Why oil pastels work better than crayons

Oil pastels don’t work like other supplies.

With markers, one wrong line ruins the drawing. With paint, you have to start over. With oil pastels, you just add another layer.

That freedom changes how students create:

• They take more risks. 
• They experiment with color mixing. 
• They don’t freeze up worrying about mistakes, because mistakes don’t really exist with this medium.

We use oil pastels for seven different artists: 

1. Mary Cassatt
2. Marc Chagall
3. Paul Gauguin
4. Frida Kahlo
5. Faith Ringgold
6. Norman Rockwell
7. Vincent Van Gogh

Each one teaches a different style, from Cassatt’s soft portraits to Van Gogh’s bold landscapes.

The 16-color sets we provide are enough to create hundreds of color variations. Students learn to layer blue over yellow to make green, or blend red and orange for sunset tones. And the more they layer, the richer the colors become.

Oil pastels also teach realism in ways other supplies can’t:

• Students can build up shadows gradually, blend skin tones naturally, and create depth that looks almost three-dimensional.
• Teachers like them because they’re straightforward to use. No water, brushes, or drying time. Simply open the box and start creating.

And since we buy in bulk, the pricing works even for tight budgets.

If you’re looking to add variety to your art program, oil pastels open up techniques that crayons and markers can’t touch. They work for kindergarten through eighth grade, and students at every level find success with them.

See the results in our student gallery.

Warm regards,

Meet the Masters
Inspire – Educate – Create

Dig Deeper:

• 35 Master Artists – Easy to Implement
• Importance of Standards-Based Lessons
• Why Our Founder Started MTM in 1985
• Hear from Happy Students, Parents and Teachers
• Get a Custom Quote for Your School