Crayola Crayons

Got a new box of Crayola crayons to test and play around. Despite their popularity, I have not used them much lately myself since I prefer the softer and more pigmented Caran D'Ache Neocolor crayons. Still we always have a few sets available in most of our classrooms as a quick and easy coloring tool option.

While obviusly all were new, they were not arranged as shown on the picture on the back of the box.

Had to pour all six cardboard sleeves on my desk and sort them into their color families.

Also set aside the gel crayons and metallic versions.

Prefer to start a new box of coloring tools with every color neatly arranged accordin to their hue and tone.

Quick color sketch drawn on Deleter comic book paper. They work ok even on its smooth surface. Takes regular pressure and repeated passes to deposit enough colored wax over the paper surface. I consciously have to control my drawing pressure to avoid breaking the crayon since they are rather fragile.

Local shopping tip and sample field sketching kit

Time to check out your local Office Depot stores' clearance sections for some treasures. Some recent additions include assorted packs of index cards and holders that work quite well as portable sketching kits: take a handful of cards along with a pencil, and you can sketch anywhere without spending much in the materials used for your practice doodles and quick studies.
"500 blank cards for 83 cents" is a great deal that sure beats a small Moleskine sketchbook for ten bucks anyday. The Pentel Outline green/silver marker pen, refillable Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph 0.25 mm technical pen, and Staedtler Mars 0.25 & 0.3 mm technical pen refills were reduced to under 50 cents each (which is about 90% in savings from their retail prices).
Found this neat sketching bag (originally a German map case) in a recent trip to an Army Surplus store, proving that suitable art supplies can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places with just a little ingenuity. Its front pockets can hold a few wooden pencils, ruler, and sharpener while the two interior large compartments comfortably hold a Handbook 5" X 8" sketchbook and a tin of Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watersoluble crayons with a couple of waterbrushes. This light and compact set up could easily be taken along on field sketching trips and sketchcrawls.

Supplies for summer sketching kits

Found these colorful Beautone Soft Sided Clipboards on clearance at a local super store and decided to put together a couple custom sketch kits for my nieces in time for the 4th of July. The foldover cover has an inside pocket that can be useful for storing extra paper, photo references, and lesson handouts while protecting the drawing paper attached to the clipboard.
This arrangement would work well for a right-handed student that could draw on the vellum paper pad secured to the clipboard while still having a clear view of the reference material held on the foldover pocket. The cover can also be folded all the way back behind the clipboard for extra support and to hold it comfortably on one hand while sketching on the go. Using this type of clipboard over a regular sketchbook in the field offers a few advantages: (1) you can significantly lighten the weight of your sketch kit by taking just the amount of paper you actually need for a sketching trip, (2) the clipfolder can hold a customized selection of 8.5" X 11" paper sheets to cover different needs (tracing paper, printer paper for preliminary sketches, card stock, watercolor paper, etc), (3) compared to a hardbound sketchbook, it is easier to adjust the angle of your drawing support on a clipboard to keep your working area and reference subject within your field of view.
Some tools and paper format suitable for customizing your portable sketching kits: the Strathmore 300 Series 6"X6" Bristol Board Pad with a vellum finish is an economical and compact choice that accepts a wide range of media and that can fit in a small sketching bag. Graphite (Uni 2 mm H graphite lead), color gel inks (Pentel Slicci), waterproof gel ink (Uni-ball Signo DX UM-151 0.38 mm gel ink pen), and water-based marker inks (Tombow dual brush pens) work well and display quite nicely on these 2-ply bristol sheets. Manila drawing paper is another inexpensive support available at most office supplies and retail stores. A 9" X 12" drawing pad of cream-toned sheets is an ideal choice for sketching and practicing doodles with dry media like crayons and graphite pencils.The 2 mm amd 5.6 mm graphite leadholders work well on the Manila drawing paper. The 0.5 mm mechanical pencil loaded with B lead can be tricky to use on this paper, for the chisel edge that tends to develop at the tip of the thin lead can easily snag the paper fiber and rip the soft paper surface. The Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayons work nicely on the Manila drawing paper, for its cream tone provides a good foundation for coloring flesh tones and its texture readily accepts the richly pigmented waxy marks.

Never too early to introduce kids to quality Art materials

I am strong believer that artistic development can be encouraged and nurtured by allowing children to explore their innate artistic talents with artist grade supplies that typically outperform children's art supplies with more saturated pigment-rich colors and smoother feel on the drawing paper support. Naturally close supervision and guidance are required, and it would probably be best to stick to non-toxic choices.
Introducing Mateo to some of the best crayons in the market: Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons.
Checking out some of my doodle pages and quick test of a couple of Maxon Comic screen tone symbols.
At one year old Mateo can hold the Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing pen, but probably needs to develop his motor skills a tad further for a few more months before tackling actual drawing activities.
Nicole and Camila enjoying some coloring activities with a set of Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils.
Doodling some favorite subjects with a Sakura Pigma Sensei pen.
I might be biased, but I do not think my own sketching symbols for princess and flowers at 5 years old were as recognizable as the current work of Nicole.

A few free-style drawings and some colored sketches

Shared a set of 15 Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayons, plain white card stock, and some leftover coloring pages with lil' cousin Caro, Boris, and my nieces Nicole & Camila.
First pass at coloring the mermaid page.
Caro's cute cartoon gag rendition of a raccoon's late night encounter with a vehicle in a highway.Switching to coloring the dragon sheet.
While some boys balk at coloring the mermaid, the dragon was popular with both boys and girls.
Cute heart symbol used by Nicole on a surprise greeting card.
Her original birthday card design.
Nicole's free-style drawing of a whimsical family of aliens.
Drawing in the stylized stone mountain texture.
Proving that there's no age limit for enjoying crayons, Caro just had to join in the coloring fun!
For her second pass at the dragon sketch, Nicole added several creative details to the basic dragon outline: a castle under siege at the base of the rock mountain, a second fireball, a couple of storm clouds, and lightning.
Camila's colored version of an early mermaid and friends doodle.
Camila's free-style drawing of a person wearing sunglasses conforms to the typical stick figures for her age group.
Nicole's first colored version of the mermaid sketch.
Taking another stab at the mermaid sketch with a different color palette.
Though unfinished, I really like her choice of greens and consistent color selection on her third version.

Artistic kids impromptu sketching session during birthday party

Art supplies and coloring book combo kit: always a good choice to stimulate budding artists' creativity.

The Crayola® Color Wonder® Magic Light Brush set initially caught Nicole's attention, but she later found the thick clear paint frustratingly hard to handle. While they work well in preventing potential messy staining accidents, their sticky gel consistency does not help paint flow as readily nor as smoothly as a juicy wash of artist watercolor paint. Thus this kit would be recommended for beginning artists that might make a mess, but more advance students would be better off with quality paints and close supervision for a more fruitful and joyful painting experience.
Despite the glue-like consistency, the young artist managed to produce a fairly pleasing abstract piece.
Encourage practice and enjoyment of the drawing challenge, and artistic growth and confidence will naturally follow.
Pencil sketch of dancing guys which already display several graphic symbols for sounds and music.
Never too young to start doodling and following her big sister's example.
Confidently drawing with permanent ink from a Pitt Artist brush pen.
This aquatic menagerie included a whale, dolphin, and shark among other creatures over a spiral pattern grid.
"Good cousins draw the requests of their younger cousins".
Coloring a custom Purple Ranger with Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons.
Nicole's wall galleries.

Camila showing a promising start in figure drawing with this little guy which was "butt-enhanced" by her sister with a "3" symbol sketch.