When I first started in art – back in the 2000s – I strictly used collage and acrylic paint, but somewhere along the line, I got introduced to the Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Water-soluble Wax Pastel, and everything changed! That’s when my art became mixed media (albeit still with only a few media). That’s when I began experimenting and bringing other forms of mark making into my art-play.
Since the original three crayons I was given as part of a class kit, I’ve graduated to the 40-piece set. I’ve also added Neocolor I Permanent Wax Pastels and Neopastels to my stash. I enjoy working with all of them, as they all have their own personality and uses.
Neocolor I
Although both Neocolor I and Neocolor II are wax pastels, they have very different characteristics. The Neocolor I crayons are permanent, meaning they are not water-soluble. They go on fairly smoothly; they will smudge a tiny bit (I think just enough to look messy, but definitely not enough to blend them) and they will not move with the addition of wet media. They make a great resist under watercolor or acrylic paint. They come in a variety of colors; according to the Caran d’Ache website, you can get a tin of 40 of these permanent wax pastels.
Neocolor II
Neocolor II crayons are much different. They go on very smoothly, barely smudge and activate with water. There are several ways to use them which take advantage of the fact that they are water-soluble.
- You can put them down dry, then activate them with a wet brush.
- You can apply them onto wet paper.
- You can dip them into water and apply the wet tip to your substrate
- Or you can apply color to a plastic surface, activate it with water, and paint with it as those it were a water color (You can use a fancy plastic palette from Caran d’Ache; I use a cheap plastic cutting mat from the dollar store).
And of course, you can use them straight, as a crayon. If I’m adding color to the top layer and I’m not concerned that they might activate, I always use the Neocolor II wax pastel. They come in a wider variety of colors (84) and they go on smoother than the Neocolor I does.
Neopastel
The Neopastel is not like the Neocolors in that it is not a wax pastel; it is an oil pastel. It’s thicker than the crayons and comes with blunt ends. They are very rich and creamy, not powdery at all. They feel like butter. Unlike the wax pastels, these are soluble in turpentine. They are also blendable and spreadable with your finger. I like to use these as a top layer on watercolors for a mixed media abstract. The Neopastels come in 96 colors. I have the 12-pack, which is really probably enough to keep me occupied, but they are so yummy to play with that I find myself wanting the larger set.
Caran d’Ache makes a wide range of products – more than just these three. There are colored pencils, graphite pencils, and fibre-tipped pens, as well as gouache paints. I haven’t tried any of these latter products, but I’m eager to check them out!
