Finding skilled oil pastel portrait artists can be a challenge. The medium’s chunkiness can make controlling it and achieving small details tricky. Additionally, oil pastels are relatively newer compared to other mediums like oil paint or soft pastels. Therefore, discovering artists who excel in creating remarkable portraits with oil pastels always fills me with excitement. So here are some of my favorite oil pastel portrait artists to ignite your inspiration.
Jitao
Jitao is a Filipino-American artist living in Taiwan. The artist mainly works in oil pastel (mostly using the ones by Sennelier and sometimes in combination with gouache) to create expressive, colourful and impasto-like portraits that are just marvellous.
You can find them at @jitao_art on Instagram.
Viktoria Maliar
Viktoria is originally from Ukraine and currently lives in Berlin, Germany. Her work is full of movement and unconventional but satisfying color schemes. She primarily uses oils, soft and oil pastels and combines drawing and painting techniques. For a personal project she started to draw/paint 100 heads. For this challenge she used a variety of mediums, oil pastels being one of them.
You can find her at @viktoriamaliar on Instagram.
Wunemo
Korean artist Wunemo is among the exceptional oil pastel artists. Predominantly utilizing oil pastels in his artwork, his primary subjects include landscapes and still life. However, he occasionally produces emotionally charged portraits that are a testament to his skill. These paintings are rich in texture, often resembling the depth of oil paint. Additionally, he generously shares his artistic process on YouTube.
You can find him at @wunemo_official on Instagram.
Semorim
This versatile Korean artist excels in crafting realistic and tender portraits using a range of mediums, with their oil pastel creations standing out as particularly captivating. You can also watch the art process of these paintings on their Youtube channel.
You can find them at @semorim_official on Instagram.
Misako Flodin
Misako creates textured portraits with vibrant undertones using oil pastels. The Canadian-based artist also posts process videos on Youtube.
You can find her at @misakoflodin on Instagram.
Heggii
This Korean artist skillfully wields oil pastels, occasionally in combination with colored pencils, to craft textured portraits. Her distinctive style often lends her drawings an unfinished quality, adding an enchanting charm, in my opinion.
You can find them at @he_gii on Instagram.
Tania Rivilis
Ukrainian artist Tania uses many media to create her art. Her oil paintings are colorful and mostly yellow. She uses oil pastels to create expressive and colorful pastel drawings.
You can find her at @tania_rivilis on Instagram.
Yolanda Blázquez
Yolanda works primarily in oils, watercolors, oil and soft pastels but loves experimenting with different techniques and materials. Her oil pastel portraits are smooth and realistic with a dreamy vibe.
You can find her at @yolandablazquez.art on Instagram.
Draw Paint Studio
Here’s another talented Korean artist, known as Draw Paint Studio on Instagram. Although I couldn’t determine their name due to the language barrier, they showcase an impressive range of artistic skills across various mediums. Notably, their oil pastel portraits stand out as one of their exceptional creations.
You can find them at @draw.paint.studio on Instagram.
Sookyi Lee
While this artist may not frequently utilize oil pastels, there’s one particular oil pastel painting that is truly breathtaking, compelling me to include it on this list.
You can find her at @sookyileeart on Instagram.
Wanna Get Started With Oil Pastels?
Hopefully you’re now really inspired to create some art with oil pastels. Don’t know where to start? Read this post to learn the different oil pastel techniques and get creative:
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