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I recently began working with oil pastels. After decades of creating highly detailed artwork with coloured pencils and acrylics, I wanted to try out a different medium that allows for greater flexibility and expressiveness, offering a complement to my traditional emphasis on realism. While my passion remains rooted in capturing realism, my oil pastel paintings reflect this focus, albeit with a different level of intricacy compared to my pencil drawings and acrylic paintings.
What are Oil Pastels?
Oil pastels are a fascinating art medium that consist of vibrant pigments, non-drying oils, and a wax binding agent. Their smooth and creamy texture makes them effortless to apply and blend, allowing for seamless transitions between colours. What sets them apart from traditional pastels is their ability to remain malleable and never fully dry, allowing the flexibility to apply various techniques for blending, shaping, and creating intricate details.
Haze - Black Labrador Oil Pastel Painting on Pastelbord
Featured below is a portrait of my beloved late black Labrador Retriever, Haze. This piece holds a truly special place in my heart, marking it as the very first pet portrait I created using oil pastels. It beautifully illustrates the depth, vibrancy and character that I love about this medium. For Haze's portrait, I chose Ampersand Pastelbord, a durable, archival surface ideal for works that, like this one, are best presented simply framed behind glass, without the need for a mount or additional features.
I find oil pastels offer incredible expressive freedom, creating artwork with both vibrant colour and a gentle way of defining shapes and textures, much like the classic allure of an oil painting. With Haze's comparison above, you can clearly see how this oil pastel painting goes beyond a simple copy of the photograph, instead highlighting and interpreting his unique features.
Storm - Oil Pastel Painting of a Yellow Labrador in a Field of Wheat
I painted a second oil pastel portrait of my much-missed yellow Labrador, Storm, specifically to hang alongside Haze's painting. Though its composition is notably different and carries a softer vibrancy, Storm's chosen stance truly complements his warm colouring and beautifully conveys the gentle nature of both him and the Labrador breed. This portrait, too, was created on the archival Ampersand Pastelbord. For their presentation, both Haze's and Storm's portraits are housed in matching wide, cream frames, complete with a protective spacer to keep the painting safely separated from the glass.
The History of the Oil Pastels
My Essential Art Supplies for Oil Pastel Painting
My oil pastel work relies on a blend of Sennelier and Caran d'Ache Neopastel oil pastels, plus a few essential blending tools and accessories. This approach enables the fine details that are difficult to achieve with pastels alone. The soft, creamy texture of Sennelier oil pastels is perfectly suited for foundational layers and impasto effects. In contrast, the firmer Caran d'Ache Neopastels excel at creating precise lines and subtle details. Occasionally, I also use coloured pencils for exceptionally fine details like whiskers or individual strands of hair.
My selection of painting surfaces depends on the desired framing presentation. I choose Ampersand Pastelbord for portraits designed to be framed similarly to traditional oil paintings, without a mount. For pieces that will be matted and framed like a pencil portrait, Pastelmat is my preferred surface. It's essential to frame all oil pastel paintings under glass, complete with a spacer, as the medium never completely dries, making the artwork vulnerable to dust and smudging.
While I truly enjoy creating pet portraits, my oil pastel paintings aren't limited to just animals. I offer bespoke portraits of many subjects, including cherished landscapes or even people. Every piece of art I create is unique, showing different levels of expressiveness. This is one of the great things about working with oil pastels. My goal isn't just to make a perfect copy. Instead, I aim for a custom result that captures the true character and life of the subject and its surroundings, always with my own artistic touch. Interested in Commissioning Your Own Portrait?
If you're interested in a unique, custom portrait, you can find details and pricing for my oil pastel portraits on the links below. If oil pastels aren't quite what you're looking for, I also create lifelike portraits in coloured pencil and vibrant acrylic paintings. Use the links below to explore my other styles, or feel free to contact me directly to discuss your ideas!
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After completing an oil pastel portrait of our beloved late black Labrador, Haze, I knew it was time to create one for our beautiful yellow Labrador, Storm. At 14 years old, every day with him is precious, and I wanted to capture his likeness in a piece of art that I could cherish forever. As Storm is very photogenic, we have so many stunning references of him, and finding the perfect photo was a challenge, but I thought this particular composition would make an ideal portrait, showcasing his gentle nature and unique character.
Read on and discover the step-by-step process behind my oil pastel painting of Storm. You'll gain a better understanding of how everything comes together and the techniques I use to achieve my results, particularly insightful if you are looking to book a portrait of your own. In loving memory of Storm
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A BIG THANK YOU to Karen for her fantastic piece of work to complete |
Accompanying the testimonial is Dougal’s portrait, expertly framed by a local artisan in a style that matches the earlier portraits of Seamus and Rua, Dougal’s sister. While I do not provide framing as part of my pencil portrait service due to the potential risk of damage during transit, it is always gratifying to see the finished artwork beautifully presented and ready to be cherished in its new home.
Creating Realistic Pet Portraits: Dougal A Red Fox Labrador in Coloured Pencils - Private Commission
4/3/2022
For this 10" x 12" drawing of Dougal, I am using the lightfast coloured pencils, Caran d'Ache Luminance on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper.
I also completed a portrait of a Red Fox Labrador last year. This is Rua, who is Dougal's sister. You can view her portrait HERE.
Discover three bespoke commissions: two vibrant Springer Spaniels in acrylics and a heartwarming triple portrait featuring a couple and their adorable French Bulldog, meticulously rendered in coloured pencils.
Buddy - Springer Spaniel Portrait in Acrylics
The client, Esther, commissioned a portrait of her Springer Spaniel, Buddy, as a Christmas gift for her husband, Steve. She selected a favourite photo, and I created several mock-ups for her to choose from. The final reference was a composite of five images, body, head, tail, background, and flowers, all merged to form a cohesive scene. Balancing lighting across these sources was challenging, but the high-quality photos provided enough detail to achieve a natural, unified result.
You can discover more about the process of Buddy's portrait here.
"I'm sitting looking at Buddy in pride of place on the wall, photo attached! It is absolutely lovely and it had the desired effect on Steve when he unwrapped - there were tears!! Everyone that has seen it has said how amazing it is with the amount of fine detail and so Buddy. If I manage to get a decent photo of Buddy next to it I will send it on! Thank you once again, it is lovely to have a painting of Buddy forever."
Esther
Dudley - Springer Spaniel Portrait in Acrylics
The client, Andrea, commissioned a portrait of Dudley as a Christmas gift for her mother. Although they provided a favourite photo, it was too small and pixelated to support the level of detail required. However, she was able to provide additional images which was taken in natural light, which allowed me to accurately capture Dudley's distinctive features, rich brown tones, and subtle markings. These references were essential in achieving a realistic and characterful result.
To learn more about how Dudley’s portrait came together, visit his page here.
"Just wanted to let you know that mum loves her portrait and we all cried our eyes out when we first saw it. What you've done is so special and we couldn't have asked for a better painting to remember him by. It captures his brilliant personality so well. I'll definitely be recommending you to my spaniel loving friends!
Andrea xx."
Diarmid, Max & Kyla - A Couple and their French Bulldog Drawing in Coloured Pencils
Diarmid kindly sent over a lovely reference photo featuring himself, his partner Max, and their charming French Bulldog, Kyla, captured during a visit to Pennan in Aberdeenshire. They were standing in front of the iconic red telephone box made famous by the film Local Hero, a well-known landmark that adds a touch of cinematic history to the village. While the phone box itself was a strong compositional element, the remainder of the background offered little visual value, so we agreed to simplify the setting. To retain a sense of place without distraction, I inscribed ‘Pennan’ discreetly in the corner of the finished portrait, a subtle nod to the location that keeps the focus on the trio’s character and connection.
"Hi Karen , Hope you had a lovely Christmas. Wanted to drop you a note to say that Max absolutely loved the portrait! She couldn't believe how well you'd captured the detail from the photo and was thrilled to pieces! We've already recommended you to friends and family and am sure we'll use your amazing skills again in the the future. Have a great New Year!! Diarmid"
Pyppa & William - Bearded Collies in Coloured pencils
This portrait was commissioned by my friend Jet as a Christmas gift for her mum, Ann. At 11" x 17", it was a custom size chosen to accommodate a double portrait of her two Bearded Collies, Pyppa & William. Given the density and length of their coats, along with the need for anatomical accuracy, a larger format was essential to preserve detail and proportion.
Kita - Akita dog in Acrylics
You can read more about his portrait and how it came together here.
To request a no-obligation quote or book a portrait, you’re welcome to fill in the form or contact me directly.
| Wonderful news! After many years of living and working solo, I'm thrilled to announce that on May 15th, 2014, I'll be relocating to Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland, to start a new chapter with my partner and fellow former artist, John Graham. I will continue to offer bespoke commissions as I have done previously. Additionally, my art workshops in Chesterfield will carry on as scheduled, as I still have family there and I will be travelling back to my home town to continue these. |
A New Studio
Karen
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Karen M Berisford
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