Can You Use Watercolor Paper for Oil Pastels?

When you’re creating a craft piece with oil pastels, the right kind of paper can make a completely different experience. Since oil pastels have a certain kind of texture, they do not work with all kinds of art papers.

Most people prefer using oil pastel paper and sanded paper for working with oil pastels. But Can You Use Watercolor Paper for Oil Pastels? Well, of course, you can. In fact, for blending your oil pastel colors smoothly, watercolor papers can be a perfect match. If you’re interested in finding more about this unique pair of papers and oil pastels, stick with us till the end.

Can You Use Watercolor Paper for Oil Pastels?

How Oil Pastels Work?

Are you an artist who loves to explore with different art supplies and techniques? Then you must be aware of how oil media work and why they need certain papers for the best color payoff.

Oils are quite different from watercolors, acrylic paint, or colored pencils. They are a very versatile media for beginners, novice artists as well as professionals who also love teaching art. These pastels are formed with a pigment and an oil binder to make a very smooth consistency.

They are quite easy to use and can be scratched off or blended according to personal preference. From canvas, printer paper, drawing board to even illustration boards-you can try oil pastel with almost anything.

An illustration board or canvas pads can turn out to be a fantastic surface for pastel artists. However, bristol board and papers with little teeth can turn out to be disappointments for pastel paint.

However, when you’re working with oil pastels, getting the right paper can be challenging. Since oil pastel colors require a strong grip, you need to choose a paper built with a fine-tooth surface.

If you want your oil based dry mediums to provide the best color outcomes and smooth finish, a paper with fine tooth will ensure that.

It will also ensure that the pastels don’t smear and stay put. Choosing mixed media paper, drawing paper with a textured surface, thicker paper with enough teeth can work well for oil mediums. You can also use mineral spirits in such papers to obtain your desired results.

Paper Qualities to Consider To Use Oil Pastels

Since oil pastels are so special, they need the perfect paper for the best outcomes. Here are some paper qualities you should consider for drawing with oil pastels —

Texture of the Paper

Texture is the most important quality when it comes to a paper.

Since oil pastels never completely dry and adhere to the paper they’re applied on, a paper with sufficient tooth texture will be an ideal fit. With toothed texture and fine grit papers, the pigments can adhere properly, and there is no chance of smearing.

If your paper has fewer teeth, paints with dry media cannot be layered properly. Having a rough texture with more teeth ensures adequate layering of pastels on top of each other without looking like a mess. It also favors cold press and other wet techniques for creating artistic pieces.

Thickness

Another necessary feature that matters a lot in drawing with oil pastels is the thickness of the paper. 

Usually, thick papers complement oil media more than thinner papers. This is why few papers like sketch paper, vellum, etc., are not ideal for pastels. Since pastels smudge easily, they need to stay fixed on paper with a strong grip.

But sketch paper cannot provide this kind of weight. Thick and heavy papers provide that grip for pastels. Blending also becomes easy in thick papers as these papers can handle the pressure of the tortillon. 

So, roughness and thickness are ideal paper qualities for working with pastels in different projects.

Can You Use Watercolor Paper for Oil Pastel?   

If you think that watercolor papers only work with watercolors, you’re wrong! They work well with oil pastel art too.

Most artists assume that oil media need rough textured paper for blending. Since watercolor papers have a very smooth surface, they might look unfit for pastels. But you will be surprised to know that watercolor papers can bring out the best of oil pastels!

Artists have to keep their minds open for all kinds of techniques when they’re creating fine art. They use oil pastels, chalk pastels, soft pastels, and oil paints for different strategies like layering colors, smudging, blending, etc.

Textured papers work great for layering oil pastel colors. However, if you’re trying to achieve a smooth and blended surface, watercolor papers can be perfect!

Since watercolor papers are quite thick, there is no risk of oil pastel or oil paint colors bleeding through the paper. The watercolor papers also have a fine texture which makes the mixing of different colors easier. They are also great for adding turpentine or mineral spirits to your choice of artwork.

So, if you’re thinking of experimenting with pastels on watercolor paper, you’ll definitely be pleased with the results!

Paper Categories for Oil Pastel

You can use oil pastels to create different projects if you know the right paper to work on. Watercolor papers are an excellent choice, but there are tons of other options available.

Here are some of the best papers that you can try with oil pastels —

Oil Pastel Paper

Just like watercolor papers were built for watercolors, oil pastel paper was built for oil pastels. Since oil pastels have a unique texture compared to acrylic mediums, specific papers have been designed to complement these colors. 

Oil pastel papers are also known as Ingres paper and are amazing in terms of quality and finish. This paper comes with a strong tooth surface and is very thick.

It comes in around 160 GSM, which is excellent for oil pastels. Pastel paper also bears brown and green tones. Having such tones can help artists to decide what scheme they should go for. Toned paper is excellent for drawing landscapes and open-air pastel painting.

So, all these features of oil pastel papers make it one of the best paper options out there. If you want to try painting on a paper that accompanies oil pastel colors, these papers are a smart choice.

Sanded Pastel Paper

Another paper that can work well with oil pastels is sanded papers. You can also call these papers highly textured papers. Their texture is quite similar to sandpaper which favors the consistency of oil pastels. It is, in fact, a personal favorite of many artists right now.

Sanded paper has low, medium, and high grit. The higher the grit of the paper, the lower will be the roughness. You can choose the paper according to your color type and the quality of the art piece you’re thinking of creating.

For painting with oil pastels, going with a low grit sanded paper is an excellent choice. Low grit papers favor the layering capability of oil pastels really well.

Final Words

So, can you use watercolor paper for oil pastels? Sure, you can. With a good brand of watercolor paper, you can achieve a well-blended surface and smear-free finish for your colorful projects. It is for the best if you make sure that your chosen paper is going to be able to take all the oil pastels, and make sure you do some research if you were to mix mediums.