by Reid Case

Created on: October 02, 2009

As you gaze upon the work before you wondering about the mood of artist, or the message he or she was trying to convey, your friend walks up reading the plaque next to the piece and states, Wow! This piece was done in oil pastels. I didn't know you could do things like this with pastel. Every time I've tried them, my works look like a kindergarteners scribbles with crayons. In amazement you confirm the detail, and lean in closer to observe the fluid mesh of colors as they dance across the surface of the paper. With your new found interest in oil pastels, you return home to uncover the colorful waxy chunks left over from your first attempts, and begin working.

Where do you begin? Attempting to mimic the thick application of media by the artist you observed earlier, you find that a heavier paper is needed to endure the brutal assault of applying the pastels. Likewise you notice that the thick application eats away at the pastels, cluing you in that you may need many more sticks. A quick trip to the art supply store and you are ready to begin, or so you think.

Upon lightly sketching your subject, and proceeding with the coloration, you notice that the thick application leaves little surface to reapply pastel in the instance of a mistake. Using your fingernail and later a dull knife you scrape away the small blemishes and continue. The vigorous application seems to distribute small boogers of pastel over the page, and your floor. The small pieces of pastel remaining on the paper are a nuisance. Smudging white and lighter areas, distributing themselves in pitch black and dark zones. A small needle or pin suffices to remove them without damaging the work underneath. After hours of laboring over the piece you feel it's done. What a chore it was to express yourself and render the subject in pastel. Taking a step back you realize, with no fault of your talent, that the work still does not compare to the one you observed earlier. With the drive of a bull you return to the paper, this time with a new tactic.

You return to the supply store, to purchase more pastels and a new kind of paper. They sell this paper by the sheet, and it is rather expensive. It is large and as colorful as the pastels themselves. At home, or back in the studio, you reset the subject. This time you have predicted the inevitable smudging and purchased a can or two of clear matte aerosol sealant. You have used this sealant before in sketching with pencil and charcoal to prevent the very same

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