Here is an entire book devoted to oil pastel. This versatile medium is economical, fast, easy to transport, and it is less toxic than many other media, including oil paint, dry pastel, and encaustic. After presenting a brief history of oil pastel, the author describes the handling and characteristics of this evocative medium and compares the various brands of oil pastel available in today's market. There is in-depth information on colour theory, followed by a consideration of the practical applications of colour theory to the medium of oil pastel. Especially valuable is the advice on handling modern pigments that don't fit the colour wheel, such as metallics, iridescents and fluorescents. The qualities of a variety of appropriate surfaces are also surveyed even such unusual ones as sandpaper, Mylar and fabrics. The main section of the book deals with basic and innovative oil pastel techniques and includes demonstrations of turpentine washes, layering, scraping scumbling, smudging, blending, glazing, and correcting. The enormous potential of oil pastel is vividly illustrated by guest artists working in diverse styles and subject matter, including still lifes, landscapes, portraits, abstracts and fantasy. Mixed media hot works (painting with molten oil pastels), and 3D constructions are explored and illustrated under the topic of new directions for the medium and a special section addresses such important concerns as toxicity, permanence and storage. Beginners and more advanced artists alike will find real pleasure in this book. "Oil Pastels" aims to inspire and excite all those who want to expand their artistic skills and range.
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75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist,
This review is from: Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist (Hardcover)
This is an unusually thorough book. If you can get your hands on a copy, you should do so. Unfortunately, it is out of print. The publisher is Watson-Guptill and the book was originally published in 1990. The ISBN No. is 0-8230-3310-4. Here's why the book wins my vote: It has a ton of pictures of finished art works done in oil pastel and in mixed media, using oil pastel and other media. There is a section which tells of the lightfastness of different brands of oil pastel currently on the market so readers can see actual pictures of brands exposed to sunlight for 3 months and how the sunlight does/doesn't alter the colors. There is also a "nitty-gritty" section describing the characteristics of each major brand available on the market currently, as of 1990 when the book was written, but these are the same brands available today (creaminess, hardness and what you can do with each). There are detailed diagrams of different methods of using oil pastels, broken down into steps, so readers have step by step directions of how to use oil pastels in a variety of ways. There are many ideas for composition using oil pastels. The author, Kenneth Leslie, makes it a point to tell readers exactly how each of the many works shown were developed in oil pastel (e.g., by direct observation of objects such as in a still-life, or by using photographs or collage, etc.) and on what kind of supports (e.g. which grounds to use on paper, museum board, masonite, wood, etc.) There are just lots and lots of pointers about using the medium of oil pastel. Many ideas of using oil pastels in concert with other media serve as a springboard for individual ideas. For example, I read a section of explanation and then, quite easily, I could mentally figure out how to apply the techniques shown to my own work. This will be my bible for doing oil pastel painting.
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
not for an advanced artist,
By
This review is from: Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist (Hardcover)
While Leslie writes beautifully, the only real information I learned from this book was which pastels held the best lightfastness rating and one technique of scratching I hadn't yet considered. Other than that, this book is geared very much towards beginners of oil pastel. All of the beautifully colored pieces he has pictures tend to lean towards abstract and illustrative ideas and expressions vs. more realistic interpretations of things. Additionally as a result there's really no other meathod to learn from in this book. He brushes against the ability to make realistic pictures via one artist, but goes into no detail as to how she accomplishes this task. The other great disappointment to me was Leslie's work itself. All of his works shown throughout could have been created by a High school student. He shows no real ability or understanding of how this medium can be worked. I would not recommend this book at it's original price of $32 and especially would not recommend spending double that for a used out of print copy. Save your money and check it out at the library or look for more informationon the internet.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent source,
By
This review is from: Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist (Hardcover)
This is the ultimate resource for anyone interested in the medium.
I've read it cover to cover twice and have referred to it a number of times. Although I've also worked in pastels, I enjoy oil pastels the most. It's like sculpting on paper. An inspirational source ...
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