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Art For Sale - Saint Michael Miniature Pen and Ink Drawings
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Our Lady of Guadalupe, stippled ink on genuine sheep skin, a (finished) Work In Progress |
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Oil Pastel
A work in progress- using Liquin medium with oil pastel
"Dandelions No. 1"
| 12 inch x 9 inch Sennelier Oil Pastel Card |
| Guitar Oil Pastels and Caran d'Ache Oil Pastels used in various degrees/colors for parts of the initial under-drawing |
I have always been intrigued with dandelions. To some people they are a despicable weed, to others, an herbal remedy. To me, they are those, as well as a bright shot of a beautiful shade of yellow, and a great subject for paintings. I am using the beginning stages of this oil pastel painting to show how the oil painting medium Liquin can be used with oil pastel.
Liquin is an oil painting medium manufactured by Winsor and Newton. It is used with oil paints to make them more liquid, enabling greater detail, and it also speeds up the drying time. With oil pastels, it does a couple of things. First, it almost instantly allows the blending of colors. I find this very useful in an initial layer of an oil pastel painting. Liquin also adds just a touch of a semi-hard surface to the dried layer, allowing subsequent layers to be added as if they were on a new and unfilled surface.
Initial drawing and partial Liquin layer (Step 1)
The above photo shows an initial loose layer of general color, in this case applied with Caran d'Ache and Guitar oil pastels. Then, in the left upper area, I have started working the Liquin over the colors. I use a 1/2" bristle brush and a small amount of Liquin at a time. The gloss that is visible in this photo is the Liquin when it is wet. Liquin layers will dry in about an hour on the surface used here (oil pastel card), and slightly longer than that on linen or canvas. Please note that the above photo doesn't show too well that I have taped all four edges of the oil pastel card with 1/4" white artist's tape. This will allow me to not worry about a clean border while working, and yet will leave the painting with a clean edge, as the tape is removed when it is done. Masking tape can be used also, but I find it sometimes sticks too well to the card surface and is slightly marring when removed.
Here is the detail from above, and this is an example of just going over the oil pastel with a brush that has Liquin on it:
The Liquin layer must completely dry before more oil pastel is added if you want the surface to have a semi-hard finish to it before adding color layers. Also, you can go over and into the wet Liquin layer with new oil pastel colors, and they will blend on the paper, much like oil paint will. Note: Turpentine or Turpenoid Natural (I use the latter) act very similarly to Liquin, however the turp products take longer to dry and do not leave quite the same semi-hard finish that Liquin does. This would be an advantage if you want more blending and a longer "wet" surface time, but a disadvantage of you want to work more quickly. My usual method in my own personal painting is to get a good blended initial layer down with Liquin, and then for the most part use oil pastels alone after that. I use the initial blended layer to bring cohesiveness to the painting and it actually acts as an underpainting. However, the same techniques can be done several times through the stages of a painting for varied effects.
Below is the painting with a layer of Liquin blended into and over the initial background color layers. This process from start to the photo below took about 20 minutes to do, and then about an hour drying time. I can go ahead and do the main color of the flower blossoms while the background layer is drying. I will be using a bright warm yellow for the blossoms which will contrast with the cooler yellow that will remain in some of the background areas as the painting develops.
Below is the painting with the main blossom colors added and more background tones. These will now be blended slightly with Liquin and then allowed to dry. The painting looks very "simple" at this point, but I don't let that interfere because I know I am working to put a base layer of color down, and the painting will come into its own as I develop the later layers.
Below is the painting at the last stage of using Liquin on this piece. I have blended the oil pastels to a point where I feel comfortable with the basic look. I will now continue to develop the oil pastel painting using them as drawing "sticks" and not as a painting medium.
Now, I will let this dry completely before proceeding. I can use paper towel or a dry brush to blot up or remove any excess Liquin. I personally like to have a thin layer of Liquin in all areas when working this way. Sennelier Oil Pastel Card takes this technique well, as does linen, canvas, cardboard and wood. Papers thinner than oil pastel card might have some color bleed to the back (a Bristol board weight for example) when using Liquin, and any color bleed that does take place happens more easily if turpentine products are used instead of Liquin.
One last note- One of the aspects I love about oil pastels is their portability. Using Liquin and /or turpentine doesn't have to hamper that. I keep one good bristle brush and two small containers (Cubby Ware containers from Dick Blick Art Supplies) of Liquin and turpentine in my oil pastel easel or my pastel case and can use the above techniques wherever I am working. I keep the brush damp until it can be washed properly.
Thank you for viewing this!
Note: Below is a photo of another painting that has been started using the same technique as above. In this case, as above, an initial layer of oil pastel has been brushed into with Liquin using a bristle brush. This painting is started on a 24 inch x 12 inch Gesso Board, and has been allowed to dry for about 3 weeks. The surface is completely dry to the touch and no color comes off when the painting is wiped with a fingertip.
