Workshop Objective

To use oil pastel monoprinting to create a fluid, continuous line drawing, and then apply oil pastel, gesso, and sgraffito to build layers, pattern, and texture in the style of Nataša Kekanović.

Required Materials

• Source Imagery: High-contrast portraits or images of figures with strong lighting.

• Surface: A3 Mixed Media paper or heavy Cartridge paper.

• Media: Oil pastels (vibrant colours), Gesso , Acrylic paint (optional for tinting), 6b pencil.

• Tools: masking tape, etching tools/bamboo skewers (for sgraffito), soft brushes.

The Three-Step Process

1. The Ghost Line (Monoprinting)

• Action: Tape your image sheet to the paper. Scribble a heavy layer of oil paint stick (dark blue, black, or brown) onto the back of the image

• Technique: Place your image gently on top of the paper. Using a pencil or ballpoint pen, trace the continuous contour lines of your portrait. Press firmly but do not rest your hand heavily on the paper (this avoids unwanted smudging).

• Reveal: Peel the image off. You will have a "ghostly," textured continuous line drawing on the reverse side. This forms the base of your composition.

2. The Inner Glow (Pastel Layering)

• Action: Working directly onto your monoprint, apply vibrant oil pastels to specific areas (e.g., the face, the background, or a specific symbol).

• Concept: Think about the "inner light" or "spirit" of the traveler. Use warm colours (yellows, pinks, oranges) to suggest life, or cool blues/greens for a digital or melancholic mood.

• Technique: Blend the pastels with your finger or a rag to create smooth, soft gradients. Leave some areas of the monoprint paper raw to create contrast.

3. The Veil (Gesso & Sgraffito)

• Action: Apply a thin, semi-transparent layer of gesso over some of the oil pastel areas. You can tint the gesso with a tiny drop of acrylic paint if you want a coloured veil.

• Technique: While the gesso is still wet or tacky, use your etching tool/skewer to sgraffito (scratch) back into the surface. Draw patterns, textures, or re-define the facial features.

• Result: The scratching removes the white gesso "veil" to reveal the vibrant oil pastel underneath. This creates the intricate, textile-like patterns seen in Kekanović’s work.

• when dry use a 6B or 8B pencil to draw, further lines and patterns that represent a journey of some kind

Level 3 Success Criteria (AS91446)

Achieved Successfully combines monoprinting and sgraffito to create a recognizable portrait with added texture. 

Merit Shows control over the transparency and layering. The gesso layer is applied with sensitivity, allowing the "glow" of the pastel to shine through while providing a surface for detailed scratching. 

Excellence Demonstrates expressive mark-making. The continuous line drawing captures the essence of the subject, and the sgraffito patterns are used strategically to enhance the mood (e.g., isolation, digital noise, or spiritual energy). 

Critical Reflection / Thinking

• How does the continuous line quality change the "feeling" of the portrait compared to a standard sketch?

• Does the sgraffito pattern look like organic growth (vines/veins) or digital interference?

• How can this "scratching away" technique relate to the theme of "Memory & Ruin"?