Open yourself up to trying new techniques by recreating one of the pastel art ideas below! Whether it’s one of your fave mediums or one you’ve never used it, it’s never too late to experiment. Choose between a range of oil and soft pastel projects and get creating in bold colour!
Frog oil pastel
Hop onto the frog trend by drawing this vibrant amphibian. The video lesson takes you through each step to complete the frog drawing, so it’s like you have a teacher at home! You can even use the techniques you learn to sketch other frogs and critters. We used our Extra Soft Oil Pastels Vibrant Hues Premium 120pc set along with our Oil Pastel Pad, so pick them up to get the colours just right!
Pear drawing
Grab some toned drawing paper, pastel pencils, soft pastels, and a piece of fruit to explore a small-scale still life. We went with a pear and used toned paper to add depth to our highlights and shadows. Notice how the paper colour brings warmth to the artwork, filling out negative space for dynamic mid-tones. What fruit would you draw?
Oil pastel sgraffito
When you first look at this rainbow masterpiece, you may think it would take forever to carefully draw in the fine, gradient linework. Well, surprise! This is sgraffito, an oil pastel technique where you cover a base layer in solid colour and then scratch to reveal the first layer. Simply begin by creating a rainbow gradient, use a black oil pastel to cover it up, and then grab a modelling tool or toothpick to carve your design!
Drawing glass
Drawing something transparent with pastels may feel impossible because they’re so opaque, but this talented artists shows us it’s possible! It’s up to you to create the illusion with careful tone control and placement of highlights. Right down to the reflection, the vase above looks translucent and shiny!
Oil pastel galaxy
Look to the skies (or maybe a little past our atmosphere) for inspiration and paint a vibrant galaxy with oil pastels. After painting a dark sky and stars using watercolours, pick your very own selection of swirling galaxy colours to fill the page. It helps to keep some blenders on hand to get the smooth colouring and movement effects.
Night sky pastel drawing
Look a little closer than the nearest galaxy and have a go at drawing the moon! Use the blendability of soft pastels to create soft, bouncy clouds and a glowing sky. Sketch the moon live by looking up at night, or else get a reference pic of your favourite phase.
Pastels mixed media
Don’t stop at pastels, why not mix a bunch of mediums? From collage to soft pastels, find out what happens when you layer different media. Pick a colour palette that fits your vibe and let loose – your creativity may guide you to a new style or technique! If you’d like some more ideas, browse our Mixed Media Techniques blog to get started.
Oil pastel tree sunset
Make the most of our Extra Soft Oil Pastels’ buttery texture by creating this smooth, gradient sunset. Whether you use your fingers, blenders, a palette knife, or apply heat to blend the colours is up to you! You can also explore a more textured look by blending less to see what effects you can create.
Colourful background drawing
Scribble with all sorts of colours and explore pastels freely. This striking portrait has a bold, bright background made from overlapping pastel linework. Create this abstract look by varying the direction of your lines and repeating certain colours to characterise your palette.
Chameleon pastel
If you like blendable colours, have a go at using our Watersoluble Oil Pastels to create this chameleon. Click on the lesson video above for a step-by-step breakdown of how to capture this cute critter. From the bright highlights to the scaley details, learn all about it and have a go at home.
Bird pastel drawing
On the move? Bring some pastel pencils and a drawing pad while you’re out and about to sketch the world around you. From little birds to people on the bus, use the soft, chalky pastel texture to quickly capture the scene and cement it in your memory forever. They blend easily so you can imply movement and shadows by simply smudging your colours.
Oil pastel painting still life
Try drawing a still life at home with things you have lying around. We used our Extra Soft Oil Pastel range to sketch a water jug and some lemons, blending colours to create rounded, dimensional surfaces. How would you arrange your still life?
Oil pastel texture
Get inspired by oil pastel specialist, @xinart_easydrawing and apply Extra Soft Oil Pastels with a palette knife for bold texture. In the lesson above, we make a butterfly, but you can use the technique for loads of different pastel projects! Just follow along to see how easily these pastels can be applied.
Orange cat drawing
Get inspired by your furry friend and draw their portrait! Soft pastels are great for capturing fur texture and details like whiskers as the opaque colours layer with ease. Change the background colour for added contrast to make your pet pop off the page! Do you have a fave pet pic in mind that you would draw?
If you decide to try out one of the ideas above, #montmarteart or tag us @montmarteart on Instagram or Facebook. We’d love to see what you come up with! Pick up some Soft Pastels, Oil Pastels, and a Pastel Pad to kick off your project.
If you want to see more art, browse our Inspo collection. Sign-up to Creative Connection by popping in your email down below to get stacks of free art projects sent straight to you. We’re here to keep you inspired!
