Learn the versatile and expressive techniques of oil pastels, moving beyond simple drawing to create sophisticated, painterly artworks.

Dates: 25 – 26 July 2026
Times: Saturday and Sunday, 9.30am – 4.00pm
Venue: NatureArt Lab Studio, M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith; free parking is available at either the front or both sides of the building.

About the Course

Are you ready to reimagine the humble oil pastel? Often dismissed as a children's tool, this course will reveal the incredible potential of oil pastels for serious art. You'll gain a deep understanding of their unique characteristics and explore how they can produce effects ranging from loose and expressive to highly detailed and realistic.

• This course will cover the essential tools, including different grades of pastels and various paper types, as well as crucial techniques. 
• You will explore basic color theory as it applies to the medium, including layering, blending, and creating optical color mixes. 
• The course includes hands-on practice with techniques like sgraffito, impasto, blending with solvents (turpentine/mineral spirits), and creating textured underlayers. 
• You will complete a series of small, focused studies to build familiarity and confidence, culminating in a finished piece that highlights the medium's ability to create a visually convincing, oil-painting-like effect.
• You are welcome to print out your favourite images of landscapes, flowers or anything you would like to paint.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Develop confidence using oil pastels through an understanding of materials, core techniques (layering, blending, sgraffito, impasto), and basic colour theory to create depth, texture, and expressive colour.

• Complete two resolved oil pastel artworks, progressing from a simple landscape to a more complex subject, with an understanding of composition, light, and how to take an artwork from concept through to a finished piece.

Level of experience: Suitable for beginners through to intermediate artists who want to explore a versatile, low-cost, and non-toxic medium.

Materials List: 

Oil Pastel Drawing Materials (you need to buy your own materials): 

About the tutor
Xiaochen (Fiona) Bao a children’s book illustrator, fine artist and emerging curator based in Canberra. Xiaochen was born in Taiyuan, Shanxi, a city that is extremely rich in Chinese cultural history and traditional Chinese art. She has been studying art in Canada and the U.S. for years. Profoundly influenced by Tibetan Buddhist doctrines, she wishes her art to transmit similar positive and natural energy to the environment and viewers while inspiring meditation. She is inspired by both eastern and western ancient poems, songs, myths, and of course nature. She believes that the natural environment is the one of the best catalysts for artworks, and she is passionate about sharing the spiritual essence and philosophical reflections embedded in Chinese ink painting.

NatureArt Lab Awards

2022, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Promoting Sustainability, ACT; and National Finalist Award

2024, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Building Communities, ACT; and National Finalist Award

2025, Telstra Best of Business Award Finalist for Promoting Sustainability, ACT; and Finalist for Accelerating Women, ACT

2025, Awards Australia Semi-Finalist for Connecting Communities, NSW and ACT; and Semi-Finalist for Small Business Award NSW and ACT. 

Image credits: Xiaochen (Fiona) Bao