Lovely post dear @Vincentnijman!
About oil pastels - I'd never sharpen one with any instrument, as it'd waste a whole load of the colour/ material that the crayon contains - but you could use a conventional sharpener or a knife if you wanted to - put the oil pastel in the freezer first though, as this'll make it easier to NOT turn into a mushy muddy mess :-D If you're sharpening them a lot, you may want to invest in a professional sharpener, as it'll last longer and sharpen better - you might get one in an art or graphics store/ website.
I tend to use oil pastels in the way I want them to 'sharpen' - as in, I press down on one side to create an angled point or wedge, allowing the next strokes to be more defined... Does that make sense? As you probably already know, once on the surface, oil pastels can be manipulated in many ways - even taken off with a solvent thinner for oil paint (or any oil) - if it's a solid surface not e.g. a soft papery one.
Happy creating, and thank you for these lovely positive thoughts... :-)
Thanks for the expert advice. Perhaps I should work on the way I use them or just deal with the consequences ;<) You know your workshop ( and the technique ) I learn there is to 'blame' for their current shape, right? hahaha
Interesting. That definitely makes sense.
You'r welcome and grazie mille for your kind words!
🤗