Caran d'ache Neo Art Watersoluble Wax Pastels a.k.a. One of my Favorite Mediums to Use

**Please read all the way through if you intend to order these.** If you've taken an in person class with me, chances are you've seen me demo and had a chance to play with my Caran d'ache Neo Art Water Soluble Wax Pastels. They're one of my most favorite tools to use to add color to the page. I call them the "Insert Expensive Car Name Here" of watersoluble crayons. There is a HUGE difference between these chunky crayons vs. the neocolor II (skinny) crayons. They're expensive but there's a good reason for it. Use the skinny neocolor II's and then use these babies and you'll see what I mean. There is MUCH more pigment in the chunky Neo Art wax pastels vs the skinny crayons. MUCH MORE. They also last FOREVER. I still have my original set (and have only had to replace a handful of colors) which I bought more than ten years ago. It's the ones we use in class. The above set is my personal set for at home. You can blend these with *anything* wet (paint, acrylic mediums, water, tea, spit, beer, etc...) and they will move. My favorite way to use them is dry, colored hard and then rubber with an old rag or paper towel. You don't need to seal them at all but rub them in with a rag *OR* use something wet to blend them into the page. You don't need a full set of 60. The colors that I continually reach for are: Golden Yellow Ice Blue Gold Silver White Black Cobalt Violet Purplish Red Grass Green Lemon Yellow Spring Green Azurite Blue Burnt Sienna Shop around as they used to average (MANY years ago around $3.50 a crayon.) The price has gone UP since then and now average about $4.50-5.50 per crayon. Also, if you do buy a set of 30, don't go looking for a second set of the other 30 colors. They don't sell them that way. It's rare to see a store owner have the full set of 60 "open stock". I learned that the hard way many moons ago. Caran d'ache names EVERYTHING neo art and it is VERY confusing as to what to buy. *IF* you want the crayons that I am talking about you want THESE, Caran d'ache NeoArt Aquarelle Water Soluble Wax Pastels. They are NOT chalk. They are NOT oil. They are FAT crayons (they are about the size of your thumb). Please do not confuse them with these, these, these or these. Unless you buy the Caran d'ache NeoArt Water Soluble Wax Pastels at wholesale price, you will NOT find them for less than $4 *per* crayon. Update from 2018: Caran d'ache Neo Art Water Soluble Wax Pastels have, sadly, been discontinued. I have heard that the company plans to reformulate SOME of the Neo Color II's to have the same pigment quality as the Chunky Neo Art Water Soluble Wax Pastels but emails and requests for more information have gone unanswered.