The Oil Pastel Review

Zelda - original oil pastel portrait

2012-02-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

This drawing of Zelda is one of those quick things that I keep saying "Oh, I wish I'd done this" or "I wish I'd done that", but I can't, because the model is gone. And maybe it's a good thing, because I've been known to completely kill pieces when there is even a little extra time. Mostly Sennelier on greyish Colourfix paper, Zelda is 12 x 9".
I would love to hear how everyone's oil pastel experiments are going. Thanks for stopping by!

On My Easel - beginnings of work on Caroline's Back

2012-02-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know her ear is kind of big, but I'll get that fixed, along with most other things. I just LOVE this pose - kind of secret, you know? Anyway, that's how I see it. It's one of those drawings that needs work, but shouldn't be overworked. Ah, the plight of the artist - when to stop?! The support is dark green Canson pastel board, which has only the textured side of the paper and which I love. Something about that texture keeps me loose. How's everybody doing with the oil pastels? Let me know - I adore them and really like to hear how it's working for y'all. Thanks for stopping by. PS. If this drawing works out, I'll post it again when it's finished.

The Letter - original oil pastel portrait in progress

2012-01-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

I'm working on this painting and I don't really know how it's going to turn out. The background is one of my problems with this piece - I may use a blending stick on it, so it's more even. Do y'all use blending sticks? I do once in a while and I think this may be one of those times! Also, I think I should work on her lashes - they look fake and the model didn't have on any extra lashes. These things aren't ever obvious to me 'til I take a picture.
Thanks for stopping by - hope you're all off to a great start in the New Year!

Pensive Lila - original oil pastel portrait painting

2011-12-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

I love the way Lila bends her fingers back when she laces them together. This was done with Sennelier - juicy juicy - on 7 x 5" Pastelbord.
I bought another Sennelier Nature oil pastel set from Ebay for a little cheaper than Daniel Smith, which is the only other place I've found them. They look so murky until you stroke them across the paper, then they seem jewel-like. If you want a little splurge, get some of these beauties.
Today I was working on a drawing that has been half-finished for several weeks and every time I passed by, I was so pleased with the skin tones. Well, today, I killed it. I'm trying to resurrect the greenish skin tones, so maybe tomorow I'll be successful. Have you ever done that? Overworking is the bane of my art existence. But one thing I noticed, is that it's a pleasure to work skin tones on Sennelier oil pastel paper. I don't know why, exactly - maybe it's the texture. Slightly rough, not gritty rough, but just bumpy rough and it holds the oil pastel beautifully and even seems to give it a slight glow.
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Red Robe - original oil pastel figurative drawing

2011-11-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

There's just something mysterious about back poses. This little drawing is on 7 x 5" dark grey Pastelbord and it's all done with the Sennelier box of portrait oil pastels and not many of them, actually. Pretty limited palette. I added the lines after I finished the drawing. I'm a line freak - I love them! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blue Purse - original oil pastel figurative drawing

2011-11-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how it's long been since I posted to this blog. Shame on me! I've just been really busy painting for other things - shows, galleries, etc. - and I've neglected one of my favorite endeavors, which is using and promoting oil pastels.
In this piece, I was trying to leave lines and not totally cover everything. This one is on 7 x 5" Pastelbord and it was done with a Sennelier portrait set. I could have "finished" it more completely, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time on it, because I was striving for looseness in this little piece. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Kind of Witchy - original oil pastel portrait sketch

2011-09-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

I made this poor model look pretty ugly, but somehow, I got started and just couldn't stop. If she sees this, I hope she can forgive me. Models, though, are used to seeing things done to them that people who aren't professional models wouldn't appreciate. I love models. Without them, there wouldn't be very many figure drawings, portraits, etc., so I am one of their biggest fans!
This piece is about 9 x 7" on black Stonehenge - a wonderful surface. It's seems smooth, but has enough tooth to grab the oil pastel.
For more of my oil pastels and other work, please visit my "other" blog, Hackberry Street Studio. Thanks so much for visiting The Oil Pastel Review.

So Much Green - original oil pastel portrait painting

2011-08-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

I used Sennelier paper on this and put a ton of bright green acrylic on it for toning. What was I thinking? But I'm so happy with the result of the portrait because I think it looks just like the model. It's about 9 x 7". Thanks so much for looking!

Playing in the Pool - original oil pastel figurative painting

2011-08-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

This was done poolside while I was at a hotel and armed with a few oil pastels and small boards. I liked the pinky-red tile trim at the top inside of the pool and that it was oval. Several children would appear, then disappear, so I concentrated on one child in particular who seemed content to mostly stand around. I was overjoyed! I painted this on 5 x 7" Pastelbord. It's a pretty gooey application of Senneliers, for which the Pastelbord is just perfect. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lexie's Embroidered Blouse - original oil pastel portrait painting

2011-08-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

This portrait began with a drawing from life, then the model left and I had to rely on sketches and some photos, but photos are always too flat or something and I don't really like to use them. But you do what you gotta do. So here's the portrait - 14 x 11" on Pastelbord.
I meant to have a photo of Wet Ones since I cannot function without them when doing oil pastel. But now I'm all comfy in my chair and too lazy to get up and take a picture. Maybe tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

Dreamer - original oil pastel portrait

2011-07-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly enjoyed drawing this model - she just sort of slumped in her chair and gazed at the clock. But she completely maintained her pose and I really, really like that! This was done on Sennelier Carte d'Art, 12 x 9". As you can tell, very little concentration on anything but the face. Loved doing this one!

Gail's Job - original oil pastel figurative painting

2011-07-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

This little picture, about 9 1/2 x 5", was actually part of a larger experiment, with a couple sitting at the table behind her. But they just didn't belong, so I removed them. The paper I used is Sennelier Carte d'Art, which I formerly didn't like because of the white that shows through. I've found, though, that it's just one of the charms of oil pastel and using this paper gives a looser appearance that I favor. Still, even though I like the paper a lot, I do a lot of blending with my fingers so that there are some fairly smooth areas. Thanks so much for stopping by!

More Works in Progress - original oil pastel figuratives on my easel

2011-07-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking: "This woman never finishes anything!" Actually, I do finish things. But I just wanted to share the results of my on-going framing experiment with you, so I just threw in a couple of things I'm working on to get your attention.
In looking for a shadowbox frame for oil pastel, (so no mat cutting), I found wood frames at Frame USA that are really nice. I framed a small 10 x 8" oil pastel painting for a collector this past week and she was very pleased with the results - and so was I!
Re the works above, I am trying in the first one to get shapes done first and the second one is a labor of love, because it has my wonderful doggie, Roger, in it. Actually, he's my assistant and dear friend, as well.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

On My Easel - original oil pastel portrait in progress

2011-06-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is another portrait that started as a drawing from life, but now the model has left, so I'm going to rely on the photo I took of her. The support is light green Mi-Teintes board. The board only has a rough side, which I love - am I alone in loving the rough side? - and is easy peasy to frame. Maybe I'll post the finished product in a few days - or maybe I'll end up not liking it at all - and third option, I might just leave it the way it is. Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Sketch of Cary - original oil pastel portrait drawing/painting

2011-05-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

A difficult pose - the frontal view. See - I'm already making excuses. I did this one on 12 x 9" Sennelier Carte d'Art, which I've learned to love. At first, I thought it was too "bumpy", but I've come to enjoy the rough surface and it's heavy enough that the oil doesn't come through. No way. It's great!Thanks so much for stopping by - and check out the oil pastel sketch I'm getting ready to post on Hackberry Street Studio.

On My Easel - oil pastel sketch of woman reading a letter

2011-05-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Just kinda fooling around here - I had the black and white drawing of the woman which I redid in oil pastel and then combined it with the interior. It's done on Colourfix 12 x 9" paper. I'll work some more on it and, I hope, without killing it. I used Sennelier's set for portraits. Colourfix black is so great to work with, although I think I'll use a lighter color for interiors from now on. But the black for portraits really makes colors sing and I love it. Thanks for stopping by!

Sketch of a Reader - original oil pastel figurative drawing

2011-05-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

Done quickly and with little attention to detail - my favorite M.O. - well, there's a little detail in the face, but the rest is sketchy. I seem to draw a lot of readers. They're still - the first requirement for a model - and even though I tell them that I'm drawing them, they are relaxed and pay little attention to me. But I still have to work quickly, because they are likely to change positions. For this drawing, I used 11 x 14" Strathmore 403 pastel paper. I will always love it and think it's really my all-time favorite surface. They way the pastels melt onto it - ahhhh. Thanks for stopping by!

Nude Sketch - original oil pastel nude sketch

2011-03-01T21:42:00.001-08:00

I was trying out my Sennelier "Nature" oil pastels. Have y'all tried these? I bought them a few months ago from Daniel Smith and they were pretty pricey, but interesting. They're made with only natural pigments and although they look so dark, they have some lovely colors, which you can see in the marks I made next to the sketch.

This pose is from a life drawing that I did years ago and I've done a few drawings and paintings based on it. It's one of my favorites - I just adore standing poses. The paper is Strathmore 403, which I always come back to because of the way oil pastel just melts onto the surface. I LOVE it! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Little Leoda - original oil pastel portrait

2011-02-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

This portrait is done on black Colourfix paper - nice and gritty. It's 12 x 9" and mostly done with Sennelier, but also with some Caran d'Ache and Holbein. A fun little drawing that I enjoyed doing. I just bought some more of the Caran d'Ache lime and turquoise greens, plus some more blues, greys and flesh tones of this brand that I simply cannot do without. Yum! Can't wait to get started - hope you will check back to see what's posted in a couple of days.
Also have a new supply of Colourfix. As much as I love Pastelbord, I'm still experimenting with framing techniques. Any readers with ideas on this? I'd love hearing from you! Thanks so much for stopping by!

On My Easel - original oil pastel in progress

2011-02-09T19:44:00.000-08:00

This oil pastel is 16 x 20" on Pastelbord. I need to add many more details and darken the background a little. And I'm open to suggestions! Also, I've been touting the easy drying of oil pastel on Pastelbord, but this isn't drying as much as usual. There must be tons of oil pastel on it. Check out my oil pastel portrait drawing on my blog, Hackberry Street Studio. Thanks so much for visiting The Oil Pastel Review!

Lisa's Juicy Novel - original oil pastel figurative painting

2011-01-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

I was happy to get to draw this young woman as she read and she really did love this book -

she seldom looked up. Of course, it wasn't a long pose, so not too difficult for her. I used lots of Sennelier (sticky, gooey, and wonderful) oil pastels and worked very quickly, as you can probably tell. Lots of scribbling. I did this on a 7 x 5" Pastelbord.

Peggy asked a few posts ago about framing. I've probably tried them all. Lately, I've been experimenting with shadowbox frames that I bought on line at http://www.pictureframes.com/ - which, theoretically, should work. However, like many theories, it's not working perfectly. If the glass or plexi isn't exactly the right size, it will rattle. So annoying - but once it's on the wall, that shouldn't matter. I do sort of worry, though, that at a competition, it could make a difference. Do any visitors to The Oil Pastel Review have any recommendations for framing oil pastel?

I often frame works done on paper with a trough, too, but am always looking for something that won't require a mat. Thank you so much for stopping by - it's always nice to have you visit my blog!

On My Easel - portrait in progress

2010-12-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

This is still in the sketch stage, where I am just feeling my way. Maybe I'll continue with this, or possibly begin anew. But I love the combination of colors with her red hair, so I will undoubtedly spend more time on this portrait. Next thing is to get the model back! The black Colourfix paper (12 x 9") is wonderful for oil pastels - the pastels can be layered one upon another and produce a sort of glow, it seems to me. And the little bits of black gritty surface that show through. I love it!!! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Julia - original oil pastel miniature portrait painting

2010-11-22T03:08:00.000-08:00

This is a 3.5 x 2.5" artist trading card painting done with an unshsarpened oil pastel on Coulourfix paper. With that sort of blunt point, I never know exactly where the mark will be made, and I enjoy that. Live dangerously, I say. Right now I'm in London and will be sketching at the National Gallery today, but not, alas, with oil pastel. I miss them - they are my favorite medium - but just brought some less messy General's Primo charcoal pencils with me. Charcoal is usually messy, too, but in pencil form, it's easier to control. So, no more oil pastel until I get home next week. Check out the tiny oil pastel I did on my other blog. Thanks so much for looking!

A Modest Woman - ACEO oil pastel portrait

2010-10-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be so long in posting, but I've been so busy with oil paintings for shows, etc. and just have had little time for oil pastel. I've missed it! This tiny painting is on 3.5 x 2.5" Colourfix paper. Working with unsharpened pastels makes for an interesting result on such a tiny support. Fun, though!
More from the Holbein Portrait set: 32A 1 - 5 - a "non-color" which is a grey, I think. Will dig around some more in that mess of a closet and see what else turns up from that set. Thanks for stopping by!

Red Slip - original oil pastel figurative painting

2010-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

I got a lot of green in her skin - more of a yellow-green. As much as I love green, I may have overdone it. Anyway, decided not to change it. This painting is 7 x 5" on Pastelbord. Just a fun little thing.
As promised awhile back, I am going through stuff and found one container of the old Holbein portrait set - there were five colors in each little plastic holder. The one I found today was the five values of Hansa yellow (I think). Is 5A Hansa yellow in Holbein - I think it is. That's not surprising, but there were other containers that had a variety of colors that were great for portraits, but that I wouldn't necessarily associate with portraits. I'm determined to find them and will share as soon as I do. Also, I found a place that SAYS it has Holbein oil pastel portrait sets. I'm going to give them a call and will let you know the results. Thanks for stopping by!

Lily - original oil pastel portrait painting

2010-08-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a very quick portrait on luscious Colourfix paper. The actual drawing probably only occupies half the paper, so I would say it's about 9 x 6". It's always tempting to cover the whole thing, but I do like to see a bit of the black paper peeking through. This was mostly done with Sennelier and some Caran d'Ache. There are some blues and blue-greens that only seem to be made by Caran d'Ache. I'm obsessed with them - gorgeous, gorgeous colors.

I just scribbled this one, not really thinking how it would turn out - in other words, I didn't have a plan - which works out best in a case like this, where I had the model for such a short time.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Email me.

My Opinion on Drying of Oil Pastels (for what it's worth)

2010-06-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

I posted this oil pastel painting on my Hackberry Street Studio blog on June 11th - I finished it that day, even though I had begun it some time before. Much much more oil pastel was added that day. Here it is, the 16th of June, and it is DRY! I'm not saying you couldn't take a sharp object and draw it across the painting and make a mark, but, of course, one could do that with an oil, watercolor or certainly, a soft pastel, as well. I mean it is completely dry to touch. I only wish I could let you put your finger to it, but in this, you'll just have to trust me.

The reason it's dry is because it's on Pastelbord. Maybe this happens with homemade gritty surfaces, too, but Pastelbord is just so much easier to do. Once upon a time, I tried making my own boards with pumice and gesso, but it was too much trouble; enter Pastelbord.
(Hope you can see how thick the surface is in these close-ups.)

Not to say I don't adore other surfaces, such as Colourfix and Stonehenge papers, as well as Bristol boards, but Pastelbord is a dream to work with. So if you haven't tried it yet with oil pastel, give it a try!

Works in Progress

2010-05-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here's what I started today and I must admit I'm undecided as to what I should do to bring these to a finish. With all three of these little pieces (7 x 5" on Pastelbord), I'm using the same palette, even though the subjects are different - I guess I'm a bit of a value painter. However, I do love the sets of ops for portrait, landscape and still life - as far as I know, Sennelier is the only company making them at present. Holbein used to make them and may still make the landscape ones, but years ago, they produced a portrait set that was wonderful! When I first purchased it, I was sure there were too many yellows in it. Not true! It was excellent and I think I still have the little boxes the ops came in, with the labels of colors. If I do, I will report in a future post.
Thanks for stopping by the OP Review!

Sketch Chronology - original oil pastel sketches by Connie Chadwell

2010-03-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

This quick, casual little 7 x 5" portrait is the end result of the following sketches. First came the pen sketch that I did last summer at the rodeo. The girl in the drawing was interesting to me because of her posture, I think. She was slumped in her chair so much that her chest area was almost concave. She was nice to hold still for me while I drew her. I made notes on the sketch that I didn't incorporate into the portrait. For instance, I didn't think the sprigged fabric or the lace edging on the neck of the dress would work in such a small space, so I ignored those two things.

The following photos show the progress of the portrait. Beginning with the ink drawing, then the oil pastel line drawing - and on to more refinements. (The early sketches were taken next to a bright window, but the one at the top of the posting, the final one, was taken in a darker room, so, of course, it's a little darker than the others).

I know there are all kinds of blenders that oil pastel artists use to smudge, blend, etc., but I just use my fingers. I once had an instructor comment that it's important to know which direction to move your fingers, or other blending instrument, when blending your pastels and I think that's so true.

This drawing is on Pastelbord.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

Bistro Evening - original oil pastel figurative by Connie Chadwell

2010-02-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

This small painting is the oil pastel version of Evening at the Bistro on my regular blog. It's 7 x 5" and I'm quite happy with its "softness".

Since I don't exactly have oil pastel artists knocking down my door to be featured on this blog, I'll just rave on about oil pastel myself.

Yesterday, I was explaining oil pastel to some interested - as well as some disinterested - artists. One of them said "well, why not just use regular pastel?".

Today I will give one reason for using oil pastel, to be followed by another reason at each posting. They won't necessarily be in order of importance, just what comes to mind while I write.

First Reason: IT STAYS WHERE YOU PUT IT! Does this sound silly? Well, I can almost guarantee that you won't have oil pastel bits on your pristine, not to mention expensive, matboard. I have seen nice paintings ruined by colored powder on mats. Yes, you certainly can make a "trough" with a smaller mat under the regular one, so that the powder falls in the trough, but what a lot of bother.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing other painting media (I work in lots of other media) - I'm just saying that oil pastel is wonderful and should get the respect it deserves.

David Berridge

2009-10-26T21:42:00.001-07:00

I am very happy to welcome the first featured artist, David Berridge, to The Oil Pastel Review. He is an accomplished oil pastelist and First Prize winner in the Professional division of the Oil Pastel Society's 2009 Members Show, "Transformation".

David is a very accomplished draftsman with a broad range of artwork, from pencil drawings to colorful contemporary paintings to moody, dramatic landscapes.

His responses to the questions that I posed to him are shown below.

Q. Hi David, and welcome to The Oil Pastel Review. What would you say were your major art influences?
A. I can't remember when I started drawing....pencil work when I was a kid - just wanted to draw stuff.
About 40 years ago (when I first started having my work in galleries) I

was working on a cattle ranch in Arizona, when I would get home I'd put
a cutting board on my lap and start drawing western scenes, inspired by
my surroundings. My main art influence has always been nature itself.

Q. What inspires you to do art - is it a passion?
A. The inspiration for me, is that I want to share, or express the feeling
I have about what I'm thinking or seeing.
More than a passion, my art is quite literally my therapy, giving me
purpose.When I'm doing a painting, there is always something or some spot in the image that is a little mysterious or compelling, at least to me. Usually, it's very subtle. These are the things that draw me into the work. It may be a distant road, just a hint of a pasture off in the distance, it might be just a little piece of the sky, but whatever it is, I like to enhance that little magical place, just a bit, in hopes that the viewer will not miss it and will see and feel what I did in the creation of the work.

Q. Are you self-taught or have you studied art?

A. I am self-taught.

Q. Could you describe your method of working?

A. Of course I always have an idea of what I want to do first. Sometimes I'll do a little sketching, but most of the time I'll just start working directly on the support that will be the finished work. I rough out what I want in a dark color, much like one would do with a charcoal drawing, and then just keep working on top of that color.
The mood of the work determines the underlying color.
Usually, at least for me, a very dark brown (Sennelier Sepia) works well. Sometimes a dark blue. Either of those two will get an end result I want.

Q. What attracted to you to oil pastel? A. Oil pastel is perfect for me, having come from a drawing background.

For me it's just drawing with paint. The oil pastel also gives me a "close" connection with the work. What I mean is, I don't care for the "distance" of working with tools. The oil pastel is just an extension of my fingers.

Q. Do you have a favorite palette, or palettes or particular colors that you like to use?

A. Particular colors: wow, I’ve been asked that before and I start thinking "oh yes, I really like this and that and the other ", and by the time I get done thinking about it, I have so many favorites - I like them all! Even if it doesn't show, I have colors under dolors under colors. I know they're there. The way I paint, ie.,: classical look with the mellow tone of color or more contemporary with more vibrant color, is totally determined by my mood and how I’m feeling about what I want to depict. That’s it in a nut shell. The same goes for the method of application. Sometimes I want to just grind the colors in as quick as I can with my thumb, and other times it’s a soft tender blending. It’s like music, classical and rock. They are both great, but your very being reacts differently, not that one is better than the other....just different.The way I depict a scene is totally dependent on my mood.
Q. Do you work in other media, as well?

A. Pencil, pen and ink, some oil and acrylic, but for the past 15 or more years I've just been working with oil pastel.

Q. What are your favorite brands of oil pastels?

A. The two brands I work with are, Sennelier and Caran D'Ache Neopastel. I probably use 70% Sennelier to 30% Caran D'Ache. The Neopastel has some colors I really like but more than that I find it very useful in that it is much more solid than the Sennelier and I can blend and scrub through other colors with it. I just about always work the two together. That doesn't mean to say I wouldn't like some of the others out there, I'm just stuck in my ways.

Q. What supports do you use?
A. Everything I do these days is on Arches #300 hot pressed watercolor
paper.
Q. How do you frame your oil pastels? I find framing to be a bit of a problem.
A. Framing is a little different for me. My wife, Karen, (of 42 years I
might add) is always on the lookout for antique frames at garage sales,
antique shops, thrift shops,etc.
I refurbish the frames, rebuild them, stain them, whatever I have to do
to get them back to what they should be. Then I do a painting for the
frame. Kind of backwards I suppose, but we've always been recyclers and
the beautiful old frames are just crying out for some art!
The gallery here locally has a point of interest to tell customers in
regards to the framing, and folks like it.
Every now and then I'll do a piece that I special order a frame for, but most of the time it's the antique frames.
Also most of my work I frame without glass. It's always an option of the client to get glass if they want. I finish the work with a combination of fixatives that results in a very good secure finished surface. It just bothers the heck out of me trying to look at a piece of art under glass.
Q. Is it difficult to find galleries that will handle oil pastels?

A. I've never had any problem with it.

Q. Which galleries carry your work?

A. The galleries are linked on my website.
Q. What do you plan for your art future?

A.Nearly 10 yrs ago I suffered a head injury that changed a lot of things in my life. Had quite an impact on my artwork, not nearly as spontaneous as the old days, can't work as long, on and on. Anyway, my work and way of working changed considerably because of it. But the important thing is, I keep on plugging away, and will till I drop! That's the why I always say, my art is my "great therapy." So, that's a big reason for the mostly softer mood nowadays compared to earlier.

Thank you, David, for visiting The Oil Pastel Review and sharing your insights with us. Your work is wonderful!