Owl Painting step 2 - colour

Step 2 - oil pastel. It's important not to leave any gaps (as this will leave a black mark when it comes to scraping). The blue I've used here is ultramarine, unusual for me as I'm more drawn to Prussian blue - however, it won't make much difference in this case as I intend the background to be very dark. The owl is mostly white and yellow-grey. I usually use Pentel oil pastels, as they are firmer than a more expensive pastel (eg Sennelier) and hold onto the colour better once scraped.