Oil pastels are a fantastic art tool that you can use to create colorful and beautiful pieces of art. They are like crayons, but instead of wax, they are made from a mix of pigment (which gives them color) and oil. This special mixture makes them smooth and soft, so they glide easily on paper, making it super fun to draw with them.

Using Oil Pastels:

1. Choose Your Colors: Oil pastels come in many colors, so you can pick your favorites to start creating your artwork.

2. Hold Them Lightly: When using oil pastels, hold them gently and don't press too hard. Just let the soft pastels do the work, and you'll see bright colors on your paper. If they break, no worries! This happens all the time. Don't throw away the broken pieces, use them up!

3. Layer the Colors: One of my favorite things about oil pastels is that you can layer the colors on top of each other to make new shades. Try starting with light colors and adding more on top to see how the colors blend together.

4. Blend and Mix: You can blend the colors together using your fingers or special tools. It's like making a rainbow of colors on your paper!

Caring for Oil Pastels:

1. Keep Them Cool: Store your oil pastels in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight or very hot areas.

2. Embrace dirty hands: Your hands will get dirty so just embrace it. Because they are oil based, you'll need soap and water to get them clean again.

3. Fix Your Artwork: When you finish your masterpiece, you can use a fixative spray to protect it from smudging and keep it looking nice.

Remember to have fun and be creative with your oil pastels! You'll have lots of opportunities to use them in this course. Draw pictures, make colorful patterns, even try blending different colors to create amazing effects. Taking good care of your oil pastels will make sure they last a long time, so you can keep creating beautiful art!