Blue 'Tude: How to mix oil and chalk pastels

"Blue 'Tude"
8 x 11 Pastel (oil and chalk) and China Pencil on paper
Click here to buy print:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/nikihilsabeck/art/5824481-1-blue-tude-pastel

What started as a sketch while I was in the waiting room at the hospital turned into a full-blown learning experience with china marker, oil, and chalk pastel.

I like to sketch with the china marker, because it's nice and loose (and you can't erase!) Unfortunately, my toddler discovered that she enjoys sketching with the china marker too. She especially enjoys sketching ON my work, and had a great time scribbling all over the reference photo as well. Of course, I smiled and let her do it-- what else is an artist mom supposed to do? I can always make a new sketch.

I rather liked the sketch I had, though, scribbles and all. So, I figured some oil pastel would blend nicely with the china marker, and maybe cover up some of those scribbles. I got a pretty good picture down with the oil pastel and china marker; however, it needed some softer tones. So, atop the oil pastel, I began to rub some chalk pastel. You almost have to do it like a leaf rubbing-- vary how hard you push down on the chalk, and let the texture underneath show through in some areas.

Once you've started adding the chalk, stay away from the oil pastels-- china marker will go on top of chalk just fine, though. To bring the different mediums together, I used a soft, dry brush to blend. For added texture (like the whiskers), I alternately used a painting knife, my fingernail, and the end of my paintbrush to scratch off some of the top layer. I recommend the end of your brush.

This activity is not for the faint of heart-- you really have to rub in that chalk layer. After you feel the picture is where you want it, you'll need to take some of your darkest darks and highlight a few spots with the chalk, because the oil tends to absorb the chalk and give the whole thing a fuzzy look. The chalk pastel won't move like it would in a strictly chalk painting, and the oil won't show the strokes as well as it would in a strictly oil pastel work. I enjoyed the push and pull of the texture, though. I also think I'll use some sharper pastels or pastel pencils next time for those detailed areas.

I also learned that china marker rubs off of photographs with a paper towel-- now I can draw moustaches on photos and erase them so no one sees afterward.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Inspired by Light (Pastels on Canvas)

Image
"Morning Glow" 12 x 16 Chalk Pastel on Flat Canvas Email nicolehilsabeck@yahoo.com if interested in purchasing Been trying to get back into the daily painting routine, which for me either means a small painting a day, or a larger painting spread over two days.  It's a bit of a challenge with the growing belly and a very inquisitive firstborn, but I was lucky enough to get a little extra inspiration from an odd source: Sunday's eclipse. We have beautiful views of the canyon and hills behind us, and I watched the light change on this hill as the sunlight waned throughout the course of the eclipse.  I noted how the normally stunning lights and shadows on this hill were blunted by the general darkening (as opposed to the usual sunrise or sunset glow).  I thought I would be a little more appreciative of those lights and darks and try a painting of the trees and hills the next morning. I completed this painting in several steps, having struggled a little recent...
Read more

Painting Cats

Image
"The Bookeeper" Click here to view auction After many years of painting cats, I've learned a few things.  Every time I start a new cat painting, it follows its own unique path, bringing challenges that I don't seem to face when I paint my more traditional material (landscapes, birds, floral and botanical pieces, etc.) For example, cats don't stay put for too long (unless they're asleep, and even then they'll often stretch and change positions when you're least expecting it).  To combat this challenge, I end up working mostly from photographs.  That means adjusting the proportions, since the camera angle causes some distortion depending on the position and location of the cat. "Eye Contact" Oil Pastel Not for Sale "Side Glance" Oil Pastel Available on Etsy  One of the reasons cats are enjoyable to paint is that they have strong facial expressions.  When I'm painting a cat, I get so focused on rendering the cat...
Read more

A Hot Mess of Water Lilies!

Image
"Balboa Water Lilies" 9 x 12 Chalk Pastel on Paper Click here to view large or purchase So, every time I take great photos to paint later it turns into a learning experience for me. We took a little day trip in September down to Balboa Park in San Diego, California.  There wasn't much left of the water lilies after some recent vandalism (a bunch of geniuses decided to have a water gun fight and ended up destroying the lilypond).  It was a strangely hot day for downtown San Diego-- part of a series of heat waves that dogged me throughout the last months of my pregnancy.  I was thrilled to get some pretty photos while down there, particularly of the lilypads and turtles. I love to paint water, but I forget how time consuming it can be.  There are lots of layers involved, and I ended up using fixative as I layered in the lights and darks in this piece.  I also didn't anticipate how difficult it is to depict those peaceful, floating lilypads.  Af...
Read more