Looking Back to Wickham Common

This has a very painterly feel to it. Probably the result of melting pastels. Lovely mid summer day atmosphere.

Hello Sylvia, it was definitely something which I did not anticipate happening and it feels a bit clumsy as a result...but I do paint in a bit of a hurry anyway. I have tried using coloured pencils while using my sketchbook out doors but it did not satisfy my need for intense colour and I don't have the patience to take a load of paint equipment with me. Oil pastels seem to do the trick.

That's better! Oil pastels have many good points - you can work into them with turps, as I'm sure you know. And you can scratch into them. The best thing about them though is that they make superb initial studies for oil paintings, because you can get the full colour straight away and be able to see how it's going to work: with preliminary watercolour sketches, you just can't get that intensity. I like your two studies - will you work them up into full oils, or have you said all you wanted to say? I think they work well, as it happens, as works in their own right.

Thank you for your helpful comments, I am very much an ammeter an didn't know you could work them with turps and I have never worked with oil paints although I would like to. All my work so far has been in acrylics. However I absolutely adore the texture of the oil pastels and am tempted into oils. Jacksons art are selling water soluble oils.... What do you think?

Louise. I use water soluble oils. Windsor and Newton Artisan. I like them a lot. I am sure Robertbwill recommend " proper oils" and I am sure he will be right to do so. I use the Artisan as I have allergies etc and don't want to set off any nasties.

Thanks Sylvia, I will have to do some research as I know nothing about oil paints.

Love this one too Louise, very free. The shadows on the path really grab my attention and take me down the path. I use the oils that Sylvia mentioned and I get on with them very well....for a beginner anyway. I paint upstairs in a spare bedroom and they are very low odour.

I looked online last night at the water soluble oils and am even more tempted now you have recommended them as well, I paint in a corner of my living room by patio doors( for maximum natural light). I have to allow for the kids coming close and showing an interest sp not using solvents is very appealing..I don't want to put the kids off, my 7 year old daughter is very arty indeed.

Sylvia knows me too well! I do indeed recommend "proper" oils, because of their greater intensity of colour and greater possibilities, but quite a few people just can't handle the fumes, some are allergic - quite seriously so - and in those cases water-soluble oils have a lot to offer. They'll always be second-best so far as I'm concerned, but on the other hand I've seen some fine work done in Artisan, Grumbacher, and/or Holbein water-solubles.

I have used water soluble oil s. They are ok but nothing like the real thing. Mind you..... the real oils do pong the house out and my husband hates the smell of them:(. I do like your picture. The colours are very pleasing.

Thank you Louise for your comment on 'Old shoremore', yes this one, and all the oils on both the galleries are done with the Artisan water soluble oils. I don't think there is as much colour choice but I only use about eight at a time per picture anyway. I would use 'proper' oils if I had a place outdoors, for the moment these will do me, I think you can get some good results. I started with a box set of about twelve colours to try them and they are not too expensive if you don't take to them.