Oil Pastel

Book excerpt: Finally back in print for a new generation of artists, Ken Leslie's Oil Pastel is the definitive instructional resource on this wonderfully rich and versatile medium. Vibrant and portable, oil pastels are ideal for making quick sketches, producing stunning finished works, and make a great auxiliary tool for artists working primarily in other media. Boasting an astonishing array of color, value, and texture, oil pastels can be layered, scraped, washed, blended, and scumbled to achieve a seemingly endless variety of effects ranging from delicate lines to gooey, impasto crusts. Easily the most comprehensive oil pastel technique book available, Ken Leslie's Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist will teach you everything you need to know to create striking work that is authentically yours. Skipping over the flashy tricks and gimmicks that palely imitate true artistic skill, Ken dives headlong into a lively and engaging discussion of every aspect of the medium. With over 40 years' experience as a beloved teacher and collaborator, it's no wonder that every page of this book is jam-packed with substance and detail! Meticulous step-by-step demonstrations that accompany the sections on technique will show you how to use your pastels to achieve nearly any effect you desire. Ken can even teach you how to get a bright yellow to cover black! You will also have the chance to explore experimental approaches to oil pastel painting including, mixed media, 3-D constructions, unusual paper shapes, working with molten pastels, and much more. Perfect for all skill levels, Oil Pastel's thorough overview of color theory and basic painting techniques will help beginners get off to a strong start while advanced readers will surely delight in learning to make custom homemade pastels and new handling techniques. Ken Leslie's exciting and supportive writing style will have you paging through this book time and time again for tips, reminders, and lessons you missed the first time around! With color images of technical demonstrations, comparisons, the author's work, as well as the work of over 40 other artists, Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist truly has something for everyone.