robinson.holly•1mo agoProlific Poster

Finally got my oil pastels to blend after 8 months of frustration

I picked up a set of oil pastels back in March and they just sat in a drawer because every time I tried to blend them they turned into a muddy mess. I watched a dozen YouTube videos and tried using baby oil, blending stumps, even my fingers, but nothing clicked. Last week I saw someone mention using a heat gun on the cheapest setting for just 5 seconds per section. I gave it a shot with an old hair dryer on low about 6 inches away and it actually softened the pastels just enough to mix colors without smearing. Has anyone else found a weird trick that finally made a difficult medium work for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

michael6931mo ago

My aunt used to microwave her charcoal pencils for 10 seconds to get that sketched-on-butter look, said it changed her whole game. Makes you wonder what other art supplies are secretly waiting for a hot minute.

ruby5611mo ago

Has anyone else tried warming up their colored pencils before sharpening them? I had a friend who swore by keeping a small hand warmer in her pencil case during winter art classes, said it kept the cores from splintering. She didn't get the dramatic effect your aunt did, but her pencils always sharpened clean and smooth.