Every art supply has its unique characteristics. This is true of colored pencils and crayons, as well as other adult coloring or art supplies.
There are similarities between colored pencils and crayons. Both are used to create color on a page. Some have a wax base, while others have graphite or an oil base.
With that said, because crayons often rely on their wax base to maintain their form, their use can be somewhat different. Both can be sharpened to a fine point, but each will hold the point differently. Furthermore, within the two groups, there can be differences in the way they are applied. Both can be combined with watercolor, ink, or even other mediums for a mixed-media application method.
Differences between colored pencils and crayons
The greatest difference between colored pencils and crayons is the method used for them to maintain their form. Colored pencils, whether they have a hard or softcore, usually rely on a wooden tube to maintain their shape. Crayons are formed, using wax or an inert substance, to maintain their shape. While both can be sharpened, the pencils tend to retain their point longer for fine detail work. Crayons, on the other hand, facilitate covering wide expanses of color with ease.
Types of Pencils
Colored pencils are available in varying degrees of hardness, just as are standard graphite pencils. Furthermore, some drawing pencils could be considered “colored” in that they have varying shades of black, some being dark, some white, and some extremely black. Charcoal pencils can also fall into the “colored pencil” category, although they are rarely used in coloring books. It can be done, with some interesting results.
Types of Crayons
The most commonly used crayon is the wax crayon, frequently by children in a school setting. Do not sell the common wax crayon short, however. It can be used to create exceptionally lovely effects, either in coloring books or as part of an artist’s repertoire of mediums. In addition to wax crayons, there are oil crayons which are often referred to as oil pastels. There are also chalk pastels and charcoal sticks, both of which might be considered a crayon in the sense that they are formed shapes and that they are used to apply color.
Techniques using Colored Pencils
Colored pencils work very well for hatching, cross-hatching, looped scribbles, and pointillism. By using a finger to brace the back of the sharpened point, they can apply broad areas of color. Because a sharpened pencil point tends to dig in, they are not ideal for the least expensive coloring books, or for papers that have a coarse tooth. They can be blended, with or without a medium. Oil-based pencils can be used to help create a watercolor resist, color portraits, and lend themselves very well to landscape art.
Techniques using Crayons
Crayons are excellent for creating bold colors, and dark outlines, or for lightly coloring wide expanses. They are an ideal medium, both as wax or oil, for making watercolor resists. Turned on their sides, they are perfect for filling in smooth areas of color. When colored lightly as a first layer, they can then have details added over the original application. Also, using the layered coloring method, crayons can be used to create scratch art in which a base color is created, then colored over with one or more additional layers of crayon. When the layers are complete, details or even a complete picture can be scratched onto the surface, allowing the other colors to show through.
Advantages of Crayons
Although like all art materials, cost frequently indicates quality, wax crayons are an inexpensive art supply. They are often one of the first types of color offered to young children, the other early art supply frequently being finger paint. Chubby crayons allow young children to grip them in a fist (rather than like a pencil) and to use them vigorously with minimal breakage. Children aged two and under should always be supervised when using art supplies. Chubby crayons can be useful for adult coloring, as well, since a peeled chubby crayon turned on its side offers plenty of surface for coloring wide expanses and good gripping opportunities. Even the better sorts of crayons are low cost when compared to acrylic paint, oil paint, and even some colored pencils.
Advantages of Pencil
Pencils produce a more exact line, even after the point has worn down a bit. Even though they do not usually erase, correcting a pencil drawing is easier than correcting a crayon application. They are much easier to blend than a crayon and can be used with blending solutions, while crayons cannot. They are also less messy since the wood around the colored core helps keep the color medium away from fingers. Although often comparatively a little more expensive than wax crayons, pencils are available in a range of prices that run the gamut from those suitable for elementary-age youngsters to fine art supplies for serious artists.
Oil Pastels
Although technically a crayon, these are a transitional art supply that begins to bridge the gap between crayons and pencils, moving toward the paint. They can be layered like crayons, they can be used in resists, and they can be blended like soft pencils. They are an excellent choice for portraiture or developing three-dimensional effects.
Chalk
Colored chalks can be used similarly to oil pastels, in that they can be blended to some degree. They can be used on cardboard or dark backgrounds to good effect. To keep them from smudging or flaking, it is a good idea to use a spray fixative on finished pictures.
Charcoal
Charcoal sticks have properties similar to that of chalk and are the medium of choice for making monochrome artworks. They are excellent for blending, and are, to some degree, erasable. They are a traditional art supply, are mid-range in expense, and are frequently the go-to choice for preparatory sketching. Like chalk, completed pictures benefit from an application of spray fixative.
Check out this article on crayons HERE.
Transitioning from Coloring Books to Original Art
There is a school of thought that discourages giving young children coloring books. The idea is that the pre-made pictures will stunt the young artist’s creativity, locking him into forever coloring between the lines. Proponents of the “no coloring book” also reference the way preschoolers will often simply scribble across the lines in a picture, disregarding the representation.
In practice, youngsters like having paper to draw on and they like coloring books. Coloring pre-made pictures is a restful activity, whereas original drawing from imagination memory, or life, is a more intensely creative process. Amateur artists often enjoy applying color to complex pictures or designs.
It is not at all impossible to transition from a coloring sheet to original art or even turn a simple, flat picture into something original and amazing. You might need to color outside the lines to do it, or you might use the lines to discipline your application technique.
Coloring books provide the opportunity for both children and adults who are not especially skilled in representational drawing to have a good time applying color to a page. It gives them a chance to enjoy creating textures, study the effects of different colors, or practice a variety of art applications ranging from the chubby fist motion of a toddler learning to apply marks to a page, to the delicate and possibly even fussy business of making a color-by-number picture look like the original, or enhancing a basic pattern from a coloring book for adults.
Crayons and colored pencils are an inexpensive way to try out coloring ideas. Or they can simply be a fun way to keep your hands busy while you watch your favorite video program at the end of a long day. You can keep your creations in their original book to enjoy thumbing through them later, or you can frame your best results to display or even to give as gifts.
When selecting coloring books, it is a good idea to consider the medium you will use. Crayons do very well on the less expensive books made for children or adults. These books are frequently less detailed with broader areas for coloring. This accommodates the wider tips usually developed by crayons.
A coloring book that features delicate, intricate designs is easier to color using colored pencils. The pencils will have a narrower tip, even when worn down. They will also take a finer point when sharpened.
In the final analysis, the paper, the book, the pencil, or the crayon is largely a matter of personal preference. The is no right way to color a picture. Some interesting techniques will create attractive results. The correct way is the way that gets the result that you are picturing in your mind, or that will get as close to it as your skills will allow.
Creating with color is a process. Every time you make something, you learn about how the pencils or the crayons will behave. That information will enhance your next efforts, making them better. The more you practice using crayons, pencils, or other art materials, the better your work will be. Art is not always about “doing it right.” Often, it is about taking advantage of serendipitous mistakes and pretending you meant it to be that way all along.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a serendipitous mistake?
A serendipitous mistake is an error that can be turned into something beautiful in your picture. The word serendipity was coined by Horace Walpole and is based on a Persian fairy tale about the Three Princes of Serendip. The three princes often found unusual or unexpected benefits from things while on their travels.
Do crayons have other ways of being used besides making pictures?
Indeed they do. A crayon that matches the finish on fine wood furniture can be used to disguise small imperfections before waxing. Used ends of crayons can be lightly melted and made into one large crayon that will apply “serendipitous” lines of color. These can be fun for both children and adults. Melted crayons or wax are applied to fabric in the process of making batik prints.
Are pencils or crayons better for use in a coloring book?
It is a matter of personal taste and enjoyment. Pencils are easier to use when fine detail is needed, crayons do a better job of applying color to wide expanses.
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