DIY Oil Sticks and Pastels

Sommeil de Femme by Picasso, 1966

Oil pastels were invented by Japanese school teachers, Rinzo Satake and his brother-in-law, Shuku Sasaki after WWI. They were inspired by Kanae Yamamoto's book, Theory of Self-Expression that described the Jiyu-ga method (learning without a teacher) of teaching art to children as opposed to making them paint ideograms with India ink. In 1921, they founded the Sakura Cray-Pas Company. Their first attempt to modify wax crayons was unsatisfactory. In 1924, they used a mixture of mashed paraffin, stearic acid and coconut oil as a binder. In 1927, they added a stabilizer. The Japanese government didn't trust the idea of self expression and favored the colored pencil, a German invention, to instill work discipline in children.

The Dutch company, Talens began to produce Panda Pastels in 1930. In 1947, Pablo Picasso convinced French manufacturer, Henry Sennelier to produce a fine art version of oil pastel that were released in 1949. The Japanese Holbein company released their brand of professional oil pastel in the mid-1980s.

Colorless Oil Paint available from walmart.com for $8.20.

Eco-House 955 Heavy Damar Medium contains lead-free octoates to reduce the drying time of linseed oil. It also produces a protective coating on oil sticks. I get it from dickblick.com for $10.07.

White Beeswax You need this for oil sticks, oil pastel, and wax crayons. TKB sells 8 oz for $5.25.

Zinc Oxide is a fine white translucent powder that is water soluble and UV resistant. TKB sells 1 oz for $4.49.

Kaolin TKB sells 8 oz for $3.40.

Colored Clay Try using different clays for natural earth tones. From Nature With Love has the best selection. They sell a kit with 2 oz of 13 different clays for $50. TKB Trading has 8 clays in sample sizes for $3.00 each.

Methylcellulose is used as a binder for oil pastels. It's available from Dharma Trading for $15.95.

Refer to my posts: Make Your Own Art Supplies, Makeup, Pigment, Paint and Dye, and Media Molds and Containers for a list of things you will need to complete this tutorial.

Colorless Oil Stick, 2-1/2"

1 Dash Colorless oil paint
2 L scoops beeswax
1 Drop Damar resin

Pigmented Oil Sticks, 2-1/2"

1 Dash Oil Paint
1 of each scoop White Beeswax
1/2 Drop Damar resin (1/32 ml)

Glass Beaker
Candle warmer
Dental spatula

Lip balm tubes

Wax paper
Newspaper

Protect work surface with newspaper. Melt beeswax. Remove from heat, add paint and stir. Add damar resin and stir again. Return to heat. Pour paint into lip balm tubes and let cool. Top off if necessary. Freeze to harden. Label as desired with address labels.

Stencil Creme

1 Tad Oil Paint
2 L scoops White Beeswax
1 Drop Damar resin

26mm Square or Round Makeup Pans

Palette

Melt beeswax. Remove from heat, add paint and stir. Add damar resin and stir again. Return to heat. Pour into makeup pans.

Oil Pastel Binder

1/4 oz Methylcellulose

1/2 Pint Distilled Water, boiling

1/2 Pint Distilled Water, cold

1 tsp Ammonia

Boil 1/2 pint of water. Slowly add methylcellulose while stirring. Pour in cold water while stirring. Add ammonia and stir. Allow to rest for 20 minutes and stir again. Pour into a 1/2 pint Mason jar.

Colorless Oil Pastel

1 Dash Colorless oil paint
1 each scoop beeswax
7 L scoops Kaolin

1 Tad Binder

Pigmented Oil Pastel

1 Dash Oil Paint
1 each scoop White beeswax
7 L scoops Kaolin, use different clays for natural earth tones.

1 Tad Binder

Equipment

Palette knife (#61 & 62)

2 glass beakers

Plate glass

5ml Centrifuge tubes

Corrugated paper

Wax paper

Wooden dowel

Newspaper

Protect work surface with newspaper. Place wax paper over corrugated paper and press into grooves with a wooden dowel. Combine binder with kaolin in a beaker. Melt beeswax. Add oil paint and stir. Remove from heat, add to kaolin mixture and stir. Pour onto plate glass. With a #62 palette knife, grind the paste until it has a smooth consistency without lumps. It should be as thick as you can make it without being grainy from too much kaolin. Return the mixture to a beaker and heat again. Pour into a centrifuge tube. Freeze until firm. Remove from tubes and allow to cure one week in the grooves of corrugated paper. Wrap with wax paper.

Oil Pastel Pencil, 4mm

2 Drops Oil Paint

1 L scoop White Beeswax

2 L scoops Kaolin or other clay

1 Pinch Binder

Equipment

Palette knife (#61)

2 glass beakers

4mm die

Clay extruder

Corrugated paper

Wax paper

Wooden dowel

Newspaper

Protect work surface with newspaper. Place wax paper over corrugated paper and press into grooves with a wooden dowel. Combine binder with kaolin in a beaker. Melt beeswax. Add oil paint and stir. Remove from heat, add to kaolin mixture and stir. Allow to cool and pack into clay extruder. Extrude into the groove of corrugated paper.