Red Pair
Oil Pastel on Panel

Susan Bennerstrom

I contacted Susan Bennerstrom recently and asked her if she would contribute a few paragraphs on what brand of OP she uses (and why) and maybe tell me a little more about her technique. She was so great and sent me this bit of info. I'm very happy to share this with you. Thank You Susan!
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It's weird, I keep buying more and more Holbeins and Senneliers because of the great range of gorgeous colors, but always end up using Caran d'Ache Neopastels almost exclusively, and the H's and S's sit there and gather dust. The Neopastels have a very limited color range, so I am forced to mix my own colors on the paper (or gessoed panel), often using as many as 10 crayons to get the color I want. I like that a lot -- it's more interesting, even though it turns out to be almost impossible to replicate a color since I don't keep track of what I've used.

Neopastels differ from Senneliers in that they are much less oily (and somewhat less oily than Holbeins), and therefore easier to control. They are "dryer," and that quality lends itself well to the kind of paintings I make, with defined edges and an overall smoothness in some areas. So Neopastels are my workhorses, and I occasionally use Senneliers and Holbeins for texture, details, and spots of color at the end. It's disastrous when I try to use them for the base layers -- they scoot around and don't adhere properly and goop up in little globs.

I rarely use mediums to mix and smooth out the oil pastels. I prefer instead to really load the pastels onto the paper (or panel) so that the pastels themselves do their own mixing. Those little rubber-ended tools ("clay shapers") are great for mixing in detailed areas, and my own fingers are the best mixing/smoothing tools. But I have found the very best technique for my way of working is to not be shy about how much pastel I put on the paper -- the more I put on, the richer and more subtle the colors get, and the more painterly the surface.

I hope this information helps!
all best,
Susan