Oil Pastel Scrimshaw - Brief Introduction and How-To

I like oil pastels—they’re a real challenge, and I love that. I also rediscovered a love for the scrimshaw technique when I was undertaking an art unit for my Bachelor of Teaching.

So, when I was thinking of a cover for Anna and the Rock Dragons, I thought I’d see what this art form would produce.

As with any picture, you need to have a vague idea of what you want the picture to look like. I have had these images in my head for over twenty years.

But I wanted the rock dragons in to look a little different—somehow less than dragon-perfect, a little lumpy like the rocks from where they drew their names—so the dragons in my head weren’t quite a perfect match.

And then there was the drawing medium to consider. I have a little trouble doing fine detail with the pastels themselves, but add in the scrimshawing and it’s possible to do quite fine lines. Also, scrimshaw into pastel is unforgiving. Once the line is made, it stays, so you have to live with your mistakes or start over. Anyway, enough chatter. Here’s how I do it:

• Rough out the design. You can do this in pencil, or you can draw straight down in pastel. Just sketch out the main colour blocks. 

• Darken the colour areas, until you’ve got the effect you’re after. Do this fairly lightly so that any mistakes can be overridden in the next phase. 

NOTE: Looking back, I think I should have had this picture to refer to while I was working the scrimshaw. It would have helped me remember some of the lines I wanted to make, as well as approximately where the colour blocks started and ended. Ah well, a note for next time.

• Once you have the colour areas about where you want them, go over them in the colours you want to uncover. Make sure this layer is quite heavily coloured to provide a base of colour. 

• Now, make a light shading of black over the rest. Work in one direction. I have started with horizontal lines.

• Darken the layer. 

• Working in another direction, add a second layer of black. You will notice that the black covers some colours more easily than it covers others.

• Work a third layer of black in another direction, until the picture below is as completely obscured as possible.

NOTE: This process can be quite messy. Make sure you can clean the surface you are working on, or put a protective cover down first. Do not expect to keep your hands clean. 

• The next thing you need is something sharp to draw with. Pencils and pens are not suited to this work as you want to use something that does not leave a mark of its own. This time ’round, I used bamboo skewers.

• Pressing lightly with the skewer, draw your picture through the layer of black, pressing only hard enough to reveal the colours beneath.

NOTE: If you press too hard, you will either hole the paper, or remove both the black and the coloured layer leaving a white line. This is a problem if you want colour, not so much if you’re after white.

NOTE: It really helps to have a reference picture for the underlayers and outlines. I drew this stage from memory.

• As you work, you will notice that the oil pastels peel up in little curls. It is important to remove these curls, before you lean on them and grind them back into the picture.

NOTE: I do this by picking them up with the tip of the skewer and then wiping the tip clean on a tissue or piece of cloth.

• When you’re done, you’re picture should have no loose pieces of pastel on its surface. It is now ready for scanning or preparing for presentation.

NOTE: Regardless of whether you photograph the oil pastels with a flash, or using natural light, you will get some sort of reflection.

flash photo

daylight - no flash

flash dimmed by tissue paper

And that is the basic process for oil pastel scrimshaw. I will play a bit more with this medium and update the results on the blog.