The Oil Pastel Course from Udemy

In this course, we explore the foundations and techniques for drawing and "painting" with oil pastels. Each module is presented in logically sequenced video series. Each lesson builds on the last, easing you gently into more complex concepts.

Learn the basic materials, surfaces, and techniques for creating oil pastel drawings and paintings. Use a variety of approaches to create artworks while exploring color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture.

Learn basic applications techniques including layering, blending, mixing and scumbling. Use observational mapping techniques to ensure accuracy in your drawings.

Each concept explored is reinforced through the creation of an oil pastel drawing. Learn the foundations of value while creating a still life drawing. Explore composition while developing a painting of flowers. Learn Impasto techniques while developing a landscape. Learn color theory while creating a portrait.

Each lesson series includes sequential videos and a step by step illustrated ebook. The ebooks provide a snapshot of each step of the process to ensure success. Photo references are also provided.

The Oil Pastel Course is designed to guide beginner, intermediate, and advanced artists alike. Oil pastels are truly a unique medium for creating art. Falling in between painting and drawing, this underused medium is exciting for just about any creator.

What's inside

Syllabus

Students will know the basic tools and surfaces for creating works with oil pastels

Introduction

The student will know basic application techniques for drawing and painting with oil pastels including blending, scumbling, and textural effects.

Oil Pastel Application Techniques

The students will know basic color theory including the color wheel, mixing, values, and intensity.

The Basics of Color Theory

The student will create an oil pastel drawing of basic forms using a monochromatic color scheme.

Contour Line Drawing

The Cube and Sphere

The Cone

Finishing Touches

The student will learn to create a colorful and bright drawing of several Black-eyed Susans on black paper..

Composition and Contours

Base Layers

Family of Flowers

Masses of Grasses

The student will know how to create a landscape image on oil paper using heavily applied oil pastels.

Materials and Initial Applications

Upper Sky

Lower Sky

The Ocean

Grassy Dunes

Students will learn to draw a colorful portrait with oil pastels on gray paper.

Materials and Transfer

Color Scheming

Creative Skin Tones

The Eyes and Lips

The Hair

Clothing and Background

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in The Oil Pastel Course with these activities:

Review Color Theory Fundamentals

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Reinforce your understanding of color theory, which is essential for effectively using oil pastels and creating vibrant artwork.

Browse courses on Color Theory

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Review the color wheel and color relationships.
Practice mixing colors using different ratios.
Identify color schemes in existing artworks.

Read 'Color and Light' by James Gurney

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Deepen your understanding of color and light principles, which are crucial for creating realistic and visually appealing oil pastel paintings.

View Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara (Calla Editions) on Amazon

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Read the chapters on color temperature and light direction.
Analyze how Gurney uses color and light in his own paintings.
Experiment with applying Gurney's techniques to your oil pastel work.

Value Scale Practice

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Improve your understanding of value by practicing creating value scales with oil pastels, which is fundamental for creating depth and form in your artwork.

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Create a value scale using a single color.
Create a value scale using blending techniques.
Compare your value scales to a reference image.

Three other activities

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Create a Still Life with Limited Palette

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Apply your knowledge of color theory and composition by creating a still life painting using a limited palette of oil pastels.

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Set up a simple still life arrangement.
Choose a limited palette of 3-4 colors.
Create a painting focusing on value and color relationships.
Reflect on your color choices and the overall effect.

Explore 'Alla Prima II' by Richard Schmid

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Study advanced painting techniques to improve your oil pastel skills, focusing on capturing light and creating dynamic compositions.

View My Still Life Art on Amazon

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Read the sections on color mixing and edge control.
Analyze Schmid's paintings for his use of light and shadow.
Experiment with applying his techniques to your oil pastel landscapes.

Develop a Series of Landscape Studies

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Solidify your understanding of landscape painting techniques by creating a series of oil pastel studies focusing on different lighting conditions and compositions.

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Choose a landscape subject and create several sketches.
Create a series of oil pastel studies focusing on different times of day.
Experiment with different color palettes and compositions.
Reflect on your progress and identify areas for improvement.

Career center

Learners who complete The Oil Pastel Course will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Fine Artist

A Fine Artist creates original artworks for exhibition and sale, often specializing in a particular medium or style. This course on oil pastels may be quite useful for a Fine Artist looking to expand their skill set or explore a new medium. It covers the foundations and techniques of drawing and painting with oil pastels, which includes layering, blending, mixing, and scumbling, along with observational mapping techniques. The course reinforces concepts through the creation of oil pastel drawings, from still life to landscape and portraiture.

See salaries and explore the career path for Fine Artist

Art teacher

An Art Teacher instructs students in various art forms and techniques, fostering creativity and artistic expression. If you want to become an Art Teacher, this course on oil pastels may be quite helpful, as it covers essential skills applicable to art education. The course explores the foundations and techniques for working with oil pastels, which includes layering, blending, mixing, and scumbling, along with observational mapping techniques. The structure of the course, with logically sequenced video series and step by step ebooks, provides a good model for teaching.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art teacher

Illustrator

The role of an Illustrator is to create visuals for various media, often requiring a strong grasp of color theory, composition, and different art techniques. This course on oil pastels may provide a unique approach to illustration, blending drawing and painting techniques. The course explores the foundations and techniques using oil pastels, including layering, blending, mixing, and scumbling, which are all transferable skills for an Illustrator. Learning observational mapping techniques and creating artwork from still life, landscape, and portraiture also build a strong foundation for success in the role.

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Freelance Artist

A Freelance Artist works independently, taking on various art related projects for different clients. To become a Freelance Artist, it is important to have a good understanding of art techniques. The course may be quite helpful, as it covers essential artistic approaches. The course explores color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture. Each lesson includes sequential videos and a step by step illustrated ebook.

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Art Director

An Art Director oversees the visual style and images for various projects, such as magazines, advertising campaigns, and film sets. While this role often requires experience and an advanced degree, understanding artistic techniques and principles is essential. The course explores color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture. The course introduces concepts through the creation of oil pastel drawings and applies various techniques including impasto.

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Concept Artist

A Concept Artist creates visual representations of ideas for use in films, video games, and other media. This course on oil pastels may strengthen the skills and techniques used by a Concept Artist. The course explores the basics of color theory, still life design, landscape design, and portraiture, while introducing a variety of approaches. Practicing these techniques is useful for the development of fresh digital art concepts.

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Muralist

A Muralist creates large scale artwork, often on walls or other public surfaces. The foundational knowledge of artistic techniques can be helpful in creating murals. This "Oil Pastel Course" explores drawing foundations and approaches for paintings. The curriculum is designed to guide beginner, intermediate, and advanced artists alike. The course content regarding color theory, still life, landscape and portraiture is important for creating a wide variety of murals. Learning basic application techniques including layering, blending, mixing, and scumbling may translate uniquely in the creation of outdoor art

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Surface Pattern Designer

A Surface Pattern Designer creates designs for textiles, wallpaper, and other surfaces. This course on oil pastels may directly benefit a Surface Pattern Designer by providing skills for creating vibrant and textured designs. The course explores the foundations and techniques of drawing and painting with oil pastels, including layering, blending, mixing, and scumbling. The course builds on concepts by creating oil pastel drawings, like developing paintings of flowers.

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Textile Designer

A Textile Designer creates patterns and designs for woven, knitted, or printed fabrics. The foundations explored in the course may directly apply to textile design. The course explores the foundations and techniques of drawing and painting with oil pastels, including layering, blending, mixing, and scumbling, along with observational mapping techniques. You may develop a unique portfolio of textile art using oil pastels as a result.

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Story Board Artist

A Story Board Artist visualizes stories for films, television shows, and commercials. This course on oil pastels emphasizes valuable, artistic principles. The course emphasizes color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture. The course can assist with observational mapping techniques to ensure accuracy in your drawings. Each lesson includes sequential videos and a step by step illustrated ebook.

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Animation Artist

An Animation Artist creates sequences of images that form moving pictures. If you want to become an Animation Artist, this course may serve as a useful building block by going over approaches to drawing and painting with a unique medium. The course explores color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture, and reinforces concepts by creating drawings of various styles. Learning applications, such as blending, scumbling, and textural effects may be helpful in developing animated content.

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Exhibition Designer

An Exhibition Designer plans and designs museum or gallery exhibitions, often requiring a blend of artistic and spatial skills. This course may be useful to Exhibition Designers by providing insights into the creative process and techniques for visual presentation. The course explores color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture, and reinforces concepts through the creation of drawings in various styles. Because an Exhibition Designer has to understand a lot about art history, art practice and the impact of the art work, a course such as this may serve as a useful refresher.

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Creative Director

A Creative Director leads the creative team and oversees the visual aspects of a project or brand. While experience is a must for a Creative Director, you also need a deep understanding of art design and techniques. This course may build upon an understanding of art through the exploration of color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture. The course guides beginner, intermediate, and advanced artists alike.

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Art Curation

An Art Curator acquires, manages, and displays artwork in galleries or museums. An understanding and appreciation for different art forms can be helpful in this career. This course on oil pastels may prove useful in this regard, as it introduces you to the foundations and techniques of drawing and painting with oil pastels. The course helps you explore color theory, still life, landscape, and portraiture, which can inform how you curate and present artworks to the public.

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Art Restoration

An Art Restorer repairs and conserves damaged or aged artworks, requiring a deep understanding of art materials and techniques. This course on oil pastels may aid in this role by providing additional insight into art methods. The course explores the foundations and techniques of drawing and painting with oil pastels, which includes layering, blending, mixing, and scumbling, along with observational mapping techniques. Each lesson series includes sequential videos that help reinforce concepts.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in The Oil Pastel Course.

Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara

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Comprehensive guide to understanding color and light in art. It covers a wide range of topics, including color theory, light sources, and atmospheric effects. It is particularly useful for oil pastel artists who want to create realistic and vibrant paintings. This book provides additional depth to the color theory concepts covered in the course.

Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara (Calla Editions)

Hardcover

My Still Life Art

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This book, while focused on oil painting, offers invaluable insights into color mixing, edge control, and capturing light, all of which are directly applicable to oil pastel techniques. It's a great resource for intermediate to advanced artists looking to refine their skills. is more valuable as additional reading than as a current reference.

The Oil Pastel Course

What's inside

Syllabus

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Activities

Career center

Reading list

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