Creating oil pastel drawings

I have always loved art.

As a school-going girl back in the 90s, I took art classes for my extra-curricular activity for several years. I was not exceptional, but I was decent.

The pandemic-triggered lockdown in 2020 provided time for me to try painting again.

I used to see videos of oil pastel drawing on my Facebook feed. On one of those casually browsing days, I clicked one of those videos and was instantly amazed by how simple it looked to create beautiful drawings. I started digging deep to check where I could find the materials — oil pastels (looked like crayons), sketchbooks, graphite pencils of different grades, masking tapes, and correction pens. After spending some time on Amazon, I ordered my first set of materials.

I watched many videos for oil pastel drawings on YouTube but was inspired mainly by a channel named “Art Arena.” It showcases many helpful video tutorials for beginners to learn oil pastel drawings. I was slowly learning to blend the different shades of colors and using the masking tape properly.

One fine day, I made my first piece of art. I was constantly watching the video to follow the instructions to the T. I was pausing and rewinding the video while making my own drawing — my first oil pastel art. By the time I completed my drawing, I was tired; my table was a mess, but looking at the final work provided me a deep sense of satisfaction. The picture was not perfect, but I admired the imperfections. I clicked a photo of my drawing and shared it with my friends and family. Everybody loved it and passed me words of encouragement.

It has been over a year since I created my first piece of art. Over the last 12 months, I drew 4–5 more paintings — each one better than the previous. I feel more at ease now with the technique and using the colors.

July 1, 2021:

After months of hiatus from painting, I took out my coloring materials and started browsing videos on the “Art Arena” YouTube channel. I selected the drawing and was ready to roll. But this time, I wanted to capture the step-by-step processes that are involved in creating an oil pastel art. I switched between watching, drawing, blending, and taking pictures.

After a few hours, I finished my painting and was very satisfied with the outcome.

This time I posted it on my Instagram account.