines
This painting was done from a photo. I am still learning how to apply the oil pastel and smush it around, and how many layers you can actually apply. I bought some Sennelier White oil pastels and these go on top of my harder Mungvo Gallery oil pastels very nicely. I think you could get through the Sennelier oil pastels in a heartbeat tho' as they are so soft and buttery!
Sparkling light through the trees at Lake of the Woods, Oregon
This painting is done from a sketch (below) and photos. In the early evening from our campsite the sunlight sparkled through the trees. I could see a line of green and a line of blue running behind the trees. I tried to capture the idea in my sketchbook, but it didn't turn out so well. This painting above though I really like.
This was my sketchbook page, done from memory, at the campground
Light through the trees on Mt Ashland, Oregon
This image is oil pastel on top of a failed watercolor painting. In this one the oil pastel is not blended quite so much and gives a different effect.
Park #3, Lake of the Pines
This piece is the second version of a painting of Park #3 at Lake of the Pines. This was done on dark green Mi Tientes pastel paper, which I discovered I didn't like working on. Now I mostly use white drawing paper, or watercolor paper.