Intro to Oil Pastel

Instructor: Lia ter Heide
Tuesdays 1-4pm
5 weeks: April 29 to May 27
Location: In-person Williams Building room 243
 (supplies not included)
Prerequisite: None

Oil pastels are an exciting, tactile medium with a versatility that bridges drawing and painting to create works with smooth blends, luminous washes or bold impasto effects. In this introductory course, students will explore colour blending, mark-making techniques and compositional fundamentals on a variety of surfaces, applied to a range of subjects, as they learn to construct vibrant, painterly drawings. 

Syllabus

Week 1:

  • Mark-making techniques and approaches
  • Still life

Week 2:

  • Foliage and flowers

Week 3:

  • Landscape

Week 4:

  • Portraiture

Week 5:

  • Abstraction

 

Note: If weather permits, we may work en plein air (outdoors) for one to two classes.

Supplies

  • Oil pastels, a set of at least 24 or more is recommended (larger sets of 48 or more may be helpful)
    • Recommended reasonably priced, good quality oil pastel options:
      • Montmartre Extra Soft
      • Kuelox
      • Mungyo Gallery
      • Arrtx 
      • Patikil
    • Recommended higher priced, high quality oil pastel options:
      • Holbein
      • Sennelier
  • Please note: if your pastel set does not have extra white pastels, it is highly recommended to get additional white pastels. You may buy them individually (Sennelier, Sennelier Grande, Holbein) or in small packs (Patikil, Paul Ruebens) 
  • Paper blending stump
  • Cotton swabs (Q-tips)
  • Sand pointer or piece of medium-fine grit sandpaper
  • 1 inch flat bright synthetic bristle short handle paintbrush
  • Small diamond or trowel shaped offset painting knife (palette knife)
  • Stonehenge Papers: 1 full sheet (22" x 30") each of Warm White 245gm, Pearl Grey 245gm, Kraft (brown) 245gm, Black 245gm. We will be dividing the full sheets into quarters and eighths as we progress through the class.
  • Vegetable oil (small jar)
  • Painter's tape (green or blue masking tape)
  • Rags or paper towel
  • Non-aerosol fixative spray (SpectraFix is a good non-toxic brand)
  • Pencil
  • For outdoor sessions, weather appropriate clothing
* For a brief list of frequently used suppliers, please see Where can I purchase supplies? on our FAQ page.