See how to combine oil pastel and watercolor, painting plein air on site in Southern Utah.
- 1 min. short (oil pastel fixative 1)
- 1 min. short (oil pastel fixative 2)
- 12 min. video (tutorial)
Techniques for how to layer the watercolor and oil pastels together to create the bark and textures of a tree, as well as the grass and forms of colored rocks are explained in depth.
Demo and commentary by Art Prof Clara Lieu.
Video Walkthrough
- Combing art media is very useful in that you get to maximize the special “talents” that each art media has.
- Oil pastel is very helpful for creating very solid, concrete patches of color that have texture.
- Watercolor provides a speed and spontaneity that oil pastel really can’t achieve.
- Having an underpainting in watercolor prevents the problem of the white grain that oil pastel inherently has on white paper.
- You can go back and forth between the oil pastel and watercolor work, they complement each other very well.
- A cotton rag is really handy when you put down a watercolor mark that is too dark, or has too much water in it.
- You don’t have to visit a spectacular site in a foreign country to have something worth painting!
- The convenience of painting a subject that is close to home is not to be underestimated.
- Observing the “anatomy” of the tree, how it twists and turns was key to showing this tree’s personality.
- To capture those twists, having a wide range of physical actions and directions in your wrist as you paint and draw is very effective.
- The grass in between the rocks and the tree behaved like “glue,” to create cohesion in the scene.
- Sometimes you have to do a little weeding to get the view you want to paint.
Art Supplies
- Winsor & Newton Watercolor Block, cold pressed
- Sumi brushes
- Faber-Castell Clic & Go Foldable Water Pot
- Winsor & Newton watercolor tubes
- cotton rags
- Holbein Oil Pastels
Prof Lieu’s Tips
I find that when you overdo it, go too far and ruin a piece, that it provides you with a much better reference for what is “too much,” as opposed to inching slowly towards where you think you want to be.
Even as a basis for comparison, when you have 2 versions of your piece that you can look at side by side, you’ll find that seeing where you want to go becomes a lot clearer.
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