Tim Fisher was born in Leicestershire, UK, and has had a lifelong interest in art. He is well known for his love of colour and experimentation and works in a wide range of mediums. Many of his paintings have been produced as fine art prints and cards. Tim is a regular contributor to the Leisure Painter magazine in the UK. He also runs workshops and painting holidays as well as demonstrating to art groups across the country.

• Introduction                                       The history of oil pastels                   Materials and tools                            oil pastels                                                       Additional materials and tools             Surfaces                                            Surface preparation                                    Getting started                                 Painting a red pepper                                  Techniques                                              Mark-making                                                       Special effects                                                  Using solvents                                                  Using oil pastels with other media            Projects                                                   Flowers: Poppy Field                                       Trees and foliage: Norfolk Lane                Street scenes: Venice                                      Buildings: Staithes Cottages                        harbour scene: ‘Le Fantasque’                     Animal portraits: Freyja                               Care and framing of your artwork       Index

If you thought oil pastels were just something for your children, think again. As Tim makes clear in his introduction, they were invented 100 years ago as a means of combining the convenience of wax crayons with the quality of pigments suited to more serious art. They have, however struggled to escape the schoolroom connection and have been too frequently overlooked. This book is aimed at the beginner, so you'll need to balance this approach and detailed step-by-step demonstrations against the quality of work that Tim produces and adapt the way you use this, one of the very few books on this subject. Persistence will be rewarded and, with a minimal amount of equipment, you can discover a medium that, while perfect for outdoor sketching, is capable of the subtle effects more often associated with chalk pastels or even watercolour.