The Ever-Versatile Neocolor (and Latest Sketch Kit Improvement)

 

Ever-versatile Caran d'Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons

The tiny Sendak was one of several ways I tried carrying Neocolors in the field,
but they all required an auxiliary bag.

Although Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels is a medium that I’ve dabbled in for as long as I’ve been sketching, it has only been the past year that I’ve given this Caran d’Ache product a serious workout. It started last summer when I tried carrying a supply of the crayons in the field. I tried several ways, actually, and none was ideal, so my regular use on location didn’t last long. It was enough, though, to reignite my love for Neo IIs.

In the winter, I put the Neo II crayons to work as a favorite doomscrolling prevention medium. Practicing from reference photos at home had double benefits: It encouraged me to mix the crayons with other media (which taught me which products they were friendly with), and, even more significantly, it encouraged me to try using them in the field again.

Sketching from photos helped me explore mixed media and encouraged me to try Neocolors in the field again.

The real breakthrough came when I devised a way to conveniently carry a half-dozen colors in my daily-carry bag instead of in an auxiliary bag. Then I discovered that my MacGyver’d solution had the additional benefit of serving as a painting palette!

Now that I’m using them regularly in the field, I’m appreciating the versatility of Neocolor II crayons even more. Unlike colored pencils, the chunky tips discourage fiddly details and especially encourage taking a more shape-based, painterly approach.

Using mixed media on location.

I especially enjoy using them in combination with both watercolor pencils and non-soluble pencils. Putting the crayon ends face up inside my bag enables me to use my “licking” method easily, and that encourages me to use them more like watercolor paints when I want to.

My life seemed perfect – except for one thing: I wanted more than the six colors that my MacGyver setup would allow. I needed something like that tiny coin purse, but larger.

Necessity is the mother of invention, or in my case, of late-night shopping. I knew Etsy was a good source of handmade things not available in stores or on Amazon. Indeed, I found a variety of simple, inexpensive fabric rolls sized for kids’ crayons, and one of them was exactly the dimensions I needed. It fits 10 Neocolor crayons perfectly. (Yes, it would have been easy to sew myself – if I still had a sewing machine and fabric scraps. But I prefer to support an entrepreneur. And don’t forget I’m lazy.)

This adorable roll, made by an Etsy merchant, is intended for kids' crayons. (It came with an elastic band to hold the roll closed, but I cut it off.)

I sewed the crayon case to the back of the Rickshaw pen case, which removes the bulk of the crayons from the main compartment. It has been working perfectly! (This post shows all the media in my daily-carry.)

The crayon roll is sewn to the back of my Rickshaw pen case.

But what about the tiny coin purse I had sewn inside – my original MacGyver solution? Initially, I was going to remove it. Then a thought occurred to me: My colored pencils eventually get to the point where they are not yet short enough to attach to an extender/holder, but they are short enough to disappear from view in the pencil case. The coin purse gives them the boost they need to stay visible for a while longer. (I avoid using extenders as long as possible because they add weight and bulk.)

The circled pink Inktense and gray Museum Aquarelle pencils are much shorter than they look. The tiny red coin purse sewn inside the pen case gives them a boost, which keeps them from disappearing from sight.

Isn’t it wonderful when my life is perfect! Well, at least my sketch kit (which, as we all know, is the most important part of life).

Ahhh.... my perfect life.