Oil pastels are one of the BEST, most versatile art supplies in the land, and did you know you can try painting with oil pastels? It’s unbelievably fun, and as the kids say, “It’s so satisfying!”
Kids love painting with oil pastels
And honestly, adults do, too!
My preschoolers love this technique just as much as my college students.
As a teacher, I love that I’m getting a ton of bang for my buck with oil pastels.
You can use oil pastels as intended (a vibrant, creamy, dreamy drawing tool) and use them for this bonus technique (it’s like a BOGO).
Related: Oil pastels are an out-of-the-box drawing supply that pairs fabulously with coloring pages.
Painting with oil pastels only needs two ingredients
Because oil is a chief ingredient in oil pastels, they become magical when another oil is introduced.
This is the perfect opportunity to open your medicine cabinet or pantry to grab whatever oil is most convenient for you.
We have used baby and vegetable oil for this technique which work marvelously!
(Who doesn’t love an activity with an ingredient you already have on hand?)
Check out some of our other favorite ways to use oil pastels:
- Paper Bag Fall Leaf Art
- Concentric Heart Art Drawing Activity
- Spring Directed Draws for Kids
- Leaf Rubbing Crayon Resist
Materials
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- Oil pastels
- Oil of choice – we have used baby oil and vegetable oil
- Thick white paper – ex: watercolor paper or cardstock
- Q-Tips – optional
- Small bowl
Directions
First, use your oil pastels to draw a picture on your white paper.
Tip: The harder you press with oil pastels, the more color you’ll get on your paper. We encourage our preschoolers to push hard to get loads of color.
Next, dip either your finger or a Q-Tip in your oil of choice and rub it onto your oil pastel drawing.
As you rub the oil onto the oil pastels, the colors instantly blend, smooth, and transform right before your eyes.
What started as an obvious drawing will quickly morph into what looks like a watercolor.
Why do children use oil pastels?
Oil pastels are easy to find, easy to use, inexpensive, and colorful drawing tools, making them perfect for kids.
One pack of oil pastels can easily last for years.
In our preschool classroom, we bought oil pastels every few years, even though we used them all the time.
I often buy oil pastels for birthdays and holiday gifts for kids because of how long they last.
You can make oil pastel paintings all year long
We made flowers here, but you can use this technique for ANY art design!
How fun would it be to make oil pastel drawing pumpkins, sunflowers, hearts, eggs, rainbows?
The sky is the limit!
Frequently Asked Questions
Any that can safely use the materials, and with enough hand strength to press hard with oil pastels.
I used watercolor paper here, but I also love doing this on cardstock (or any other thick paper!).
They are similar, but not the same. Oil pastels are generally thicker, creamier, and easier to color with.
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