How to Use Water Soluble Crayons?

Water-soluble crayons are versatile art supplies that can be used in a variety of ways, combining the characteristics of crayons and paints.

Basic Techniques

Here are the primary ways to use water-soluble crayons:

Dry Application: Use them directly on paper like traditional wax crayons for bold lines and solid colors. They are very similar to oil pastels but are water-soluble.
Water Activation: This is where the magic happens. Water-soluble crayons react to water, allowing you to achieve watercolor effects.

Applying Directly to Drawing: After drawing with the crayon, wet a brush with water. Gently brush over the crayon marks on the paper. This will blend and spread the color, creating a watercolor-like wash.
Painting with the Crayon Color: As referenced, you can achieve more control over small details, by rubbing a wet brush over the crayon and painting with it. This approach concentrates the pigment on the brush, making it easy to create fine lines and controlled washes.
Layering: You can layer colors and blend them by reactivating them with water. Apply multiple layers and then blend with water to get depth and unique color combinations.

Using as a Palette: Instead of applying the color directly to paper, rub a crayon on a palette (or a plate, or a plastic card, or a lacquered table). Then, use a wet brush to pick up the color and use it like watercolor paint. This is useful for controlling the pigment load and for getting a wide variety of washes with different strengths.
Controlling the Wash: This technique is especially beneficial if you are looking for more diluted washes because you can control how much pigment you pick up with the wet brush.
Mixing Colors: Similar to using traditional watercolor palettes, you can mix different crayon pigments on your palette and then pick them up with a wet brush for custom color combinations.

Paper Choice: Use thicker paper or watercolor paper to prevent buckling when using water.
Brush Control: Use a variety of brush sizes and shapes to get different effects.
Water Control: Use just enough water to blend the crayons. Too much water may dilute the color too much, while too little water will not activate the pigment.
Experiment: Experiment with different techniques and combinations of dry and wet applications to explore the full potential of water-soluble crayons.

Technique	Description	Use
Dry Application	Applying the crayon directly to the paper like a normal wax crayon	Creating solid fills, bold lines and as a base for water activated areas
Wet Brush	Applying a wet brush to a crayon mark already on the paper to create a watercolor wash.	Creating soft washes, blending, and reactivating previous layers.
Palette Technique	Scraping crayon onto a palette to lift pigment with a wet brush.	Controlled washes, fine details, and mixing colors.