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Marie
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2025
I have some neocolors, and yes those are better, but these are very good for sketching out ideas quickly, as a first draft of ideas, or to brainstorm or mind map. I am really enjoying them! Of course these are student grade, but they are a great price for student grade. The colors are vibrant and do push a bit.For an inexpensive set to sketch out ideas, or for kids and students, recommended.
Crafter
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2025
Really nice water soluble pastels, comes in a tin and you get a test colour card, thin plastic palette, sharpener, water paint brush and 12 coloured pastels. The colours are really bright and you've got all the standard colours. They are really easy to use, they dissolve in water easily and if you put a few layers on the colours are bright and punchy or you can use just a swipe or 2 and get a muted watercolour tone. They make stunning backgrounds and work really well on art journals. They are very good quality and definitely worth the price I absolutely love them.
Arlene Jane Dawson
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2025
Usually use oil based pastel crayons but these promised different effects. I like that the come in a case complete with sharpener and brush so you are good to go right out of the box. You can use just like standard crayons on the page then blend in with water to give different effects, nice for drawing sunsets, water edges or flowers.I found them easier to use by putting the colour on a pallet with water to get the shade and consistency before applying to paper. They are a good set to learn with as you get lots of colours and storage included. Once you have the hang of how they work you can get good effects so a bit of trial and error may be required.
Vine product reviewer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2025
Really enjoyed using these pastels and they come in a nice metal tin. The colour names are lovely such as Menton lemon. There is a colour swatch inside but unfortunately not the same colours as this set. They act like crayon oil pastels but I really liked them when I added water - there's a little plastic pallet that comes with them - you just draw the crayon in one of the squares and add a little water. Didn't use the brush that came with the set though as unable to control how much water added. They create really good for backgrounds for soft pastels. Previously I've had to grate pastel sticks to make a background but these make it easy and not grainy. This set I feel is really suited to some lovely coloured backgrounds. Not sure if I could completely use this set for a whole painting as not enough of a range of colours
Ellie C
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2025
I have used various art mediums but when it comes to pastels I've only used oil ones previously, but the young budding artist in the family had used water blendable ones at school and was very keen to have a set of her own so we thought we'd give these a try.The pastels come in a metal tin with a hinged lid and, as well as the pastels themselves, the set includes a plastic palette, a water brush and a sharpener. This makes it really handy if you're working outdoors or travelling, and also just keeps everything together and makes it easy to store at home.The pastels look like regular crayons but aren't waxy when using. They are drier, compared to oil pastels, when used direct to paper but richer and more pigmented than watercolour pencils. You can use them in several ways:Direct to paper - the amount of pressure used can give bolder, more textured effects or lighter coverage.Direct to paper and then blended out - can create different densities of colour, texture and opacity.Rubbed onto the palette and mixed with water before applying to paper - gives a more typical watercolour effect.Wet the pastel tip and apply direct to paper - gives a bolder, more opaque finish.I have shown some quick swatches in one of my photos to show, from left to right, mixed on the palette, direct to paper, and direct to paper then blended. I used a medium weight watercolour paper, you will get different results direct to paper if using smoother paper. If you prefer a more traditional watercolour effect I'd recommend the palette method but applying direct to paper and then blending with water offers different textures and opacity if you like exploring different techniques but looks less refined.On first impressions, I thought the palette looked very thin and wasn't sure how well the pastels would adhere to it's shiny surface but it's actually fine to use and is easy to clean. The water brush is alright, it does a fairly decent job, and the tip can give reasonably detailed strokes but I'd probably just use my own brushes to give me more versatility, although it is handy if you don't want to carry extra brushes if you're painting outdoors or travelling.I'd say this set is good for budding or amateur artists and those looking to try a new medium rather than professional artists, so I'm sure our budding artist will be pleased with it.
pete
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2025
These pastel crayons seem to occupy a space somewhere between a coloured pencil, an oil pastel and watercolour paints, but they are not like chalk pastels in that they cannot be blended in dry form, or smudged against your surface. The mark they make against a white paper surface is similar to that of a coloured pencil, or a wax crayon, but the pigment is water soluble, and can be shifted about your paper with the included brush, which isn't of great quality, but houses a water reservoir in the same way that a fountain pen delivers ink to a nib. The pigment in these pastels, isn't particularly strong, and a certain amount of pressure will leave a pastel stroke against your surface which isn't entirely soluble, but can be "effected" with the brush to create a wash. The colour palette seems very much shifted toward the yellow spectrum, with plenty of variants of yellow ochre and olive green, but the red end of the spectrum is poorly represented and the blue end of the spectrum has no ultra marine and just one prussian blue, with a turquoise and rose madder occupying a place somewhere in between. They do come rather nicely presented in a metal box and there is a rather poor quality plastic sharpener included, but they present very well, even if the blues and reds are a little unrepresented. Not sure how much they are asking for this set of 25 water soluble crayons as it is showing as "currently unavailable" but I think £10 would be about the price I would be prepared to pay.
Tammy B
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2025
Excellent quality and colors!
Belouise G
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2025
This is a fun art supply to experiment with. After applying them to paper and then adding water I was never fully able to get the "crayon texture" to disappear but that is not necessarily a bad thing but just good to know if that is the expectation. The texture can have its place depending on your intention with your art. The added removable plastic palette, sharpener and water brush round out the set very nicely. I'm happy to have them and look forward to discovering more ways I can implement them.
Chris
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2025
These water soluble pastels were fun to use, though I do not think they would work for me personally as a stand alone art supply. Instead I think they shine best when used in addition to other mediums. When using them dry on paper, and then blending with water, I found they only partially dissolved and I could always see my previous marks on the paper underneath. I think they're great for adding texture on top of watercolors or gouache but I think it would be hard for me to use these in place of watercolor- so I wouldn't personally recommend them in place of watercolors or another water-based medium.That being said if you like mixed media or exploring different textures and combinations of supplies I think this set is very complete in that regard, and would be fun for any artist to fiddle with and explore. The included water brush and plastic insert (that's meant to be used as a palette) ensure you can use this set as is without any additional materials which is also very convenient and might make this set suited for a beginner who might not have a lot of additional tools at their disposal!
Evelove1989
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2025
-This water soluble pastel/crayon set comes with 12 vibrant colors, a water brush, a sharpener, and a plastic palette. The listing does not claim to be a professional art supply, so I did not expect professional quality. This art supply was very fun to use and experiment with, and I was able to use it on watercolor paper, mixed media paper, and thinner sulfite and sketchbook paper. I will mainly be using this in my sketchbook for experimenting, sketching, and for fun. I will not be using this supply on any art that I plan to gift or sell, but I may take pictures or scan art that I make for social media or prints.-These pastels/crayons are slightly bigger than a standard sized wax crayon. It does not take much pressure when coloring with the pastel dry on dry paper. The color from this pastel easily rubs onto skin while using it, but soap and warm water quickly washes it off. The color lays down vibrantly and thickly. It takes a few seconds to activate the pastel with water to get enough pigment to use it like watercolor. When I try to activate/blend the areas that I colored dry on paper, I can not get all of the pigment to blend and some texture remains under the activated/blended pastel. This is not a bad thing for me because the texture looks interesting to me and I can use this in many different ways when I am creating for fun in my sketchbook. I really enjoyed using these pastels with ink and other art supplies to do quick sketches and quick washes of color. I would have liked for these to have been a little more pigmented, but then again these are not professional supplies and they do not claim to be. The sharpener works great and does a great job sharpening the pastel. The great thing about these pastels is that you can use the shavings from sharpening them by activating them with water and using them like watercolor so nothing is wasted! The brush is a nice brush and works well, but it is on the softer side. A stiffer brush works better for activating the pastel with water and for blending with water.-I would definitely recommend these to others, and I will be ordering the bigger set when these are used up! Just remember that the listing does NOT claim that these are professional art supplies, so it is important to have proper expectations of this art supply if you are going to purchase it! With the right expectations of this supply, you can have lots of fun experimenting and creating art!
Dara283
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025
The classic 12 color iCrayon Water-soluble Pastels come nicely packaged in a sturdy and durable tin and include a plastic palette, sharpener, and water brush. The colors of the crayons are vibrant and the texture is thicker and creamier than a standard wax crayon, yet not quite as blendable and creamy as an oil pastel or other water-soluble pastels on the market (Portfolio or Gelatos). These crayons are very similar to the Caran d'Ache Neo Color II crayons, even down to the package design, however they are not as blendable. The iCrayon pastels work best with water, but keep in mind that you can never quite blend out the texture of the crayon on your paper like you can with Neo Color II. They absolutely will not blend well dry with fingers or a blending tool, so in that regard they don't behave as pastels.In my experience, when using them with water, these work best by scribbling the crayon on the plastic palette and picking up the color with a wet brush, producing a nice watercolor effect, or by wetting the crayon itself for heavier coverage. They can of course be used just like a regular crayon, and they can be layered over each other.In the photos I have attached you can see swatches where I played around with the crayons as well as the packaging. I used a cold-press watercolor paper that was 140 lb / 300 gsm with medium tooth, but a smoother paper would work better for these. The photos show the different ways I tried blending them.Overall, I like them and feel they will work nicely alone or with mixed media projects. The only issue I experienced was with blendability and for me, calling them pastels is a bit confusing for that reason.
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