Neocolor 2 Pastels in Mixed Media Art
Summary: An intro to Neocolor 2 wax pastels in layered, mixed media artwork.
The Swiss company Caran d’Ache introduced a versatile, water-soluble wax pastel called Neocolor ll Aquarelle in 1975. Being a sucker for colorful art supplies, I bought a full set of Neo 2s sometime in the early 1990’s and used them to illustrate my children’s picture book about the life cycle of sea turtles, Tracks in the Sand.
In recent years I’ve been exploring the many ways to use Neo 2s in my mixed media art. Their features include:
• The ability to make grainy, flowing, drippy, and otherwise unique marks
• Naturally opaque; become more transparent as water/medium added
• 84 standard colors with lightfast ratings from Good to Excellent
• Apply dry OR with water/medium: Spray water on surface; Dip Neo 2s in water/medium
• Can be reactivated with water: Apply them dry then brush on water to create a wash
• May require sealing before adding a new layer to prevent smearing
Image 1: I prefer to work on canvas almost exclusively; this is an 8 x 10 inch canvas. The variety of marks available from the Neo 2s are what draws me (pun intended) to these pastels.
The sunflower layers at this point are as follows from the canvas up; Texture medium; Acrylic paints; Neo 2s on top. Because I wanted to add dark Neo 2s on new layer, it was necessary to seal this to avoid blending and/or smearing. See the info page for my supplies such as the spray varnish used to seal the artwork at this stage.
Image 2: The yellow lines came from an acrylic pen; acrylics don’t need to be sealed before applying Neo 2s.
The dark green, grainy lines made with a damp Neo 2 reveal the underlying texture.
Image 3: The brushy marks are acrylic paint, while the grainy ones are Neo 2. However, the smoother brown circles and marks are also rendered with a Neo 2 applied wet.
Image 4: After sealing the art at the stage shown in Image 1, these black marks were added with a damp Neo 2. I use the Caran d”Ache palette plus water to get the pastels into the Goldilocks zone of not too dry but not too wet. If they’re too dry they don’t spread enough but if they’re too wet they flow all over the place and obscure the grainy texture. Just depends on the look you’re after.
Image 5: The sunflower artwork is more or less finished, maybe. For example, adding pure white here and there could add some punch. But overall the varied textures and patterns, bold black areas, and saturated colors add up to a fresh, whimsical piece.
For literally decades I’ve been dissatisfied with my artwork made with (for example) solely a brush and paint — it ends up smeary and flat or otherwise frustratingly blah. Mixing media, especially with these flexible Neo 2 pastels, has been a game changer.
+++ ALSO +++
The original Neocolor 1 pastels are not water-soluble, though they can also be used in mixed media artwork. For example, they can be used as a resist since they don’t dissolve in water. For me, they’re pretty unforgiving because they can’t be erased. But you can always paint over them!
The official name of these amazing water-soluble wax pastels is written as Neocolor ll. Sometimes people write it as Neocolor ii. I’m using the nickname Neo 2s because my brain finds it easier to recognize.