Crayons are a great choice for adult coloring book users because they come in a myriad of colors, are much more affordable than fancy pencils and pens, and they’re super easy to find. Even places like the grocery store sell them!
The crayons that are best for adult coloring, in general, are Crayola Twistables. However, overall, the best crayons are those that provide a large color diversity, are more streamlined to the adult writing style, have a refined quality, and remind the user of their childhood coloring adventures. The wonderful thing about crayons is they’re extremely diverse and cheap so they fit into any beginner’s budget.
The best way to find the crayon that’s right for you is to take advantage of their low price points and experiment until you find what works! Below you’ll find some of our favorites that we discovered while perusing for the perfect crayon.
Crayola Twistables Are Ideal for Adult Coloring Projects
These crayons are thinner than most crayons, which is great for most adults as adult artists tend to have more familiarity with holding objects like pens and pencils as opposed to crayons. These crayons mimic the shape of a pen or pencil while still offering the waxy and almost rustic goodness that comes from crayons. They also still smell like crayons!
They cause less of a mess which is wonderful when you’re trying to engage in an activity that’s meant to relax you. Whenever the crayon’s tip gets low, you can just twist the crayon, and more come up for you. There is no need to rip the paper off and possibly get wax under your fingernails in the process. The convenience makes them worth the few extra pennies you might end up paying for these in comparison to their traditional counterpart.
The great thing about the Crayola Twistables product line is the versatility the company has brought to this writing utensil. Crayola also sells Twistables in a long variety and a shorter variety, so you’re able to pick a size that feels appropriate to your hand.
If you want to tap into your inner child while using Twistables, invest in the scented variety. Having scented crayons as a kid was a treat, so why not spoil yourself during relaxation time and spring on some?
Using Caran D’Ache Wax Pastels is Fancy and Vibrant
Wax pastels are a fancy way of saying crayons made with higher quality ingredients, and the Caran D’Ache wax pastels deliver. They’re luxurious crayons that will make you realize you’re indulging in adult leisure when you use these on your coloring pages.
Their Neocolor 1 series is more like the traditional crayon that comes to mind, but their Neocolor 2 set doubles as a water coloring medium since they dissolve a bit in the water. This allows you to go over your coloring with a paintbrush and smooth out the texture or get hard-to-reach corners, and it also provides you with the opportunity to try out a new medium in your art without straying too far from the crayon coloring we all know well.
The great thing about these crayons is they’re still relatively cheap when compared to paints, markers, or pens of the same quality. Even when they’re all dressed up, crayons are the more economical choice. That doesn’t mean they’re cheap, however. These are the most expensive crayons on the market.
Check out our article HERE on working with pastels.
Reeves Watercolor Wax Pastels Also Deliver
If the Caran D’Ache watercolor pastels are your jam, but their price is intimidating, try out the Reeves Watercolor Wax Pastels. They’re a third of the price of the Caran D’Ache variety while still providing that element of experimentation that a water-soluble crayon provides.
They aren’t as bright, creamy, or reliably pigmented as the Caran D’Ache, but if perfection isn’t your end game, they’re the perfect bridge into a world that isn’t dominated by Crayola. You can get a feel for the artistry behind using a professional quality adult crayon without coughing up too much of your budget.
Step into History and Use Conté Crayons
Nicolas-Jacques Conté, a Frenchman, invented the crayons that take his name in 1795. This style of crayon has been used by some of the biggest names in Art History, like Picasso, and once you try them out, you’ll see why they’re still a hit today.
These crayons aren’t just colored wax or plastic, they are made from a mixture of graphite, natural pigments, and a special kind of clay. Because they’re so opaque when used due to the professional artist-level ingredients, they’re wonderful for any coloring projects you have on dark paper.
These coloring tools come in inspiring and themed sets, such as landscape colors, sketching colors, portrait colors, and larger assorted sets. This provides eloquence and maturity to your adult coloring sessions by conjuring a sense of artistic genius to your color selections and your overall work.
They are also square, which means they won’t roll off of your table! They’re meant to be broken into pieces when necessary, like during shading sessions, and their square shape means there’s always one portion that comes to a fine point that you usually can only access through sharpening.
Crayola Triangular Crayons Are Great for Those with Arthritis
If you suffer from arthritis or you are purchasing crayons for an elderly family member with arthritic hands, getting the Crayola Triangular Crayons can be a game-changer. Sometimes people aren’t able to get into adult coloring because they can’t grip the small pencils and crayons that are generally used for coloring projects. Crayola has solved that problem with their jumbo and flat-sided crayons.
The triangular shape lends well to the muscle memory in adult hands that want to grip something in a tripod formation while still providing lots of room for those with feeble grips. They can also be helpful in situations where eyesight is an issue as they’re clunkier than traditional crayons, easier to spot, and have flat sides that can be felt instead of seen if necessary.
Sometimes folks are capable of seeing enough to notice swaths of color on a page but can’t see enough to conduct fine motor skills. These crayons allow those who have a hard time seeing to participate in the fun of delving into an adult coloring project.
It’s annoying when we’re deep into coloring and we place a crayon down to grab another while having our eyes on the page and that released crayon rolls onto the floor. Or even worse, the rogue crayon gets the others rolling and they all fall onto the floor! Triangular crayons take away the potential for such a catastrophe since their sides are flat just like the table.
The Stabilo Woody is for Pencil Fanatics
If you’re having a hard time stepping away from your desire to use colored pencils during your adult coloring sessions, using Stabilo Woodys is a great compromise. They look like and feel like pencils, however, their markings are that of a crayon.
They are water-soluble as well, so if you’re toying between buying watercolor pencils and crayons, this is the perfect compromise. They can be used in a variety of ways on a huge array of mediums including glass, so no matter what you decide to print or transpose your coloring pages onto, these crayons are up for the job.
Stabilo Woodys are well known for not pilling or crumbling, which is unusual for a crayon and more in line with what is expected of pencils. However, they’re still waxy, clunky, and vibrant, so they deliver the visual experience you desire when you pick up a crayon.
Whatever your coloring preferences, remember that there is a crayon out there designed for you. If you want to color over quality, Crayola products are the tried-and-true best deal. However, don’t limit yourself. Keep in mind that there are professional quality crayons designed for artists that will elevate what you imagine when you consider crayons.
Just remember that using crayons can be a refined experience even if you’re choosing this tool because it brings up images of scribbling happily in childhood. You can still center yourself and release your inner child with a more grown-up crayon choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are crayons environmentally friendly?
Some are and some aren’t. You’ll want to pay attention to the ingredients that go into a crayon, as some are made of organic materials and others are made of plastic. Every manufacturer lists the ingredients on their crayons online, and if they don’t, email their customer service representatives and they’ll provide you with a clear answer.
What is a graphite crayon?
Graphite crayons are waxy sticks that contain graphite instead of other pigmentation agents generally found in crayons. This means you’ll get the effect of pencils while getting the coloring experience of a crayon.
How do I make crayons packaged for kids look appropriate for an adult?
Take them out of the original packaging, and buy a cheap tin to keep them in. Danish cookie tins that are more famous for sewing equipment are a great bet. You can also buy nondescript pencil pouches for storage but be wary since crayons can easily break in flimsy containers.
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