Wet Stenciling and Stamping With Pastels
Familiar drawing mediums offer untapped creative potential when they’re used in unexpected ways. With nothing more than a palette and a little water or alcohol, water-soluble oil pastels and dry chalk pastels can behave like new materials. They can be painted, stenciled, or stamped with while still retaining their signature qualities. Simply scrub each medium onto a palette, spritz with liquid, and apply as demonstrated.
You’ll need just a few extra supplies beyond your pastels. Blending brushes work best—use separate sets for each medium or wash them thoroughly between uses. Gather stencils and stamps of your choice, along with a couple of palettes (styrofoam plates work perfectly) and paper suitable for your project. Plain water works well for water-soluble oil pastels, while a 50/50 mixture of water and rubbing alcohol is ideal for dry chalk pastels. Alcohol dissolves chalk pastels allowing them to be used like paint.
Water-soluble oil pastels are versatile and can be used dry or wet. To create a paint-like mixture, simply rub the pastel onto a palette and mist it with water. This mixture can be brushed on, stenciled, or stamped. Opacity varies much like ink, watercolor, or acrylics, but the thicker consistency provides better control, especially when stenciling. Adding more pastel to the palette creates a richer, more opaque application similar to oil paint. You can also color directly onto a rubber stamp for a thick, inky impression. More water creates translucent effects.
These pastels also layer well with watercolor, either over or under, so experimenting with different sequences can produce interesting results.
Dry or chalk artist pastels can also be used wet by dissolving them with rubbing alcohol. A 50/50 mixture is a good starting point, though adjusting the ratio might yield different effects. The results are magical—colors appear as they dry—but the process is forgiving and easy to adjust by adding more or less pigment. Once dry, the finish remains soft and matte, true to the chalk pastel look.
Both mediums offer a level of control similar to traditional ink stenciling, though it’s important to use a light hand. Too much liquid on a blending brush can cause seepage under a stencil, so blot excess moisture before applying. Alcohol evaporates quickly, keeping brushes drier, and water-soluble oil pastels tend to stay put better than watercolor due to their thickness—both helpful traits for controlled stenciling and stamping.
When working with dry pastels, test your paper surface. A sheet with some tooth—such as drawing or sketch paper—helps grab the pigment. Depending on your surface, a spray fixative may be needed.
Both mediums deliver brilliant color, but with distinct results. Dry pastels are more opaque and matte, lending a rustic, earthy feel. Water-soluble oil pastels behave more like ink or acrylic paint, with the option for transparency. With a little practice, each medium becomes highly controllable and predictable. These unconventional uses for drawing tools open up exciting creative possibilities while remaining easy and enjoyable to work with—and cleanup is simple with just soap and water.
(video coming soon)
Happy paper crafting!