Stencil techniques

An effective and appealing technique to try with oil painting is the use of stencils.
 
Choose paper with a very smooth, even surface.

Cut your stencil, depending on how you would like to create your design.
Or simply use a square piece of paper to create an interesting design with your oil pastel crayons.

Apply the oil paint on the stencil. You can also apply several colours on top of each other, enabling you to create attractive colour effects and blends.

Then, wipe your fingers over the stencil and coat the colour of the stencil on the paper. By applying different strengths of pressure you can vary the colour intensity.
 
P.S. Keep left over pastel shavings and do not throw them away. These can be used in the final part of our tips on techniques.