Oil Bars
I have recently come across and amazing product that I heard great reviews about from other artists but have never before tried myself! Over the past few years I have sometimes come across the product called Oil Bars but have actually got the wrong impression that these are the same as the soft pastels. While searching for something on Winsor & Newton website I stumbled upon Oil Bars again and this sparked my curiosity to find out what exactly are they made of; turns out I was so wrong! Oil Bars have nothing to do with wax or soft pastels, in fact there is no wax in them whatsoever. They are a completely different and unique drawing & painting media made of pure pigment plus linseed or safflower oil for a binder. I was so amazed to find out this new information and decided I had to give them a try! I immediately ordered online a few colors mostly those that I knew would compliment my usual palette oil paints.. They arrived in no time and I was delighted to finally discover the beauty and versatility of Oil Bars- my new favorite art materials. Oil Bars are so soft, buttery and leave such beautiful marks on my canvases. I cannot believe that I had not discovered these before!
Depending on if you use them on a dry or wet layer of paint they will show different characteristics. If used on a dry layer of paint they leave a beautifully crisp mark that will stand out. If used on wet layer of oil paint they will blend somewhat with the paint directly on your canvas behaving more like regular oil paint. It is really up to you and your personal preference and style how you will use them but honestly I could not recommend them more!
Here is an example of my mark making process above made with white and yellow Oil Bars. In this case I used them on a completely dry layer of oils.
