OIL PASTELS VS. WATERCOLOUR PENCILS (SPLIT, FIRULE BEACH)

If you remember in my last posts I shared a seascape sketch with you. Today I will show you the completed version. I did complete this watercolour pencil sketch the same day I started it. There was also a version I made with oil pastels. In case anyone is wondering, I don't have these two with me anymore. I shipped some of my art to one (amateur) art gallery yesterday. The watercolour landscape I'm sharing with you today was among the paintings sent while the pastel version of this scene was sent to a friend.  Both of them were sketched on a lovely sunny day on Firule beach in Split (it has gotten colder in the meantime). I  have actually only had that one day at the beach so far. 

WATERCOLOUR PENCILS- THE FINISHED VERSION
The version with watercolour pencils turned out alright, but I think I might do another one. Isn't it interesting how different this landscape looks once water is applied to it? As I explained, I might do another version of this landscape some time in the future.  The brand of watercolour I used is Steadtler and the sketchbook (mixed media paper) is from Royal Talens (neither sponsored nor affiliated links). If you want to you check more of my art made with watercolour pencils you can check some of the posts bellow: 
1. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/07/fashion-illustration-friday-red-summer.html
2. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/07/fashion-illustration-art-friday-new.html
3. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/12/inspired-by-vix-lovely-and-akiko.html
4. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/07/fashion-illustration-friday-green-dress.html
5. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2021/02/friday-fashion-illustration-two.html
6. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2021/02/friday-fashion-illustration-reference.html
7. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/02/fashion-illustration-friday-lady-in.html
8. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/07/fashion-illustration-friday-lbd-and.html
9. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-watercolour-sketch-portrait-inspired.html
10. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/07/a-seaside-painting-inspired-by-bay.html


I use watercolour pencils pretty often, but I wouldn't say that I mastered the medium yet. My favourite art mediums for now are probably acrylic and oil paints, but I'm still experimenting so I might change my mind a lot. You know every medium is interesting and beautiful in its own way. I don't have enough practice with all of them to be able to judge them or compare them in detail, but I don't mind sharing my experiences. 

My experiences with watercolour pencils have been pretty positive so far. I have been working with them for a few years now. I like how art made with watercolour pencils often looks like mixed media art. You can control how much water you add, so you can end up with artworks that look like aquarelle painting but you can also choose to add less water and then it can look like a drawing. However, there is this problem that  you can add too much water and your original sketch might disappear. I found that keeping the original lines can be tricky, often the water sorts of 'deletes' some of my efforts. It is definitely better to work with watercolours if you want to have better control of the process and want that aquarelle look. It is easier to layer watercolour paints (but for this you also need special paper). Watercolour pencils are great but like every medium they have some advantages and disadvantages.  I find them practical because I often don't have any proper watercolour paper at hand. 


OIL PASTELS VS. WATERCOLOUR PENCILS 
Bellow you can see a comparison between the watercolour pencil landscape and an oil pastel one. The one with the oil pastels wasn't finished when I took this photograph but I think you get the picture. I actually prefer the sketched version of the oil pastel landscape now that I think of it. That often happens to me with the oil pastels. I still haven't mastered this medium but it's alight, I'm getting there. 

OIL PASTELS- THE FINISHED LANDSCAPE 
Is it an oil pastel drawing or a painting? Often I'm not sure what term to use. When I read this interesting article, I was delighted to see that I'm not the only one. Oil pastels are a particular medium in that they are pure pigment so they can be viewed as paintings and on the other hand they can be used without brushes. Perhaps we can say that some artists use oil pastels to make paintings, some to make drawings and some to make a mix of both. While I was researching this subject, I came across many wonderful artists (both contemporary and historical)  who did amazing things with this medium. I remember when I was a kid, I was always perplexed to see wonderful pastel art because when I would pick up pastels, that would never look good. On the other hand, now I can definitely see potential in this medium. I'm sure that with a year or two of more serious work, I could master this medium. 

As for me, I have been using oil pastels for a while but not on a regular basis, so I'm not sure have I made any significant progress yet. I made quite a few drawings and paintings with them, so I hope that some day I will really be confident in this media. I love learning about new art mediums and techniques. I actually got my oil pastels (brand Sonnet) as a gift from a friend but it is a gift I made good use of.  I have made quite a few landscapes, portraits and fashion illustrations with oil pastels so far. Using them for fashion illustrating has been fun. Anyhow, I feel alright about this landscape, although I think that I will make another version of this one as well. 

If you want to see more of my works with oil pastels, check the links bellow: 
1. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/11/fashion-illustration-oil-pastels.html
2. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/01/fashion-illustration-dress-from.html
3. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/12/art-update-acrylic-portrait-and-oil.html
4. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/02/inspired-bynatalia-lialina.html
5. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2021/01/an-oil-pastel-portraits-and-12-most.html
6. https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/12/fashion-illustration-carolina-herrera.html

That would be all for today. I hope you have enjoyed my new art pieces. Even though the original versions are gone, I will probably make these two available as prints in my Redbubble shop soon so they will still be available. 


Thank you so much for visiting this little digital place to call my own. Have a great day!

Comments

  1. Leone16 March 2021 at 11:33

    Your art are with soul :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leone16 March 2021 at 11:36

      Your pictures have a soul! I love how you draw! Congratulations :)

      Delete
    2. Ivana Split16 March 2021 at 15:36

      thank you

      Delete
  2. Sheila16 March 2021 at 11:45

    I like the pencil crayon one, purely for how beautiful the sky and water look in it - that would be the benefit of being able to transform it with water.

    Have you ever tried chalk pastels, Ivana? My mom uses them - they are not as messy as regular pastels, but still give you that intensity of colour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split17 March 2021 at 03:17

      Thank you Sheila. Chalk pastels are one of the few mediums I haven't tried yet. I plan to pick them up some time in the future.

      Delete
  3. Mica16 March 2021 at 12:31

    They are both beautiful and it's interesting seeing them side by side to see how the different materials create different results! :)

    Hope your week is going well! It's a rainy one here!

    Away From The Blue

    ReplyDelete
  4. J.P. Alexander16 March 2021 at 17:53

    Te quedo hermoso de ambas maneras pero creo que prefiero los pinturas al oleo no se ve mejor para mi. Pero los dos me gustan eres una gran artista. Te mando un beso

    ReplyDelete
  5. Evi Erlinda16 March 2021 at 21:16

    Both of your drawings are impressive. Ivana!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Martyna17 March 2021 at 02:39

    Beautiful illustrations!;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Caitlin'nMegan17 March 2021 at 04:15

    Such great color. Do you have to "seal" it with anything afterwards? Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split17 March 2021 at 08:20

      Thank you<3

      Delete
    2. Ivana Split17 March 2021 at 08:24

      ....and that's an interesting question. I still haven't found the right product for it but what I learned is that oil pastels need a special fixative, you cannot use one for acrylics for example (I learned that the hard way). I have a nice multi media setting spray but when I applied it to oil pastels there was a yellow leak- they do need a special product to seal them. Oil pastels never completely dry. I don't know, I think the best thing is to frame them behind glass.

      Delete
  8. ellie17 March 2021 at 04:16

    The process does have so many steps and more layers than I thought. Love the results!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alek Boras17 March 2021 at 04:36

    Zaista divni crteži! Prava si umjetnica! Zaželio sam se uistinu malo crteža u boji u posljednje vrijeme (zadnjih godinu dbije) olovka mi je svetinja hehehe. 💞

    Alekboras.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Polyester Princess17 March 2021 at 11:40

    I love the colours of your original sketch and it's incredible indeed how it is transformed by applying water. Just purely by gut feeling, that one is my favourites. I also love it how your passion for art shines through in your posts. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pablo Parra (Fungi)18 March 2021 at 02:58

    Hey Ivana, how you doing?

    I saw a bit of these pieces on Instagram and I like both results, but both techniques have such a different way to work and I'd say I am not good with any of those haha well not as good as you :) I remember using pastels at university but I always made a mess, but the cool stuff is that blending the colors is so easy in comparisson with other techniques. On the other side, pencil watercolors are nice but I think I still prefer traditional, anyway they are a very nice way to use watercolor when you are not able to carry with a lot of stuff, I still have some of these pencils at home.

    All the best!
    Pablo
    Hey Fungi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ivana Split22 March 2021 at 00:39

      Yes, there are definitely benefits to using traditional watercolours.

      Delete
  12. Marisa Cavaleiro18 March 2021 at 12:13

    It's wonderful to see your art working process!
    xoxo

    marisasclosetblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Królowa Karo18 March 2021 at 12:31

    Beautiful holiday view :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. akiko hiramatsu19 March 2021 at 06:11

    It is so interesting to see different drawing tools! First I saw them on you instagram, and I am glad to see bigger them!! Thank you for sharing, Ivana<3

    akiko

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ananka19 March 2021 at 13:39

    I haven't used watercolour pencils before but like pastels when I used them years ago :-D

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

All your comments mean a lot to me, even the criticism. Naravno da mi puno znači što ste uzeli vrijeme da nešto napišete, pa makar to bila i kritika. Per me le vostre parole sono sempre preziose anche quando si tratta di critiche.

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