Trying oil pastels for the first time! 

I used chalk and oil pastels in art class back in High School and never particularly enjoyed them -- but I do love the texture of the final pieces. Your first portrait kind of evolved into Rob Pattinson here, a little lol! Was he the reference this time? (: I think it turned out so cool -- like I said the texture is fantastic and I really enjoy seeing what people can do with these.

I love oil pastels because of how delicious the texture looks. That's why I love painting food with them.

It's giving Robert Pattinson, I know it is only my imagination. it is beautiful Im also learning to use oil pastels and it is really fun, as you say is like painting without the self pressure of painting with brushes and substances

Gah, I love this so much (including the kitty sketch!). When I taught after school art programs for elementary school aged children, my favorite projects were oil pastel drawings with watercolor washes over the top (the oils do resist the watercolor of course, but it makes for a cool effect). I always meant to explore that in my own work but never got around to it!

I love oil pastels because of how they’re a little less daunting compared to oil paints, like you said. My one difficulty with them is the muddiness they can bring. I feel like I have to have a set palette when working with them. Otherwise, they’re a really fun medium!

Nice to see you join the pastor train. You can lay down watercolor or ink wash or alcohol wash before building with pastels it works wonders especially using the complimentary colors of your intended painting as the wash

why does he kinda look like Edward Cullen

The pieces turned out beautiful and the medium really fit your style of portrait. Oil pastels are fun if you can get past the mess. You can also make a kind of paint with a little bit of linseed oil, or thinning solvent, and ceramic palette. Just take the pastel and rub a good layer of it in one of the wells add some oil and let it sit to dissolve the solid pastel then mix until you get a paint consistency you like.

Yes! The Idea IS To Have FUN!!! You got it in ONE! Bravo! That's the whole idea in doing ART! I'm glad you discovered this great medium! Now, try using them in addition to colored pencils (I use Prismacolor, myself.) and see what happens! I put down the base sketch in a colored pencil and then block in the colors using Oil Pastels. Here's the neat thing, I can then go on top of the oil pastels WITH the colored pencils to add not only details but shadows and tones as well because both Oil Pastels and Colored Pencils use Beeswax as an ingredient! Which makes them easy to use together! Look at the youtube video "Swamp Battle Sketch" as an example. Great Drawing, by the way! It Looks like you were having Fun! It as almost you are using a two dimensional plane to sculpt a portrait using solidified light! Which is a cool way to look at it, I think.

Are there any “rules” for oil pastels? I think just apply the pigment and have fun. What I enjoy visually is seeing the different textures and “brush strokes” oil pastel gives that is quite unlike any other medium. Play and have fun! Your piece turned out wonderfully.

I'm a fan of sped up footage specifically for seeing the entire process. You can always slow a video down while viewing it so, while I actually like real-time better, I prefer to see every step.

Fabulous! I like the first one better too. I picked up a little set of 12 Cray-Pas last week and have had so much fun doing (very colourful) portraits. I sometimes think that there has to be a match between the art medium and the topic. For some reason, I love doing life drawing with soft pastels, yet barely touch them for anything else. With oil pastels, it was portraits. Watercolour for me is landscapes. Acrylics for still life. Does anyone else do anything similar? It's not that I don't use the different media for other things, but, just more inclined to default to a particular medium in specific circumstances.

We had a set of CrayPas when I was in Jr. High in the late 1960s, dating myself here, but I didn’t really like them. I bought an affordable set last year but I still haven’t done much with them. Your portraits turned out so good.

More of this medium please

Would definitely be interested to see a piece from you that starts with watercolor and then goes on with oil pastel! Loved all of the works in this video, I'm a fan of all of the colors personally!!

Your work is so wonderful ! now I got to get out my pastels! lol

This looks kind of like Robert Patinson (Edward from twilight) lovely colours 😍

i almost exclusively used oil pastels until I met watercolor in highschool, honestly always lowkey hated how messy it was lmao. but its amazing to see what other people do with it!

Hey Arleesha! I sat down to watch your video and spend a few minutes in my sketchbook, and I wasn't intending to use my oil pastels today, but you inspired me to bust them out! I absolutely love oil pastels and I'm glad you've had a good first experience with them. Love and light, -ASV

Putting down a layer of gouache with pil pastels is nice aswell

great looking portraits 😀 oil pastels are underrated, they can be a lot of fun to use

Wonderful work. It's great to see you play with other media. I think it is fantastic that you are no being bogged down by the 'correct' way of doing this. on the back of that i would say the second portrait was more successful for me. the stark contras made the texture even more of a feature. I would say that sped up was nice to see. maybe a mixture of both. Also the idea of watercolour and oil pastel together is lovely, but don't discount watercolour over oil pastel. There are some exquisite resist marks you can make by doing this. Do try at least 1 piece that way. the only thing you really need to understand optimally in figurative representation is value. you have such a natural instinct when it comes to value that i truly believe you could excel with any media and any form of mark making.

Hi! I love it when you try something for the first timw and share! You are brave! I have one tip with oil oastels that I love: you can use 2-4 colors on one area, before it becomes a mess, and instead of spreading the paint evenly on the paper, try to make lines, one next to the other. It creates a 3 dimensional effect it tricks the eyes. Lov ya’ bye!

You have really inspired me because my brother brought me oil pastels for Christmas. And I had no idea what I was going to to draw with them. So thank you 😊

Wow such a nice begining! While watching the video I remembered my first experience with oil pastels. It was summer of 2019 (the times world hasn't met with Covid yet) I was on a journey in Germany. (It was my first alone abroad experience which makes it so special:)) While visiting the Cathedral Domm, I saw these street painters creating amazing art on the ground. Next day I went a local art shop and bought pastels. Next day I've spent an amazing afternoon. Sharing my art with tourists coming all around the world was quite new to me. Also I earned my first money (which is the most valuable 2.50 € in the world to me😋) Use oil pastels, they may bring you beautiful memories:)

I love the colors in both portraits 😍 personally I do like seeing sped up footage of the full process every now and then. it's so satisfying seeing the painting come to life like that ❤

So much fun! I’m a mixed media/multimedia artist and just love to play with different mediums, so this was right up my alley! ❤️🙌🤩

Oil pastels are for me a medium I use when I’m art blocked and want to have some fun because even when the art doesn’t turn out the way I want it to I still had so much fun in the process that I don’t really care. Sadly the set I own smells like cow sh*t so I don’t use it very often,but when I do I still find it enjoyable. Maybe I should invest into a higher quality set that doesn’t smell so bad but I haven’t done that yet as I didn’t feel like I’d actually use them that often. I’d love to see more of the oil pastels on your channel tho!

Great work, Arleesha! I have these pastels (and a few others) in my cupboard and I'm pretty sure I have some nice mid-value paper as well. So I might have a go at the same kinda thing with some faces. Thank you so much!

I know water-soluble oil pastels are a thing, which might be more up your alley? I dunno. Either way, I really enjoyed this video. I have an old set of oil pastels from primary school in my house somewhere that I might revisit.

In general, pastel paper is more designed for chalk pastels, which is why it has that deep texture to it. If you want to go for cheaper paper, oil pastels work really nicely on newsprint or any other paper that has just a touch of texture. (Just enough to grab the pastel, but not so much that you have the dots of paper that show through.) The joy of oil pastels is that you can spend like.. $10 and have supplies for days of just farting around so there's no worry about wasting supplies or things being precious or any of that. And you can do oil pastel under watercolor if you want to have fun with water-resist patterning! Really, just play around and see what happens, there's so many neat things you can do with these. (also, don't worry about "missing" things when playing video games. That's what replay is for. Go in blind the first run, then after you've finished that (or if you get stuck) *than* you break out the FAQ/walkthrough. You actually miss a lot more when you're following the guides than if you just go and explore what the games have in store for you.

Nice !! I like them both. (your works here). I used oil pastels in the 90's, but the big ones. I cannot remember how many days/months they need to dry up. Maybe tell us this times in a next video. Please. I also like the speed up vids and the not speeded ones. Have an Happy 2022. Peace😀😾💙🖐

Try getting the paul ruben oil pastels... crayola oil pastels or sennelier oil pastels which are on the pricer side

Awwe I spied a toddler hand trying to help out! I recently found your channel and I have to say I love your use of colors, it's always so expressive.

I haven't tried oil pastels for donkey's years, but seeing you use them with such abandon has me craving a go. Wonder if my very ancient set would still function...

For a good ammount of time that portrait looked a tooon like Robert Pattinson

Whenever I see a face portrait I never see the anatomy as bad, I just see it as a person with asymmetrical features..still very beautiful

"Scratchy scratchy up and down" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I love oil pastels. So glad you finally tried them out too!

I like your approach very much and identify myself in it... sounds like an intuitive work to me (the scratchy-moves would be my thing too). Like more the real time footage, because of the calming feeling to it. Time-lapses are quite stressful to me, beside you see it anywhere else all the time. This channel is a very calm place to me, i dont even care, what you paint with. Wish you the very best for the new year! Luck and health to your family, big thanks to the pizza-wizzard! Stay the way you are! Much Love from Germany

"The goal was not to minmax this drawing session..." 😆 Love it! It was fun seeing you using oil pastels! I really like the look of them, but I can't use them myself, it's a tactile/sensory issue thing, so I enjoy seeing other people put them to good use.

it looks fabulous: i love what you are saying; bec art is better not overthinking it; it takes the fun and relaxation out of it and is the actual best way to learn any medium:) love your channel

I love the first eye of the second drawing. If you'd continued with that color scheme, that could have changed that picture. There's so much white space that it ultimately felt unfinished to me. Overall, I liked the first portrait better and the cat was cute. Makes me want to pull out my oil pastels and play around.... Also, try blending with a cotton swab, or even your finger wrapped in a chamois or soft paper towel.

Half of the fun of doing something new is exploring doing it youre way thats why i like story mode video games and my fav paint is gouache

Stunning fabulous work! It’s just amazing and awesome 👏🏻 great technique and loved your colour palette 🎨

Im wondering if you used Hunter Schafer's photo as a reference for the second painting because it looks so much like the one I used! Love when that happens! beautiful work as always

Was so looking forward to it when I saw the preview and it did not disappoint! Makes me wanna try pastels haha!💜💜💜

HAPPY NEW YEAR ARLEEEEEEE!!!!!

Oil pastels really traumatised me in art class cus people judging lol. I tried to do realistic or at least one block colour and minimal shading and it just,,,, wouldn't so after that i've been terrified. Never thought of using a style similar to yours where human skin tones aren't used, i think that may help me!

You did fabulous. Seriously. Understanding colors and light is a huge part of it which you know.

you can actually use watercolour on top of oil pastels, specifically *as* a repellent for the water. white oil pastel on white paper leaves a negative space when you wash over it with watercolour. it can give a really cool effect, somewhat like a crude method of masking

Love it Van Gogh looking !

OLD LEATHER SMITH here. Very interesting. I think I will try something similar only with my oil dyes. I will tell you what transpires in the future. Thanks 4 the idea. GOD'S BLESSINGS ✝️⚾🙃

Hi Arleesha. I love oil pastels and I'm so happy that you tried them and enjoyed them. The Mungyo Gallery is a really good brand, aside from the lack of lightfastness. Otherwise, they perform in the same league as other high end brands like the Caran d'ache Neopastels. The only oil pastels that you can't get a dupe for are the Sennelier oil pastels, which are best used for more painterly techniques or on top of firmer pastels as a final layer.

i absolutely love the contrast in that last one between the further side of the face being very blended and then the more bold, textured and unblended marks on the nearer side. seeing you use oil pastels makes me want to again but I have memories from college of being really overstimulated by the feeling of it on my fingers and the waxy smell too :/ i do like using ordinary crayons just to mess around with colour when i'm feeling too in my head about watercolour though! i really feel what you mean about not wanting to minmax art! me and a friend (a beginner who is having a LOT of fun using those real cheap chalky kids watercolours) were having a conversation about it when i clicked the video! we were talking about how art is FUN! humans created art because it was just enjoyable, no need to bleed it dry

I blend oil pastels with solvent, which is partly why I do enjoy them. I've not yet opened my oil paints because thru intimidate me. Hahaha but the oil pastels don't because they're much less messy and won't ruin my brushes.

Oof I feel you in the video games part. I am always looking things up like " What are the consequences If I choose this option" "In what order should I do this" "Does doing this make me lose some quest forever?" And don't get me started on collectibles. I sometimes forget to enjoy the unknown and deal with the result of my choices instead of planning everything. I can always replay the game to experience what I missed

I have oil pastels. Well I should say "oil pastels" because they don't blend at all and feel waxy. But I want to use them up before buying a new set. I think I will go for Paul Reubens. They are a very artsy medium for abstract and colourful pieces and fun to use

The first face looks kinda like Robert Pattinson - a very very awesome result!!!

I recently tried oil pastels too but got tired of it already coz it's too messy for me tho I love using it with oil to act like more like gouache/watercolor but yeah it's messy hell and I really don't like getting my hands stained but when I was doing it, I really enjoyed it. the buttery texture just feels relaxing. maybe I should stop using oil hahaha to lessen the "messy" stuff going on

Using a cotton swab can really help with blending and keeps your fingers/oil pastel sticks/workspace a bit cleaner so then you aren’t putting colors where you don’t want them. It also gives you a bit more control. Also generally with oil pastels you want to start lighthanded and then build up color cause once it’s down you can’t take it away aside from maybe scratching a bit off. Generally when you use lighter pressure you don’t get all those flakes that stick to your hands and smear all over your paper but it also depends on the softness of the pastels themselves. These are very good for a first attempt though.

I bought the same set last year! I don’t pick them up often but when I do, it’s because I have art block. Something about the chunky texture and vibrancy makes me really happy and inspired

I hated oil pastels before bec I don't like the mess it makes. I would like to try it now though for the creamy texture it makes💗 yum yum!

Great video, enjoyed your experimentation. Oil pastels are only limiting if you let them be, and you don't have to apply them in a circular motion. For fine detail you can scrape a bit of pastel onto the tip of a pencil or palette knife and apply it that way in delicate areas. When the pastels feel like they aren't going onto the surface, leave it for a day or so and they will dry or set then you can apply more layers, they're just paint in a stick. Thank you for your video, it was a lot of fun.

I’m just starting to play with oil pastels too. My painting style is usually very tight. I’m hoping these will help me loosen up. I would love to see some examples of oil pastels over a watercolour underpainting.

I actually prefer the second portrait. I think it was mainly the palette and the white paper.

I've thought of getting that set of oil pastels for some time now. They look fun to use! I wanted the 36 set, but it seems nonexistent, so maybe I could get the 48 set.

I'm a fan of gallery pastels - they blend really well with either a white pastel or a blending or thinning medium. Crayola (highly recommend - inexpensive and hella vibrant) and gallery were the two I used when I first started working with pastels. While I'm now a huge fan of acrylic and gouache paint (and recently watercolor . . .) I think I'll forever be an oil pastel-person.

Learning through playing is so much fun with oil pastels

This guy totally looks like Robert Pattinson. 😂 Nicely done!

Thanks for letting us know that we don’t have to know everything about something that we are interested in.

Fun fact: use oil pastels on primed canvas and blend with a stiff brush dipped in odorless terpinoid for a nice oil painting look.

I think you did such a great job! It looked like a lot of fun. I'm happy to see you still try out new things. I think real time video with some commentary is great but I also don't mind some parts faster. Happy New year, I wish all of you luck and especially to stay healthy!

Love this, the best way is the way that feels good and gives the result you want. People see things too black and white.

This is one of the best companies of oil patels...!! I personally love them... and recommend them...

thank you for sharing! love that this looks like edward from twilight

that one with the white space is amazing! i should give them a try again too! they work so well with your style :)

I think if you expose it to heat, it will give you a different feeling

I absolutely love both these pieces u made they are so so beautiful!!

Wow, the oil pastels work so well with your style! Stunning!! If you ever feel like trying, the Sennelier brand ones glide exactly like lipstick. It can be pretty fun.

I came to the comments to see if anyone else saw Robert Pattinson and yes, yes they did lol

Very beautiful video!!😍

Good for you - have fun and explore what you love

They do have water soluble oil pastels.

In elementary school they were a must for art class

You can use oil paint thinner with oil pastels

I enjoy the real-time videos.

Looks like Robert Patterson.

I love it. (Just had to add that)

So amazing video. Good job dear friend 😊😊😊

The B+W version looked so awesome when you shared it on your cell phone! Just listening to you on this New Years Eve morning 2021.... I wish you the best of the best for 2022!

The first one is so so gorgeous!

Loved the video.❤️ I am just now really getting into oil pastels. Got a few sticks. I’d love to own a few Gallery Mungyo sticks. Trying not to buy in 2022 & use what I got. If I had to choose among the ones I have than I would say that I have a strong preference for Caran d’ache. But I do feel kind off lost, not knowing what to draw with them. Even though I watch many videos on RU-vid & Instagram. But I’m getting there.

I did of study of The Starry Night with oil pastels and used watercolor underneath. The pastels did great with the texture of the watercolor paper. You should definitely give it a try! Also check out BlackBean CMS. He works with oil pastels a lot.

You using my favorite brand and discovering just how unique oil pastels are is lesson perfect, thanks

is that Robert Pattinson?

i did pastels in school recently (just regular public hs but it was still really fun and one of the pieces i made is one of my fav art pieces ive ever made suprisingly) and i've wanted to get my own and work with them because they're so fun to use :) i have chalk pastels and love how they look but they are really messy and can create a different effect depending on whether you use chalk or oil pastels. maybe this video can be a sign to get a small, cheap set and use them just for fun.

blend with Q-tips

Oil pastels fantastici!.

Oil pastels are life

Yeyyyyy.