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.

Crayola Color Sticks Quick coloring Test

Got a box of 12 Crayola Color Sticks to try as a possible coloring tool for upcoming kids' art camps this summer.  While making a sample color chart on card stock, found these woodless colored pencils to be fairly opaque and stronger than crayons.  They are pretty hard, so they resist breakage well.  The pentagonal shape of their barrels can be used to lay down broad areas of color, and the corners can be used to draw linear strokes.  Despite lacking the precision and control of a well-sharpened conventional colored pencil, they can be used quite effectively for broad color applications and to quickly color some paper crafts like the pop-up castle prototype shown above.  Will add them to our classroom supply pool since I expect colored pencil fans will enjoy playing with them.

Middle School Students Art Enrichment Lesson 1 with Goof-Proof Pop-Up Cards Project

Pretty happy with how well the students tackled their pop-up card projects this afternoon at a Middle School.
First step was to completely color their background cards and selected character sheets.
Background card carefully colored with Crayola markers.
With pop-up flaps ready for the glue stick and attaching the colored character cut outs.
Completed goof-proof pop-up cards on the first day of class.

Crayola Hassle Free Watercolors set review

This Crayola Hassle Free Watercolors set was my latest find in the dollar bin of a local Office Depot store.
Since its color palette includes 3 primary colors and 3 secondary colors, this set could easily be used to illustrate basic color theory and the effective use of complementary colors.
Sample color chart and demo doodle on 90 lb Canson watercolor paper. Colors are fairly bright and transparent allowing for some gradual build-up of a painting. The two included white watercolor pens feel just like regular brush nib markers. The tray set is well designed and truly mess-free, for the solid paint pots would not spill even when shaken upside down. Colors can be mixed by simply dipping the marker in two pots, just make sure to start with the lighter color first to prevent its contamination with the darker hue.
When switching colors, the brush markers can be cleaned simply by rolling them on the pre-moistened cleaning pad which is also reversible. It really only takes a couple of seconds to load the marker brush nib with color. While keeping it in the paint pot longer results in a more intense color, it will also make it harder to clean completely before switching to another color.
The set required minimal cleaning as advertised. After cleaning the markers on the pad, I also ran them under the faucet to remove all traces of color after this review test was completed. The cleaning pad also rinsed clean quickly with just regular tap water. Recommended for younger kids and as a good amusement option while traveling by car or airplane given its mess-free nature.

Crayola Watercolor Pencils Review

Since I got a couple class packs for upcoming Family Art Night activities, decided to do a quick review of the Crayola watercolor pencils. While I have not found any local brick-and-mortar retailer that carries them, they are fairly easy to find online. They are a good introduction to the advantages and range of techniques possible with watercolor pencils with a minimal investment. Watercolor pencils often feature a brush design on their barrels to highlight the water soluble nature of their leads.
Colored chart on Canson 90lb (185 gsm) watercolor paper displaying the expressive range of the set of 12 Crayola watercolor pencils: the left side of each color swatch was left dry, the middle shows how much brighter each color looks when wet, and the right side consists of the transparent color wash produced by dragging a loaded waterbrush on to the uncolored paper.
Dry sample illustration colored on white card stock with the watercolor pencils.
A large Kuretake Niji waterbrush was handy for smoothing out selected areas of dry watercolor pencil.
These Crayola watercolor pencils are versatile fun coloring tools that can be used dry and wet. They allow the precise control of regular colored pencils when sketching and drawing with them, and their dry marks readily dissolve into smooth delicate transparent color washes with the aid of a water loaded sable brush or a waterbrush. Worth trying for a creative change in your kids' art time or classroom.