Determine a Globe of Radiant Color by Oil Pastels Brief history As far as the art world is concerned, oil pastels are somewhat of the new kid on the block as a medium. The first of the soft pastels was actually developed in the 1920’s. These pastels were at the time considered as a step up from crayons. It was actually much later in 1949 that the first artist quality pastel was created and at the request of two influential artist; Pablo Picasso and Henri Goetz. This new type of pastel represented a game changer based on the flexibility that it offered artists. This is because artists could now paint on wood or clay as well as canvas. Oil pastels also allowed the artist to paint directly without necessarily depending on palette knives or brushes even. Another feature that it had going for it was the soft consistency that it afforded the artist as well as the availability of a wide range of colors. The pigments were also professional, permanent and were acid free in quality. What oil pastels made different is their binder which unlike oil paints is linseed oils was more oil and wax content than oil paints. Pastels presently are available in two basic forms which are professional and student quality. This gives both professionals and student a source of art colors to work with. The student quality pastels will usually be available at most stores that stock stationery products. Difference between hard and soft Hard pastels have been around for a whole lot longer since Leonardo Da Vinci did write of these pastels. Most of his drawings are actually done in red chalk. Hard pastels are blended together using the fingers or by use of blending sticks that produces some subtle highlighting and shading effects. Their main advantage is that they are powdery and semi-transparent which makes them wonderful for making seamless transitions between colors. Oil pastels on the other hand are a lot softer and are semi-opaque in their nature. This means that it is possible to cover one color with another. This means that it is possible to create overlaps with these pastels. This means that one can replicate the feel of painting with oil paints and acrylics because of this covering ability. After one is finished with the artwork you ill usually want to apply a coat of acrylic vanish as a way of protecting its surface. One of the best ways of making vibrant and brilliant colors with oil pastels is to bend these colors into each other using small line networks. This layering creates a gradation to your colors that gives a brilliance that brings your painting to life. This blending of colors makes the transition very smooth. Paintings that are done in oil pastels are in art galleries all over the world and they have been known to be pretty amazing. If you are considering a career in painting or even as a hobby, oil pastels can be quite a good medium to start you off. Author bio:
Candice Hubbard is an authority in the art scene having written several articles as well as how to guide on oil pastels, oil colors and other stationery products.