Let's Play With Crayons

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

Today, let's draw with crayons. You know them from when we were small. Using these will actually give you back that feeling of playfulness and flow and fun that you remember from drawing as a kid.

So I will show you what my favorite crayon is, which brand and why, and explain a little bit about their versatality and the fun effects you can create with them.
Then I will show you how I use them in my sketchbook practice and when urban sketching.

This is not a sponsored post.
I am a big fan of Neocolor crayons from Caran d'Ache. They come in two kinds:

-Neocolor I are water resistant, like for example Crayola crayons that you'll find in the supermarket.
-Neocolor II are watersoluble and you can use them kind of like you'd use watercolor pencils, only they are buttery and bright and bolder and more fun.

You can create wonderful textures when you combine Neocolor I crayons with watercolor. Because these are wax crayons, they resist water and they resist watercolor. Simple Crayola crayons can do this too, and if you don't have those, simply use a wax candle for mark making.

On top of still wet watercolor, you can use the watersoluble Neocolor II crayons for rich colors and layering. You can also use NeocolorII kind of in the same way as watercolor pencils, only better.

Materials used in this video:

-Stillman&Birn Sketchbook Beta Series
-Daniel Smith Watercolors
-Pentel Aquash waterbrushpen
-Caran D'Ache Neocolor I&II
-Sailor Fude Calligraphy nib 55 degree angle, filled with Platinum Carbon Black ink

Your assignment this week:

Grab your crayons or your kids' crayons and have some fun combining them with your other materials. Make a drawing while being playful, curious and exploratorive.

If you like this Urban Sketching style of drawing: I'll be teaching a workshop in Edinburgh in July. We get to sketch beautiful architecture and capture the vibe of the city. There's just a couple of tickets left. Will you join me? Sign up here.