Draw in the main shape of the pepper with the ruby red pastel.

Detail the shape of the pepper with the pastel – specifically the curves and the stalk.

Begin to block in some different red shades within your outline, beginning with vermilion. Leave some distinctive areas of white for highlights, especially on the top-front edge of the pepper.

Go in with the royal blue pastel for darker tones around the stalk; go into the shadow areas around the curves of the pepper and into the base.

With the ruby red, reinforce some of the darker areas over the top of the pepper and the edges to define the curves of the pepper.

Sweep in some Chinese orange (a reddy-orange) over the edges of the pepper.

With the olive green, block in the colour of the stalk.

Use a finger to blend the colours. This helps to push the oil pastel into the base of the canvas. Work around the shape of the pepper, applying quite a lot of pressure. Keep some areas clear and use the white of the canvas to suggest highlights.

Use a size 6 colour shaper to blend into the tighter areas of the pepper and work with more precision. Push the green of the stalk into the red areas of the top of the pepper to modify the stalk’s shape.

Add a dash of yellow ochre into the tip of the stalk.

Start to layer the colours that make up the pepper, starting with the Chinese orange. Work off the tip, rather than the side, of the pastel to push more colour into the canvas surface.

Push the colour in, using the colour shaper.

Take up the ruby red again and block in the right-hand side and front edge of the pepper to create a solid area of colour.

Use the white pastel to recover some of the highlight areas, especially down the edges of the curves of the pepper.

Go back over the solid areas with the Chinese orange pastel, then the ruby red and vermilion oil pastels. Use the ruby red to further redefine the pepper’s edges.

Use Payne’s grey to fill in the shadows coming up from the base of the pepper and around the stalk, as well as around the shape of the stalk itself.

Use your finger to blend the shadows.

Then blend the red back into the canvas surface to create a smooth effect.

With the ruby red, redefine the shape of the front of the pepper, and blend the red downwards with your finger.

Use Payne’s grey to push darker colour in under the stalk.

Blend the darker colour into the top of the pepper using the colour shaper, for a softer blended effect.

Finally, use a sharp scalpel to scratch out, and recover, some of the highlights for a sharp edge around the base of the stalk and between the topmost curves of the pepper.

The finished painting

This demonstration is taken from Tim's book, Beginner's Guide to Painting with Oil Pastels

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