Animals with Pastels: Cow
Course Curriculum
Lesson Description
In this lesson series, we’ll create a drawing of a cow in a field with oil pastels on Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper.
Lesson 1 - Materials and Planning
In lesson one, we review the materials used for this lesson series and plan our composition.
Lesson 2 - The Cow
In lesson two, we draw the contours of the cow lightly with a graphite pencil and add multiple layers of oil pastels to the body.
Lesson 3 - The Sky
In lesson three, we'll develop the sky behind and around the cow with multiple blues, grays, and white.
Lesson 4 - The Field
In lesson four, we focus on developing the field of grass and flowers with layered applications of green, yellow-green, white, yellows, and purples.
Lesson Materials
- Rembrandt Soft Pastels
- Gray Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Board
- Pastel Pencils
Lesson Resources
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References
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Reference Image
Finished Drawing
really enjoyed the series. do you recommend starting with mid tones then darks and highlights? with the oil pastels, that is
Hi Luis,
You can approach oil pastels in any manner that you’re most comfortable with. I do typically start with the mid tones and work outward to push the range of value. Working from dark to light though is not recommended.
Cows have udders
Do you plan to paint a horse with either colored pencils or pastel pencils? I would love that. A friend asked me if I would paint a pic of her horse, and I could use some guidance. Thanks, Matt.
Loved these lessons Matt. I did the Cat myself and really impressed everyone! I am now trying to apply the skills to a pastel painting of my friend’s sheep.
Thank you so much.
Awesome to hear, Maria!
Great lessons,and I have learned a lot . Thanks
Sorry, this is not a cow. This is either a bull or a steer. Nice picture, though.
Hi Wanda,
Just curious – how can you tell?
See how his belly seems to come down to a semi point? That’s his ‘sheath’….it’s where his parts are hiding ;). Also, a lady would have udders.
Hi Matt, I grew up on a farm. : )
I can’t resist–it’s a cow, not a bull. Google British Simmental. Not all cows have always-visible udders, and that soft dewlap on the belly occurs in a lot of breeds and individuals.
This piece turned out gorgeous. I’ve been looking for guidance on oil pastels that actually gets the kind of end results I want to achieve for a loooong time. Thanks Matt!
I am having such a good time drawing with you. I’ve learned so much. I was wondering, do you use a certain kind of masking tape when you tape your drawings? When I pull my masking tape off of my drawing, sometimes some of the paper comes with it.
Hi Sandra,
I typically use Scotch masking tape. To prevent the tape from tearing the paper, you can first tape another surface – like a piece of cloth or your clothing. This will help the tape release. You also could try pulling the tape away at a 90 degree angle from the art. I made a video a while back on preventing tape from tearing the paper. You can check it out here…https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/how-to-prevent-artists-tape-from-damaging-your-paper