I, and others, have been working to produce oil pastels that are comparable to artist quality commercial products. From the various experiments I have made, I can now produce pastels easily and in a relatively short time which don’t clump and give a smooth creamy result.
Threads I’ve read before about homemade pastels seem to tail off with people getting disappointing results or becoming concerned about the expense and time taken. This method uses relatively cheap equipment and is not unduly time consuming. The biggest cost is good pigment but all artists find eventually that using cheap brushes, pencils, paint or pastels will give less than satisfactory results.
I’m not saying this is the definitive method and I make no claim to the recipe itself. It is taken from a number of sources that are well established. The method I use will definitely produce a good quality pastel but others will probably adapt it to their own needs.
Before you start making pastels, take sensible health and safety precautions. Open a window or make sure the room is well ventilated as the oil and wax can produce fumes. Wear a mask when mixing pigments. Some are poisonous and can be very easily inhaled. I have a stock of surgical gloves that I wear when mixing. Apart from keeping hands clean, it avoids any possible allergic reaction. Never leave the mix unattended while you are heating. If the temperature is too high the mix could ignite. Please don’t attempt to make pastels while children are around. Boiling water and hot wax can cause severe burns and scalds
An oil pastel is made of three ingredients, pigment, oil and white beeswax.
The most important ingredient is the pigment which has to be of a high quality. I’ve experimented with paint powder and various other ingredients but nothing works correctly unless it is designed for the purpose. Sennelier supply pigments which are identical to the pigments used in their own pastels but these can be expensive. I have bought a few of their colours but most of mine are earth pigments that can be sourced all over the web.
The oil can be from a number of sources but I have decided on a mix of raw linseed oil and mineral oil in a ratio of 1:3. Mineral oil wont dry out but the addition of a small amount of linseed oil seems to give a slightly creamier result. Using a drying oil alone will produce a pastel which dries out over a relatively short time.
Beeswax can be found easily on Ebay and I have found a source which is from the ends left from candle making. You can buy ready flaked or pellets but it’s very easy to grate solid wax with a cheese grater.
My recipe is as follows:
1 part pigment
1 part oil (1 part linseed oil, 3 parts mineral oil)
3 parts beeswax
Method:
Mix the pigment thoroughly with the oil in a metal container (I use washed and then dried co*ke tins) I have tried mulling the mix and also leaving the mix overnight so that the pigment is completely absorbed by the oil. This may produce a smoother pastel and is worth experimenting with. Some also say that the pigment should first be mixed with turps and then mixed with the oil but I’ve found little, if any, difference in results.
Add the flaked beeswax and mix so that each flake is covered in the oily pigment, this only takes a few seconds.
I have bought a small electric hotplate to heat the wax. I don’t recommend using a flame as it could ignite the wax but then again, we all use oil in our cooking and most of us have avoided a fat fire. Don’t be tempted to try using the microwave!
Place the tin in a pan of hot water and bring to simmer. (This is basically a double boiler). Use common sense and treat the operation with same care as you would when cooking. Beeswax has a relatively low melting point range of 62 °C to 64 °C (144 °F to 147 °F) so you don’t need the water to boil but you need enough heat to transfer through the tin to the wax. A co*ke tin is very light so I’ve now taken to placing it in a heavier tin with a small amount of water inside. I use a metal spoon to stir the wax mix. Keep stirring until you can see the molten wax on the spoon and an even consistency throughout the mix.
The mould:
I have two mould methods. First, to produce large pastels, I use a silicon chocolate finger mould.
My newest mould is a boba straw, which is roughly 1 centimetre in diameter. I insert a Blu Tac plug in one end and then pour a very small amount of mineral oil into the straw, swill it all round and then empty. This acts as a separator to ease the removal of the pastel when it has set. I have a rack to hold the straw upright whilst pouring.
Pouring
Pouring into the larger mould is easy, but for the boba straw I make a paper funnel with a wide top to prevent any spilling.
I would suggest using an oven glove or similar to remove the tin from the water, but if you use an aluminium tin as I do it is cool enough to pick up without protection. Pick it up with caution though, it contains very hot wax.
Pour slowly into the mould and for the boba straw leave it to set a little before topping up, you will find it sinks a little right in the middle as it sets. I’ve found it useful to squeeze the straw a little while the wax is still fluid, avoiding any air bubbles.
For the larger mould leave till set and then place in the fridge or leave for a few hours before popping out the pastels.
Do the same for the boba straw and then pull on the plug to ease out the long pastel. The Blu Tac grips onto the set wax and may slide out without any assistance but you may also need a small length of dowel to push the pastel through the open end.
One straw will produce three pastels which can be cut into lengths similar to a Sennelier and then wrapped with foil.
You will be able to draw with the pastel immediately but results get better as its left to harden fully.
The whole process from mixing to pouring can be done in around 20 minutes. To produce enough to fill a boba straw you will need the following
1 tablespoon pigment
1 tablespoon oil
3 slightly heaped tablespoons grated wax
To produce tones and different shades you can mix pigments dry, but you may prefer to mix wet. I don’t think it makes a difference in quality but you will be able to see the final colour of the pastel and adjust to suit.
You may find that some pigments need less or more than the recipe. So far, all mine have been one part.
So that’s it. If you follow my recipe and method to the letter you will get very acceptable oil pastels, no doubt about it. But I expect you will want to experiment a little as I have.
Some people have said making your own pastels is very labour intensive and messy but its not if you follow a sensible procedure. The way I do it produces very little mess, but it may disturb your partner if the kitchen has splashes of wax on the work surface. I’m lucky to have a kitchen area in my office and its only me who is likely to complain. All utensils you use to make pastels should never be used for cooking again. Clean any metal spoons soon after pouring. Most of the wax will remove easily with a paper towel and the spoon can then be held under a hot tap. Make sure you remove every trace of pigment or your next mix will be contaminated. Boba straws are very cheap so you can dispose of them. It’s just not worth trying to remove little areas of pigment left inside. co*ke tins can be disposed of in the trash unless you have regulations that don’t allow you to throw away candle ends.
Enjoy your results, and enjoy painting with a pastel you have created.
Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art - Leonardo da Vinci
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