So these aren't exactly crayons- they are sold as water-soluble oil pastels. They are shaped like a crayon but definitely have a less waxy consistency than a regular crayon. But I think they should definitely be added to the "Water-soluble Crayon" category
The Aquastics can be bought in either a 10, 20, or 40 pack. I am reviewing the 20 pack. They come in a lovely tin case. My case in particular had 2 of the same colors- I believe the Permanent Dark Yellow is missing and I had 2 of the Permanent Red Lights. So please note that in your case you will probably have the Dark Yellow :)
The only frustrating bit about the packaging is that the crayons are difficult to remove. The black plastic insert is removable so you could just place them in the tin if you find that you are also having this problem
All Aquastics are considered Artist- grade. Their lightfast rating goes from I (Best) to 5 (Worst). In the case of the aquastics all are rated either I or II. I noted the LF rating next to each color- although it may not be easy to see unless you zoom in a bit. As I've noticed with every water-soluble crayon brand- the Tan color fades out quite a bit with water. But the other 19 colors are wonderfully bright and vivid (White not shown in pic). I especially loved the Indigo
This is a sketch of an endangered Maleo bird using Cretacolor Aquastics. I started the painting laying down the first layer dry then adding water and spreading the color around. Then when the first layer dried I added the second layer and so on. I think that when you use this technique the colors definitely come out more opaque than traditional watercolors. When you add 2 or more colors dry together and then add water they blend beautifully.
So overall...
Pros: great colors, blends well dry & wet, available individually or as a set, lightfast
Cons: expensive, breaks fairly easily
Cretacolor Aquastics can be purchased at www.dickblick.com , www.jerrysartarama.com , and www.amazon.com
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