Sketchbook Sunday! Oil Pastel Avocado Anyone?

Hi friends! Since launching my Soft Pastel for Beginners course last week (FYI it’s 50% off for the month of February with coupon code COLOR) I have been asked a lot about oil pastels. I did not include oil pastels in that course as their properties are different but I did have fun playing with them this week in my sketchbook! The first brand I used (as shown in today’s video) was Royal & Langnickle. They seemed a bit weak and very crumbly but still got the job done with a bit of help from some oil paint.

Then I decided to see what else I had and I found a set of Pentel. They were much more pigmented and creamy, cost less than the Royal & Langnickle and are widely available. I sketched the egg on avocado toast picture with the Pentel, no oil paint needed. I don’t have a lot of brands of oil pastels, mostly they come in kits with other things so I don’t have a comprehensive overview of all the brands. I have been thinking about trying the Sennelier brand but I really need to prove to myself that they are something I will really use as I can have the tendency to fall in love with a product and they have to try all the brands and lose interest. Please say I am not alone in that…

In today’s sketchbook Sunday video I am working in my old faithful Fabriano Venice book. I like working on toned paper so I used some gouache to make a background. enjoy!

Supplies (Affiliate links used)

• Oil Pastels: I use Royal & Langnickle but the Pentel ones I tried after were so much better.

• Sketchbook: fabriano venice book

• Gouache for underpainting if desired

• Masking tape, paintbrushes

• Oils if need be

This was a lot of fun but I enjoyed painting the avocado toast more because the Pentel pastels were creamier, they reminded me of using Cray-Pas as a kid in school. I loved it when the teacher let us use those in class! Sometime you need to go back to feeling like a kid again when you create!

If you are interested in learning about soft pastels (the chalky ones) please check out my new Soft Pastel for Beginners Class, I have a 50% off launch month special running through the end of February, simply click on the discount link in the blog post or use coupon code COLOR if the discount doesn’t appear. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!