Oil Pastels 101: How to Make Beautiful Art with Oil Pastels

Have you wanted to try oil pastels but don't know where to start?

Or maybe you've dabbled in oil pastels but want to learn more advanced techniques so that you can create beautiful finished artwork that is ready to frame and hang on the wall?

Well then you're in the right place. Because in every single class of Oil Painting 101, you learn an essential new acrylic technique AND leave class with a beautiful new piece of art. 

Join this relaxed Oil Pastel experience where I'll guide and encourage you every step of the way into growing more confident with your oil pastel skills and help you make beautiful art.

Students will be introduced to a new project idea each class working with oil pastels. Each project will introduce new elements of oil pastels Students will learn elements and principles of art and how they apply to their own artwork. Students will be encouraged to create and design details to their own creative preferences. 

Below is the tentative schedule:

Week 1: Animal portraits: Using reference images students sketch out the basic shape and framework of their artwork. Using oil pastels students layer and create a detailed work of art through learned techniques.

Week 2: Cityscape: Overlapping to create depth. Students create a simple cityscape using learned techniques in overlapping in their drawing. Once the drawing is complete students learn blending techniques with oil pastels to finish their work.

Week 3: 1 point perspective: Students learn to create a basic one point perspective landscape with drawing techniques. Students apply oil pastels to create contrast in their work.

Week 4: Donuts: Students learn about value, shading, and highlight through the creation of donuts using oil pastel and drawing techniques on black paper.

Week 5: Island at Night: Silhouettes and blending. Students learn how to create silhouettes through drafting with a pencil and drawing and learn different blending techniques for oil pastel.

Week 6: Beautiful Forest: illusion of depth. Students learn how to create depth in a landscape by sketching their artwork, and creating the illusion of depth using less or more contrast as learned with oil pastels.

Week 7: Macro Flower observation: Value. Students learn how to create an oil pastel painting using observation drawing and apply learnt concepts of value to draw. Students use blending and scratch techniques to add details to their work.

Week 8: Van Gough’s Sunflowers: Students learn about Van Gough and his famous sunflowers and recreate the work of art using texture, line, and value in oil pastel. Black paper is used in this project.

Week 9: Bird Study. Students learn how to draw a bird on a perch. Students learn about the different colors of a bird's feathers and pay careful attention to how color is used to create separation in artwork. This is done on black paper.

Week 10: Abstract: Students learn how to create a pattern in their artwork and create a painting effect with oil pastels using vegetable oil and a q-tip.

Week 11: Self Portrait: students learn about basic proportions of the face and learn simple shading techniques with oil pastel to create a unique self portrait.

Week 12: Oil Pastel Postcards: Poylipictic. Students learn how to create four works of art at the same time choosing a theme. Students use blending, sketching, and refining details with oil pastel. Students will be able to cut these four works of art to send them as a functioning postcard to a loved one.

Supplies Needed: 
Oil pastel
Pencil
paper
sharpener
eraser

Optional: 
Blending stump
black paper
baby oil or vegetable oil
Q-tips   

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Jodi is a published artist, certified art teacher, gallery curator, and yoga instructor. She has over 6 years of experience teaching grades preK-12 in public schools. She knows how to make young artists feel relaxed and confident in her classes. In fact, Jodi runs her own yoga studio where she currently teaches yoga and mindful arts to students. Jodi uses a mindfulness approach in her online classes, as well, encouraging students to add their own unique details and style to their work. Jodi truly believes that every child is an artist and knows there is no such thing as perfect. In fact, you’ll hear her say her favorite saying during her classes “Practice makes…Better!” Jodi’s enjoys spending time with her two cats and horseback riding and working with horses at a local ranch. Jodi is a published artist and curates a local gallery where young and upcoming artists are shown and celebrated. Jodi earned a BA in Studio Art from Johnson College Vermont and a Masters in Teaching from Chatham University Pittsburgh.