Oil Pastel Scenery Drawing for School, Step by Step

Posted by

Haanz Team

2026-10-23

On 2026-10-23

Haanz Art GuideFree, practical advice from the team at Haanz Art & Craft Materials

A village sunset with paddy fields, coconut palms and hills is a classic subject for school art in Sri Lanka. With a few simple steps, anyone can make it look bright and finished. This Haanz Art Guide walks you through an oil pastel scenery drawing from the first pencil line to the final details, with tips on colours, blending and keeping your work clean.

What you need

Oil pastels. Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 25 colours are bright, creamy and blendable. Camel Oil Pastels, 25 shades and Camel Oil Pastels, 12 shades are popular school sets.
Paper. An Art Nation Sketch Pad A3 has fine-textured paper for all dry media.
A board and tape. Tape your paper to a Drawing Board, A3 with Nyoni Artist Masking Tape for neat, clean borders.
Blending tools. Your fingers, a tissue, and Art Nation Paper Stumps for small areas.
A pencil, an eraser and a scrap sheet for testing colours.

See more sets in Pastels and papers in Drawing Papers For Pencil Drawings. Prices change, so see each product page for today’s price.

Oil pastel scenery drawing step by step

Tape and plan. Tape all four edges of your paper. Lightly draw a horizon line about one third from the bottom. Sketch a sun, two or three hills, a few coconut palms, a small house and the edges of the paddy field. Keep pencil lines very light.
Colour the sky first. Start near the horizon with yellow, then orange, then pink or red higher up, and finish with purple or blue at the top. Overlap each band a little.
Blend the sky. Rub the colours together with a clean fingertip in side-to-side strokes until the bands melt into each other. Leave the sun pale yellow or white.
Add the hills. Use purple, dark blue or blue-green for the far hills. Distant hills should be lighter and bluer than near ones. Make the closest hill a little darker.
Colour the paddy field. Use light green and yellow-green, with short upward strokes for young paddy. Add a few lines of darker green to show the bunds and rows. Make strokes smaller as they go towards the horizon.
Draw the coconut palms. Use dark brown or black for curved trunks. Draw the fronds as long, curved strokes from the top, with dark green and a few touches of black. In a sunset, palms look great as dark shapes against the bright sky.
Add the house and details. Colour the house simply. Add birds as small ‘v’ shapes, and a reflection of the sky in a water channel using the same sky colours.
Final highlights. Press white or pale yellow lightly along the top edges of the hills and leaves, where the light hits.
Remove the tape. Peel it slowly away from the drawing for a clean border.

Tips for a brighter scenery drawing

Work light to dark. Dark pastel can smear into light areas, so do the sky and pale areas first.
Use pressure. Press lightly for early layers and firmly for the final layer, for strong, shiny colour.
Keep colours clean. Wipe your fingers and pastel tips on a tissue between colours.
Fill the paper. White gaps between strokes make the drawing look unfinished. Cover the paper fully.
Add a focal point. The sun, a house or a big palm tree gives the eye somewhere to rest.

Common mistakes

Pressing too hard at the start. The paper fills up and new colours slide off.
Black outlines everywhere. Outlines make scenery look like a colouring book. Use dark colours only for shapes that are really dark.
Same green everywhere. Use at least three greens: light, middle and dark.
Smudging the finished work. Rest your hand on a clean sheet of paper while you work.

When it is finished, protect the drawing with Spray Fixative for Oil Pastels 180ml in an airy place. To improve further, read Oil Pastel Techniques: Blending, Layering and Sgraffito and Oil Pastels for Beginners. For a full kit, see our School Art Supply List.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an oil pastel scenery drawing take?

A simple A3 scene can take about one to two hours. Practise it a few times so you can work faster and more confidently.

Can I use this for an exam?

It is good practice for school art. For exam rules, check the latest instructions from your school or the Department of Examinations.

Do you deliver islandwide?

Yes. We deliver across Sri Lanka in 2–5 working days, with cash on delivery, card or bank transfer. You can also visit our shops in Boralesgamuwa and Horana, open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Not sure what to choose? Call / WhatsApp the Haanz team on 0711 515 515 and we’ll help you choose oil pastels and paper for your scenery drawing.

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