Van Gogh Oil Pastels

Supplies:

9 x 12 Canvas                                Criteria:

Pencil                                Craftsmanship - 25

Oil Pastels                                Originality - 25

Turpenoid                                 Correct Technique -  25

Q-Tips                                 Good Use of Medium - 25

Plastic cups                                              100

Paper Towels       

Sketchbooks        

                               

Objectives:

 

1.        You will study the life and style of Vincent van Gogh

2.        You will identify the techniques for oil pastel drawing.

3.        You will look at the art work of other artists who use oil pastels: Janet DeLonga, Chris Lerro, Charles Wood, Stephanie Neely

4.        You will create a close up drawing of something and use oil pastels similar to the way Vincent van Gogh would use his paints.

Guided Practice:

 

1.        You will practice coloring/ shading this with your oil pastels.  You should use the techniques we learned in class:  feathering, blending, burnishing and stippling.  The more color you add and apply in layers the better.  Think of how van Gogh painted.  Apply heavy layers of color, blend colors.  Have approved.

 

2.        You will draw a sketch in your sketchbook, a close up of something in an interesting way.  You can create a box to isolate items by cutting a hole in a piece of paper (if you want to do something in the room).  Practice coloring it using the techniques that you learned.  Practice using the turpenoid and blending some, but not all areas of the oil pastel.   Have approved.

 

3.        Redraw this on a piece of 9 x 12 canvas paper.  Draw lightly because the oil pastel will not stick to the graphite in the pencil, and when you start filling it in, it will smear, also it will rub off the canvas paper.  THIS PAPER IS EXPENSIVE; YOU ONLY GET ONE SHEET SO BE CAREFUL.  Be sure to fill up the whole page!  Have approved.

 

4.        Color/ Shade with oil pastels.  The color should be applied thickly and in layers.  The more colors, the better the drawing will look.  Think of Van Gogh when you complete this and use the shading techniques we talked about.  Do not blend these colors with your finger. If you want to blend colors, use the turpenoid.  Be sure to clean your brushes between colors and at the end of the period. DO NOT OUTLINE ANYTHING IN BLACK.

 

Terms for Oil Pastels:

 

1.        Feathering - In drawing and painting, to feather is to blend an edge so that it fades off or softens. To feather is also to overlap values and colors in the manner of the overlapping feathers of a bird.

2.        Blending - In artwork, to merge colors applied to a surface, whether with a brush, crayon, colored pencil, or other medium.  Mixing two or more colors together to create texture, shading or different values.

3.        Stippling (Pointillism) - Stipple is a drawing, painting, or engraving method employing dots rather than lines. Stippled works can be produced with any of a variety of tools, including pencils, crayons, pens, and brushes. Pointillism is a method of painting developed in France in the 1880s in which tiny dots of color are applied to the canvas.

4.        Shading - Showing change from light to dark or dark to light in a picture by darkening areas that would be shadowed and leaving other areas light.

 

 

 

Tips for Oil Pastels

 

1.        Oil pastels are greasy so be sure and keep a paper towel handy to wipe your hands.

2.        Don’t press on the pastels too hard while you are coloring or you will break them.

3.        When you apply colors on top of each other be sure to wipe the end of your oil pastel with a paper towel or on scrap paper so it will be clean for the next person.

4.        Oil pastels can smear easily so be careful.  You may want to put a piece of paper under your hand as you color.

5.        Be sure to put all your pastels back in the box in the right order and clean up correctly.

6.        When using turpenoid, pour a small amount in the little plastic cups.  Dip your brush in the turpenoid then paint directly over the area of oil pastel that you want to blend. You can create patterns in the oil pastel, if it is applied heavily, by swirling the brush around with your hand.  The small chisel end brush is the best for this project. Do not dig the brush into the paper.

7.      Clean up your brushes by swishing them in some clean turpenoid.  Mrs. Logan must check the brushes before you leave. If they are dirty you will loose points.

 

 

Lesson Design from Betsy Logan, Art Teacher, Auburn Junior High School, Auburn, Alabama 36830