Lake reflection pulled down with a brushOil wash: blue, green, orange. Draw the far bank. Drag its colours straight down into the lake with an oiled brush.
Meadow grass in the foregroundScraping back: yellow, light green, dark green. Yellow under both greens. Scrape upward flicks of different lengths.
Street lamp glowing in fogBlending: yellow, orange, grey. Rub the yellow out into the grey in every direction. Draw the lamp post over it after.
Balloon with a window-shaped highlightBlending: pink, red, white. Pink on the lit side, red on the far side, rubbed together. Press the white on last.
Black palm trees against a blended skyBlending: yellow, orange, red, black. Blend the sky first, pressing hard. The palms go over the top in black.
City windows at night on black paperLayering: yellow, orange, white. Draw only the lit windows, in rows. The buildings are the paper you leave alone.
Colour-mixing chart of nine blended pairsBlending: red, yellow, blue, white. Nine boxes. Run one colour into another in each and rub the middle. Label the pairs.
Fireworks scratched out of blackScraping back: pink, yellow, turquoise, black. Bright patches under solid black. Scratch each burst from its centre out.
Full moon with a glow ringBlending: white, pale blue, navy. Work outward from the white. Rub the pale ring into the navy until its edge is gone.
Leaf rubbings with a wash over the topResist: green, orange, yellow watercolour. Leaves under the paper, veins up. Rub with the side of the stick. Wash.
Leaf with scraped veinsScraping back: yellow, green, dark green. Yellow under the greens. Scratch the midrib, then side veins in pairs.
Night sky with scraped starsScraping back: yellow, white, navy, black. Pale layer first, dark over it, pressed hard. Scratch stars with a toothpick.
Pumpkin with deep ridgesLayering: yellow, orange, brown, green. Yellow all over, orange on each segment, brown in the grooves. Green stem last.
Rainbow from only three sticksBlending: red, yellow, blue. Overlap the arcs and orange and green appear. Rub red into the inner blue for violet.
Red apple with one bare-paper highlightBlending: yellow, red, dark red. Yellow first, red over it, dark red on the shadow side. Never colour the highlight.
Stained-glass butterfly with black leadingLayering: yellow, orange, blue, black. Fill each wing cell with colour. Press black lines over the joins to tidy them.
Sunset over a flat seaBlending: yellow, orange, pink, violet. Lay flat bands and mirror them in the sea. Rub each join sideways with a finger.
Watermelon slice with pressed-on seedsLayering: green, pink, red, black. Rind, a pale band, then pink into red. Seeds go on top, pressed hard.
White snowflakes under a blue washResist: white, blue watercolour. Draw the flakes white on white, pressing hard. Wash over them and they appear.
Your name scratched over a rainbowScraping back: red, yellow, blue, black. Stripes of colour under solid black. Scratch the letters fat. Add a border.
Blending 13
Aubergine with a long white shineBlending: violet, black, white. Violet all over, black blended in at the edges. Drag the white down one side, once.
Breaking wave with a see-through crestBlending: turquoise, blue, white. Turquoise where the wave thins, deep blue at its base. Foam is white and unblended.
Desert dunes with sharp crestsBlending: yellow, ochre, orange, violet. Blend each sunny side smooth and stop at the crest. Violet fills the shadows.
Macaw wing, red into yellow into blueBlending: red, yellow, blue. Blend only where two rows of feathers meet. Orange shows at one join, green at the other.
Misty mountains, five ridges deepBlending: blue, violet, white. Darkest ridge in front. Rub white into the top edge of every ridge to make the mist.
Northern lights over a black hillBlending: green, turquoise, violet, black. Drag each colour upward in streaks with a fingertip. The hill goes in last.
Pear turning from green to goldBlending: green, yellow, ochre. Green at the top, gold at the base, ochre down the shadow side. Blend along the form.
Ripe peach with a blush that has no edgeBlending: yellow, orange, red. Rub in small circles that follow the curve. Leave one bare fleck of paper as the shine.
Single candle flame against blackBlending: white, yellow, orange, black. White at the wick, then yellow, then orange. Blend the black inward to meet it.
Soap bubble on black paperBlending: pink, turquoise, yellow, white. A thin ring only, its colours rubbed into each other. Two white window glints.
Street lamp glowing in fogBlending: yellow, orange, grey. Rub the yellow out into the grey in every direction. Draw the lamp post over it after.
Striped planet with one oval stormBlending: cream, ochre, brown. Rub along the bands, never across them. The storm is a darker oval, left unblended.
Toucan with a beak that has no joinsBlending: yellow, orange, red, black. The beak runs yellow to orange to red. The body is flat black, pressed hard.
Layering 16
Autumn tree, leaves dabbed over the branchesLayering: brown, red, orange, yellow. Draw the bare tree first. Dab leaves over it until half the branches hide.
Birch trunks in front of autumn yellowLayering: yellow, orange, white, black. Background first. White trunks go over it, then black notches and twigs.
Bonfire sparks on black paperLayering: red, orange, yellow, white. Red outside, yellow inside, white at the core. Sparks are dots that thin upward.
Bowl of cherries with white glintsLayering: red, dark red, green, white. Each cherry is two reds. The glint is one white dot, pressed on at the very end.
Cupcake with icing you can feelLayering: pink, white, brown. Press hard and swirl so the icing stands up off the paper. Sprinkles are single dots.
Fireworks over rooftops on black paperLayering: pink, yellow, turquoise, white. The paper is the night. Flick strokes out from a centre. Tip each in white.
Fox curled up in fresh snowLayering: orange, white, grey, black. Fox first. Press white snow over its back and tail tip. Grey shadow underneath.
Hydrangea built from four-petal dabsLayering: blue, violet, pink, green. Dark dabs first, lighter ones overlapping on top. Leave a few gaps. Leaves last.
Koi pond from above, ripple rings on lastLayering: dark green, turquoise, orange, white. Water first. The koi go on top, thick. White ripple rings go on last.
Lavender rows running to the horizonLayering: green, violet, blue, yellow. Rows narrow as they recede. Dab violet over green. A yellow sky sets it off.
Poppy field in three passesLayering: green, yellow, red, black. Scribble the field in green and yellow. Press red blobs on it. Black centres last.
Snow-laden pines at nightLayering: navy, dark green, white. Sky, then trees, then white pressed on thick: snow on the boughs, flakes as dots.
Sunflower, petals dragged over a dark centreLayering: brown, yellow, orange, green. Centre first. Pull each petal outward from its rim. Orange at the petal bases.
Tiger face, stripes pressed over orangeLayering: orange, white, black. Blend the orange and white first. Black stripes go on last, hard enough to cover.
Wheat field under a storm skyLayering: navy, grey, ochre, yellow. Dark sky first. Flick yellow stalks up over its lower edge so the wheat glows.
Windy night sky in short curved strokesLayering: navy, blue, yellow, white. No rubbing. Lay dashes side by side, following the wind. Ring each star in yellow.
Scraping back 12
Cat's whiskers, one flick eachScraping back: white, grey, black. White under the grey fur. Each whisker is one fast scratch. Slow ones wobble.
City skyline with scratched windowsScraping back: yellow, orange, black. Warm layer under black towers. Scratch small squares in rows. Leave some dark.
Dandelion clock scratched from night blueScraping back: white, navy. White under navy. Scratch fine spokes from the centre, then a tiny V at each tip.
Eye close up, iris spokes scratched inScraping back: blue, brown, black, white. Blend two colours in the iris. Scratch fine spokes and one curved glint.
Fish scales scraped in rowsScraping back: yellow, turquoise, navy. Bright colours under navy. Scrape rows of U shapes with the end of a paperclip.
Hedgehog, every spine a scratchScraping back: cream, brown, black. Cream under brown. Scratch spines from the back forward, overlapping. Face smooth.
Lightning over a dark fieldScraping back: white, yellow, violet, black. Pale layer under a storm sky. Scratch one jagged fork, its branches thin.
Meadow grass in the foregroundScraping back: yellow, light green, dark green. Yellow under both greens. Scrape upward flicks of different lengths.
Owl with scratched feathersScraping back: cream, ochre, brown. Pale layers under brown. Scratch rows of short curved flicks, smallest by the eyes.
Peacock feather with scraped barbsScraping back: yellow, turquoise, blue, dark green. Draw the eye in rings. Cover the rest dark and scratch the barbs.
Rain streaking across a lit windowScraping back: yellow, orange, navy. Warm window under navy. Scrape slanted streaks with a ruler corner, at one angle.
Tree bark, close upScraping back: ochre, brown, black. Ochre under brown and black. Scrape long wavy grooves with the corner of old card.
Resist and wash 12
Constellations that appear under the washResist: white, yellow, indigo watercolour. Dot the stars and rule the joining lines. One dark wash reveals the map.
Coral reef with water painted through itResist: red, orange, pink, blue watercolour. Branch the corals up from the bottom. The wash fills every gap between.
Frost ferns on a window paneResist: white, pale blue, navy watercolour. Feathery ferns grow in from the corners. The dark wash makes them freeze.
Jellyfish under an indigo washResist: white, pink, violet, indigo watercolour. Bells and trailing lines in pastel. The wash turns the paper to sea.
Lake reflection pulled down with a brushOil wash: blue, green, orange. Draw the far bank. Drag its colours straight down into the lake with an oiled brush.
Loose poppies softened into a washOil wash: red, orange, green. Scribble the petals. Pull colour outward with an oiled brush. Redraw the centres dry.
Moon and cloud edges under a night washResist: white, cream, navy watercolour. Solid white moon, cream along the cloud tops only. Wash the whole sheet.
Patterned scarf that looks dyedResist: white, yellow, indigo watercolour. Dots, waves and flowers in pale pastel. The wash pools between them like dye.
Rain rings on a pondResist: white, pale green, green watercolour. Rings inside rings, in white. Lily pads in pale green. One wash is water.
Spider web under a dusk washResist: white, violet watercolour. Spokes first, then the spiral, all in white. Press hard or the wash wins.
Storm sky melted with an oiled brushOil wash: grey, navy, white. Scribble loosely. Brush with a little vegetable oil and the marks melt into cloud.
Tropical fish with the sea washed overResist: orange, yellow, pink, turquoise watercolour. Colour the fish solid. Wash the sea straight across them.
How it works
Thick, buttery colour wants big shapes, so these 70 oil pastel art ideas run from blended sunsets to stars scratched out of a night sky. Each names its technique and the sticks to pick up, then says which colour goes first, where to rub and what to leave alone. Four groups sort by technique; Beginner suits a first box.
Read the full guide
Subjects that suit the stick
An oil pastel is pigment bound in non-drying oil and wax, so it goes on thick and blends easily. The best oil pastel drawing ideas lean on that: a sunset with no joins, icing that stands up off the paper, a white glint pressed on last. The stick is blunt, so pick a big sheet.
Scraping back, or sgraffito
Lay a pale colour, press a dark one over it, and scratch through with a toothpick or the end of a paperclip. The pale layer shows as a fine line, which is how whiskers, grass and stars come out of a blunt stick. The name is sgraffito, from the Italian for to scratch. For a whole sheet of it, see scratch art ideas.
A colour-mixing chart is the first of the beginner oil pastel drawing ideas for a reason: it shows which sticks blend clean and which turn to mud.
The Resist ideas are our own working method, so test on scrap first: press a white line on hard, wash over it and check that the paint beads off.
Oil pastel never dries out completely. Keep a finished sheet in a clear sleeve or under plain paper.
Questions and answers
Which subjects suit a blunt, buttery stick?
The best things to draw with oil pastels have big shapes and strong colour: sunsets, fruit, sunflowers, night skies and koi ponds. Anything that needs a hard thin line, such as lettering or a bicycle, fights the stick. Thin lines here are scratched out of a dark layer, not drawn.
Is it an oil pastel drawing or an oil pastel painting?
It depends on how much paper shows. A sheet fully covered with pastel is called a pastel painting, and one that is not is a sketch or drawing. So most of these double as oil pastel painting ideas: the sunsets, skies and ponds cover every corner. For pastel painting ideas in soft pastel, start with the Blending group.
I have soft pastels, not oil. Do the ideas carry over?
As pastel drawing ideas the subjects carry over, but the handling does not. Soft pastel smudges and blends readily and makes dust, so it is rubbed on in light layers. Oil pastel is buttery and is pressed on thick. Skip the Resist and wash group, which is written for oil pastel only.