I splurged recently, using some of the proceeds from my Summer Stories Archival Sale to buy a deluxe set of 84 Neocolor II Aquarelle crayons.

Years ago I somehow acquired a small, basic set of these crayons but never quite figured out how to feel comfortable using them. However, watching Emma Carlisle draw with them, and seeing what an integral part of her basic mixed-media kit these watercolor crayons are, I dug out my old set last spring and began to experiment.

Truthfully, I didn’t feel the love. They were sticky and just seemed clumsy and awkward. I wondered if I might have better luck with the non-soluble Neocolor I’s, so I picked up a small handful of open stock colors along with a single Beige Neocolor II at the Oakland brick and mortar Blick last May, figuring I’d give them a try.

What a difference!! – especially the Beige water soluble Neocolor II I sampled. I don’t know if Caran d”Ache changed the formula or, more likely, if surviving decades and multiple moves through various climates took a toll on my originals, but the ones I bought last spring were a completely different story. All the images in this post were created with the new Neocolor II’s I just bought.

They’re very creamy and glide going down on the page, they have fantastic coverage/opacity and the color of the Neocolor II’s can be easily moved around while becoming beautifully translucent when diluted with a watery brush. Both versions (I & II) can be layered over each other and mix well with colored pencils – although most successfully if the pencils are laid down first.
I was ready to invest.

Per usual, I spent a lot of time hemming and hawing over which set to buy – the 30? the 40? How many colors are enough and what would be too few? And then… a SALE! so I bought the set of 84 and now I’m in color heaven.

Remember the thrill of opening a Crayola box that had 64 crayons and a built-in sharpener? Well, I’ve realized very happily that that’s a feeling some of us never outgrow.
…And, for a bit of election diversion this weekend, enjoy a quick peek at the history of Crayola colors – it’s pretty interesting.

✷

Speaking of the election…is anybody else feeling like this lately?

There’s nothing else to say but get out there & VOTE!
See you on the other side.