#043 Creating Surface Textures with Oil Pastels

2024 drawing techniques Jul 07, 2024

Drawing vehicles in any medium is challenging, and that makes it fun. Think about your favorite mode of transportation or try drawing something you may not have experience with, like a train or sailboat. Don’t be too critical of the outcome of your work. The many parallel lines and judgments of spacial relationships that this subject requires are great for developing your visual skills. Remember that every work of art is a step in a never ending path to improvement. I personally never want my path of improvement to end and I choose to have fun all along the way by choosing subjects that interest me. I hope you feel the same way. Making art should always be an adventure.

I took a photograph of this truck at a dealership parking lot. The first thing every artist must do is to become an editor. Editors decide what to take out and what needs to be added for the best results. I liked the truck’s reflection in the water, but decided that it was too much information for a 9 x 12 sheet of paper. The contrast of the smooth texture of the truck and the rough textures of the rocks would make the work interesting. I also edited out the confusing and cluttered city background and opted to place this truck in a more rural area. You will need to make these kinds of decisions before you begin the drawing. There is no right or wrong choice. But the drawing will be easier if you draw the object (vehicle) large enough that you can focus on its qualities and if you simplify what is around it.

Gather materials and references.

Materials:

Drawing pencil

eraser

Set of oil pastels*

Drawing paper – 4 sheets

*A reasonably priced brand is Cray-Pas Junior Artist Student Quality Oil Pastels. I prefer a set of 25 or more colors.

Reference:

Draw from real life or a clear, large photograph. Select pictures of vehicles. It may be a car, boat, tractor, truck. You will want the vehicle to have a vibrant color.

Step One: Edit and Create a Line Drawing

To draw the vehicle, look at the outside edges first. Then look at all the parallel lines. Change lines as you adjust them to make parallel sides and edges parallel in your picture. Also look for shapes that you can put onto the paper. Do you see a circle or is it an oval because you are viewing it at an angle? Try to fill the page without having major parts of the vehicle go off the page. Do not erase lines too soon. When some lines aren’t right, go back to that area of the paper and draw over them. There are no mistakes in drawing. Each correction means that you are seeing the object more clearly and accurately. Draw, redraw, and finally erase lines that make the shapes confusing or that do not belong. You can see many changes in the teacher example as lines where shortened in one area and extended in others.

If you critique your work, always compare it to work you have done previously, and not to the teacher example. The example is only here to show you what a line drawing might look like when working from a picture of a vehicle. Your drawing will be different and should look like it came from your hand, not from my hand, as your teacher. Congratulations on drawing a vehicle! Join me in the next step to see how to add color to your picture using oil pastels.

Step Two: Add Color with Oil Pastels

Next, fill in the spaces that define the vehicle using the oil pastel that most closely matches the color of the vehicle (without reflections). See in the example how the color is laid down in light, even tone. Do this by using light pressure with the oil pastel as you draw back and forth. You are actually making lines so close together that they overlap and create a solid block of color. Be sure to use a light touch in this first step. I avoided black in this step because it is a powerful color and can smear easily. At this stage all the surfaces look the same because you are lightly laying down colors. The slightly rough surface of a sheet of drawing paper allows the color to sit on the top areas of the paper while the lower areas remain white. I leave this effect where I want a rough surface, such as the rocks. Take a look at the teacher example and add color to your drawing in this way. I think you will like the results of adding color to your picture. Congratulations on drawing a vehicle in color! Join me in the next step to see how to add layers of color to create a smooth glossy surface on the vehicle.

Step Three: Blend Colors to make Glossy and Rough Textures

Consider the reflections and the colors you see on the surface of the vehicle. Here (in some areas) the blue color was applied over the first layer using pressure with the pastel stick so that the layer of color is thick and no white of the paper is seen. In areas with light reflections a light blue color was drawn over the first blue layer so that it blends. In other areas the darkest blue was blended over the first layer. You want to press the oil pastel into the paper deeply enough to cover up the white of the paper. Gray was used with blue and white to create the bumper and in areas of the window. Finally black was carefully placed onto the page, using pressure so that it fills all the space and no white of the paper is seen. Gray was drawn over black to make the tires. Do you see how oil pastels can be layered on top of each other to create a real blended effect? For extra shine a white oil pastel was drawn over the colors to create the highlights.

On the stone a different approach is taken. Because I wanted the stone to retain a rough surface, I used a light touch rather than a heavy one.

The paper surrounding the oil pastel stick can be peeled from the stick so that you can use the side as well as the tip. I tore the paper from the black pastel, then used its side as I lightly dragged it over the stones. This effect will be lightened in the next step when I add the finishing details. As a review, for smooth surfaces use a heavy touch and fill in the white spaces on the surface of the paper. For rough surfaces use a light touch and allow the white spaces to show through as the color skims across the top surface of the paper.

Your beautiful oil pastel set may look a bit worn out after finishing this step, but don’t worry, because artists use oil pastels up until there is nothing left of the stick. They often break while applying pressure and that is OK because even tiny pieces can be used on their side when blending.

Colors often cling to the oil pastel sticks when blending. To clean them up simply wipe the tips gently with a soft tissue.

Step Four: Add the Background

Remember as you work, for smooth surfaces use a heavy touch and fill in the white spaces. For rough surfaces use a light touch and allow the white spaces to show through as the color skims across the top surface of the paper.

Here I drew a line and filled in an area for trees. The clouds were created next, using a blend of the darkest and lightest blues in my set and white. I wanted the rest of the sky to have a smooth surface like the truck, so I first went over the entire area lightly with a light blue pastel. Next I tore the paper off the white pastel and using the side I applied the white heavily to the paper. It blended with the light blue color to create an even lighter sky blue. To finish the stones, I used a lighter approach as I took the white oil pastel and lightly rubbed it over the colors and the deep black areas. The black areas became grey as the white blended with those areas.

It is so fun to create very different surfaces and textures just by applying pressure to a greater or lesser degree. I hope you had fun exploring the subject of vehicles with the unique medium of oil pastels. Join me next week to learn techniques in charcoal or soft pastels as we explore your favorite sport.

Your art teacher,

Brenda Ellis