The Beginner's Guide to Oil Pastels: Soft vs Oil, Brands & Techniques

Oil pastels are the under-rated middle child of art supplies — sitting between crayons (kids' tool) and pastel pencils (refined drawing tool). They're fast, vibrant, blendable, forgiving, and way more capable than most beginners realise. Here's everything you need to start.

A note from the shop floor — oil pastels were the first medium I ever recommended to adults coming back to art after a long break. There's no 'wrong way' to start, no fixative spray to faff with, no setup. If you've been hesitating, this is your sign.

What ARE oil pastels?

Pigment + non-drying oil + wax, pressed into a stick. They never fully harden, which is why they blend beautifully with a finger or blending stump. They're vivid and rich because they're concentrated pigment, not diluted in water or solvent.

Soft pastels vs oil pastels — the key difference

• Soft pastels: Pigment + binder pressed into chalk-like sticks. Powdery. Need fixative spray to set. Smudge with the lightest touch.
• Oil pastels: Pigment + oil + wax. Creamy, never powdery. Don't need fixative. Smudge intentionally for blending. Won't dust off paper.

For beginners: oil pastels. Less mess, more durable, easier to manage, and you don't need to spray fixative every time.

What you can make with oil pastels

• Bold portraits with smooth blended skin tones
• Landscape skies with rich gradients
• Still life with luminous fruit colours
• Abstract colour studies
• Mixed-media work alongside acrylic, ink, or watercolour

Techniques to try

1. Blending with finger or blending stump

Apply two adjacent colours, then drag your finger (or a paper stump) across the boundary. The wax softens and the colours mix on the paper. The most basic and most useful technique.

2. Layering

Apply one colour, then another over the top, building up. Light colours over dark, dark over light — both work but produce different effects.

3. Sgraffito (scratching)

Apply a thick layer of one colour, then a thick layer of another over the top. Scratch through the top layer with a stick to reveal the colour underneath. Used by famous oil pastel artist Hundertwasser.

4. White spirit / mineral oil dilution

Apply pastel, then drag a brush dipped in white spirit (or odorless mineral oil) over the top. The pastel turns into a liquid and behaves like oil paint. Advanced but transformative.

5. Resist with watercolour

Draw with white or light oil pastel first, then paint over with watercolour. The pastel resists the water — your drawing shows through. Magic for kids.

Best surfaces (paper types)

Oil pastels need slightly textured paper to grip onto. Smooth paper is too slippery; very rough paper eats too much pigment.

• Pastel paper: Made for it. Often sold as Canson Mi-Teintes or similar. Slight texture, grippy.
• Cold-press watercolour paper: Excellent. The texture works perfectly.
• Cartridge paper 130gsm+: Fine for practice; won't hold heavy layering as well.
• Toned paper (grey, tan, dark): Stunning effect — light pastels pop dramatically.

Mont Marte oil pastel range — what we stock

Mont Marte Signature Oil Pastels 24pc — $14.99. Solid beginner set. Decent pigment, blendable, all the colours you need to start.

Mont Marte Premium Oil Pastels 36pc. Step up — softer, creamier, more pigment per stick. Worth the upgrade once you know you'll keep using them.

Browse our oil pastel range and pastel papers to pair with them.

Care & storage

Oil pastels never dry, which means:

• Store flat (not on end) so they don't bend
• Keep them away from direct sunlight (heat softens them)
• Wrap finished work with glassine or wax paper if stacking — prevents colour transfer
• Don't leave finished work pressed against another surface for long periods

Common mistakes

• Using paper that's too smooth: Pastel slips, won't grip.
• Pressing too hard from the start: Saturates the paper. Build up gradually.
• Trying to erase: Mostly impossible. Plan to layer and cover instead.
• Mixing oil pastels with watercolour underneath: Watercolour goes on first, pastel last. Otherwise the paint can't reach the paper.

Your first oil pastel project

Try a simple sky-and-water landscape:

1. Apply a horizontal blue band for the sky
2. Apply orange below it for the horizon
3. Blend the boundary with your finger — sunset gradient
4. Add water below in deeper blue
5. Use white pastel to add highlights on the water
6. Done in under 10 minutes

Final thoughts

Oil pastels are the most under-used art supply in NZ schools — and they're some of the best for beginners. Forgiving, vivid, low-mess, no fixative needed. If you've been put off pastels because of the dust mess, oil pastels solve that completely. Pick up a 24-piece Mont Marte set for under $15, grab a pad of cold-press watercolour paper, and you're set.

Free NZ shipping over $75 from our pastel collection.

About the author — Namra Shah is the owner of Handy Mandy Craft Store in West Auckland. We stock Mont Marte across NZ with same-day dispatch before 11am NZT and free shipping over $75. Questions? Email info@handymandy.co.nz or DM us on Instagram @handy_mandy_stores_.