Oil Pastels:
Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter 

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, students will be painting landscapes that represents the four seasons. They will learn how to select suitable colors and environments to represent each of the four seasons. They will be applying various oil pastel techniques to create their scenes. 

In this lesson, students will illustrate scenes such as skies, mountains, lakes, forests and rivers, viewed through a vintage 9 pane window frame. The window frame is intended to give the viewer a cozy vantage point, separated from nature’s elements. Students will illustrate their scenes by applying various oil pastel painting techniques.

Lesson objectives

• Learn how to paint landscapes using oil pastels.

• Recognizing warm and cool colors.

• Understanding the relationship between emotions and colors.

• Applying various oil pastel painting techniques.

What you do

You may illustrate scenery such as mountains, lakes, forests and rivers, as you feel is appropriate for your season. You are also free to incorporate other elements such as animals or people. 

• Sky Gradation Using oil pastels, color in your sky with two or more colors and fade them into one another.

• Blending Next, blend the colors with a piece of paper towel and white oil pastels.

• Landscape Add a silhouetted landscape to your painting using a soft pencil, B4 or darker. Include fine details in the environments such as branches, leaves and grass.

• Details and White Add the finishing touches with other oil pastels colors and a white correction pen.

Oil pastels are a drawing/painting medium that have a buttery texture and vibrant colours.

1. Scene. Before we begin, select a landscape photo that you like for your painting. Choose a scene by thinking about the feelings that you want to arouse, and the type of landscape that you want to illustrate.

2. Window Frame. Use a template to mark the window frame of your drawing with a pencil.

3. Masking. Mask your vintage 9 pane window frame using art masking tape. Start with the inner frame first using 0.5cm tape followed by the outer frame with 1cm tape.

4. Pencil. Lightly sketch a line drawing of your scene with a pencil.

5. Paint the Sky. Look closely at the various colors and details in your scene. Using oil pastels, color in your sky starting with the lighter colors first. Make your strokes in the same direction as the pattern in the image.

6. Blending. Start blending the colors with a piece of paper towel. You may also go back and layer more oil pastel colors over your scene, including white. *When blending and coloring, make the direction of your strokes in the same direction as the movement in your scenes.

7. Landscape. Paint landscapes such as mountains, lakes, forests and rivers using the same techniques you’ve applied in painting your sky.

8. Details and White. Refine and add the finishing touches to your painting. Add white to the brightest areas with a liquid correction pen.

Terminology

Primary Colors - They include red, blue and yellow. They are the three colors from which all other colors can be obtained by mixing.

Secondary Colors - They include orange, green and purple. Colors resulting from the mixing of two primary colors together.

Warm Colors - Colors that are associated with the sun, warmth and fire. They evoke warm feelings in people. Yellow, red, orange and different shades of these colors are warm colors.

Cool Colors - Colors that are associated with water, cold and ice. These colors leave a cold effect on people. Green, blue, purple and shades of these colors are cool colors.

Opaque - Not able to be seen through; not transparent.