The Oil Pastel Course: Colorful Portrait

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This course features:
Over 4.5 Hours of Instruction
22 Videos
7 eBooks
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Course Curriculum

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION AND MATERIALS MODULE 2: APPLICATION TECHNIQUES MODULE 3: THE BASICS OF COLOR MODULE 4: BASIC FORMS MODULE 5: BLACK-EYED SUSANS MODULE 6: IMPASTO SKY MODULE 7: COLORFUL PORTRAIT Materials and Transfer (6:09) Color Scheming (16:38) Creative Skin Tones (18:13) The Eyes and Lips (11:20) The Hair (11:38) Clothing and Background (15:08)

Lesson Description

In this module, we'll create a colorful portrait with oil pastels on toned paper.

Lesson 1 - Materials and Transfer

In this lesson, we take a look at the materials used for this series and use a graphite transfer to get our contours in place.

Lesson 2 - Color Scheming

In this lesson, we begin applying oil pastels to the face by using strong colors underneath more natural skin tones.

Lesson 3 - Creative Skin Tones

In this lesson, we continue developing the form of the face by increasing the contrast in value.

Lesson 4 - The Eyes and Lips

In this lesson, we add the eyes and the lips to the portrait.

Lesson 5 - The Hair

In this lesson, we concentrate on shapes of color and value to develop the hair.

Lesson 6 - Clothing and Background

In this lesson, we complete the drawing by addressing the clothing and the background.

Lesson Materials

  • Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper (Warm Gray)
  • Oil Pastels
  • 4B (or darker) 6B Pencil
  • H-2H Graphite Pencil

Lesson Resources

References

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Lesson Discussion

    • Hi Dustin,

      Sorry, I’m just seeing this comment. No – no certificate for this course. I’m not sure if we’ll continue offering the certificates with future courses. They are mostly used for teachers whose districts count credit hours towards renewal.

  2. Hi Matt,
    Thank you for these wonderful tutorials. I’ve learned a lot. This portrait is beautiful. Watching you build the shade parts was scary for a little while, but it all came together in the end! I get to stages like that and think oh man this is not gonna work and I don’t know how to work my way through it. So thank you for that. I have a question though. I store my soft pastels by taping a piece of glassine to them and stacking them and they’re fine. How do you store oil pastels since they are textured and never dry? Thanks for any advice. 😊

    • Hi Faye,

      I typically just keep the oil pastels in the box that I bought them in. The Sennelier oil pastels are held in cushioned holders within a box. I definitely do more damage to them when I handle them.

      • Hi Matt,
        Thank you for these wonderful tutorials. I’ve learned a lot. This portrait is beautiful. Watching you build the shade parts was scary for a little while, but it all came together in the end! I get to stages like that and think oh man this is not gonna work and I don’t know how to work my way through it. So thank you for that. I have a question though. I store my soft pastels by taping a piece of glassine to them and stacking them and they’re fine. How do you store oil pastels since they are textured and never dry? Thanks for any advice. 😊

        Oh no, I must have said that wrong sorry. 😆 Not the sticks themselves, the finished drawings/paintings. I protect the soft pastel ones by taping a piece of glassine over the top so it doesn’t get smeared since I don’t fix them. And just stack them on top of eachother and they don’t get damaged. I was wondering if you can do that with finished oil pastel paintings too, or if it would smoosh/smear them because they have texture and stay wet?

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