Art Lesson: Oil Pastels, Shapes and Shading

I have a new art student/worker to add to my Tuesday night art lessons/maid service. M is joined by A, who also lives in our neighborhood and attends church with us. Welcome, A!

M & A chose to do a project (found here) on shading and shapes using their oil pastels for their art lesson this week.  We also incorporated the stylus technique we previously learned on the fish valentines. 

Materials:

Paper

Pencil

Ruler

Oil pastels

Stylus 

Step One:

Pick a shape and draw it in the center of the paper with the pencil. Then use your ruler to draw straight lines through the shape and across the paper to create other shapes and angles. Draw at least five lines and try to make them interact (cross) other lines. 

Step Two:
Pick a medium value (not too dark, or too light) color to fill in your center shape and a contrasting medium value color to fill in the negative space around it. (Two colors that are different from each other or on opposite ends of the color wheel.)

Step Three:
Using grey shade in each piece of the picture gradually lightening half way until you switch to the white oil pastel and shade the second half of the piece getting gradually to pure white on the opposite end of the piece.
Try to match opposing shades as you start on the next piece. (Try not to have grey ends touching another grey end.)
When the center is done, move to the negative space (background) and continue shading using the same technique.

Step Four:
Using the stylus draw/write patterns/words throughout. Shake oil pastel crumbs from the paper into the trash after you are done using the stylus.