working with water soluble crayons

Feb 20, 2012


A few weekends ago, I picked up a set of water soluble crayons at an estate sale for $1.  They are the Neocolor II crayons from Caran d'Ache.  I've been a fan of Caran d'Ache's oil pastels for over 20 years now, so I was curious to see how the aquarelle crayons compared. 



When applied dry, the crayons act a lot like wax crayons, except they are denser and richer in color.  The magic happens when you add water.  Just look at the vibrancy and easy blending of color when a wet brush is applied! 



The Neocolor II crayons work beautifully on canvas panel, and I've used them on wood panel, too.  Here is a work in progress.  I used the water soluble crayons for the yellow moon.  I like that I can layer other mediums on top, which is a little trickier to do with oil pastels. 



I keep my crayons sorted in a metal slide storage box that I found at the estate sale.  I already added some new colors to my collection. 



Aquarelle crayons are a wonderful material for kids, too.  My daughter used them to make her valentine's card design. 


5 comments:

K. said...

Interesting. How do you find them as far as the ability to control the colour? Do you think they're better for less precise sweeping backgrounds or abstract work?

Laura C said...

Hi, Cathy. I enjoy your art so much. A question came up in an article about Pinterest that questioned whether one should pin original works of art to one's Pinterest boards. I pinned one of your works and I did state that it was done by you. If this is not okay, let me know, and I will remove the pin. I respect your status as an artist and want to honor it correctly.

Cathy said...

Kerry,

I do use the crayons for just background work. I tend to use acrylic ink and a fine brush for details. However, I recently purchased a few water soluble colored pencils (Caran d'Ache Supracolor) that I have yet to try out.

Laura,

I'm happy to hear that you enjoy my art : ) As long as my work is credited on Pinterest, I am totally fine with you pinning my art. I really appreciate you asking.

susanna said...

I had not heard of those crayons before. It's interesting to see how they work and to read your review of them. It's always good to learn of a new art medium! Thank you.

Susan said...

Oh I have those crayons too, somewere bought them one for a sketchexcursion to Český Krumlov but never used them. At least not there. I found they didn't give me enough detail, never thought of using them to make backgrounds.. I'm gona dig in my artstuff some time soon and try them out again.

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