Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tabby Cat in Oil Pastel

'Fluffy' 6 x 6 inches
Sold
I was clearing out a cupboard and found my oil pastels so it seemed like a good idea to stop cleaning and start creating.
I had a pack of three 6 x 6 inch Ampersand gessobords so decided to see how oil pastel worked on one.
I put a fairly thick basecoat down first which I then blended, using my finger for larger areas and a colour shaper for the smaller. On top of that I started adding more colour for the details, again using a colour shaper to draw out fine hairs. I kept the end of the shaper damp which I found made it easier to move through the pastel without dragging the colour in uneven strokes.
Once there was a thick layer of oil pastel I scratched into it using the broken end of a paintbrush (Cody was responsible for the demise of my brush) to create even finer hairs and the whiskers.

I was pleasantly surprised with the detail I could achieve.

10 comments:

Ginger Brady said...

As a fellow artist, I think your work is absolutely Beautiful in the colored Oil Pastels! WOW! Great job! You are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing!
Ginger Brady
Web Site: www.GingerBrady.com

Bev said...

Hi Gayle, I like this Tabby she turned out really well. The details work well. It's fun to have ago with a different medium occasionally. I love oil pastels but I haven't used them for ages!

Jeanette Jobson said...

Lovely soft painting here Gayle. Thanks for sharing how you do this with oil pastels. I have some but really haven't come to grips with them and am amazed at the detail you've achieved here.

Lee said...

I think your work is amazing! Love the stripes.

Gayle Mason said...

Thank you all

Rebecca Taylor said...

Beautiful piece! Its so warm, yet the colours are subtle. really gorgeous work

Kay said...

wonderful detail you managed with the oil pastels. I always think that I want to use mine then I struggle and put them away! This kitty looks just like the feral "kitty momma" who lives out back of my place with her 2 kittens. Lovely

Debbie Goode said...

Don't you just love it when you stumble across something that, well, "forces" you to stop cleaning and CREATE! She's a beauty!

Marion said...

Wow. You have inspired me to dust off my oil pastels and give them a go. I did not think you could get that level of detail.

Anonymous said...

Most impressive! I was surprised to see this is oil pastel; remarkable. And, wonderfully well done!