Drawing materials: what to choose. Wax pencil: instructions for use, reviews Paints: which are better

There are all possibilities. Children use pencils and paints to draw different kind, markers. Any material has its own characteristics and advantages.

A wide selection of goods is presented not only in the distribution network, but also on sites on the Internet. The products of many companies, being popular, have proven themselves excellent quality and has positive feedback not only from adult consumers, but also from children.

Wax pencils

Drawing with such pencils is a rather long and laborious process that requires certain knowledge. Meet with unique technique drawing with wax pencils is possible, starting from childhood. However, for toddlers, this can be quite difficult. But for teenagers, it's time to figure out all the subtleties.

Criterias of choice

Wax crayons for children are represented by all kinds of brands, models, colors. They may differ:

• form,
• hardness,
• diameter,
• application method.

Professional managers, as well as educators and teachers, will tell you how to make a choice.

For toddlers who are just starting to create their first artistic "masterpieces", a set with a small number of colors is perfect. You can choose pencils according to the shape. Especially convenient, for example, triangular products.

If the child attends art school, he definitely needs simple pencils. In their characteristics, teachers of graphics and consultants in stores will help to understand.

For school lessons colored and simple wax pencils are useful. Do optimal choice help school teachers.

Pencil Properties

Wax pencils can be easily sharpened with a knife, just like ordinary pencils. This is a soft material. That's why it's easy to blend. And some children manage to replace makeup with wax pencils.

Create a drawing

Wax behaves differently on different material. They usually start with sketches made with light strokes. simple pencils. The drawings are then filled in with color sketches, in layers, from dark to light tones, and then rubbed in.

Buying pencils

Wax pencils are best purchased at specialized centers or online stores. This will save little artists from the harm of low-quality goods. In addition, in such points you can buy other necessary goods. For example, curly scissors, which will help you fantasize and cut out painted paper crafts.

Drawing is a useful activity that develops and shapes the personality of the child, as well as improves fine motor skills. The kid begins to draw incomprehensible scribbles first on the walls, and having learned to hold a pencil, splashes out emotions on paper. So that the child does not lose interest in drawing, you should choose high-quality tools.

Stationery stores or art markets offer a wide range of products that differ in price, texture and number of colors in the set. Pencils are produced by domestic and foreign manufacturers, some of them are intended for professionals, others are suitable for beginners. There are watercolor and pastel, soft and hard, translucent and matte types. How to choose colored pencils, what to look for, you will learn from our article. It also provides a rating of quality drawing tools, indicating the advantages and disadvantages.

For the little ones, triangular pencils are great, because they will teach you how to position your fingers correctly, that is, to hold them with a “pinch”, as adults do. This model has another plus - it does not roll off the table, so the child will not be distracted from drawing.

For children, you should also choose hexagonal pencils, but not round ones. Since the kids press hard on the stylus when drawing, which is why it breaks, it is better to buy a product with a thickened body. The diameter of a standard pencil is 0.6-0.7 cm, while babies need 1 cm.

Domestic-made pencils have a characteristic mark of softness or hardness - the letter "T" or "M" with a number next to it. Other marks are made on imported sets: B - very soft, and H - hard. It is more convenient for crumbs to draw with soft pencils.

Watercolor products that combine the properties of traditional and watercolor paints, more suitable for professional artists. If you paint a drawing with such pencils, and then draw a wet brush over it, it will seem that the image was painted with paints. They are available only in standard thickness, round or hexagonal shape. You can buy them for schoolchildren, because drawing with them is a pleasure.

Wax crayons make a great gift little artist because they are easy to color. They are made from natural wax with the addition of food coloring. Pencils do not stain hands, have bright, fade-resistant shades. Wax pencils consist entirely of a stylus, so it doesn't matter which end you start drawing with. Maybe even sideways! For this reason, pencils do not need to be sharpened periodically, which is very convenient for kids.

Only they are not easy to draw thin lines and small parts. Another minus of pencils is why exactly these products are asking for a “tooth”. Even in quite conscious children!

What to look for when buying

Pencil selection criteria should not be limited by price or manufacturer. Often parents acquire the most colorful and big set which is not always the best. Drawing with colored pencils is a favorite activity not only for children, but also for adults. Manufacturers produce entertaining coloring pages with different plots that you can’t tear yourself away from, so it’s annoying when the stylus breaks or the body breaks in two when a pencil falls on the floor.

If you are wondering which is better to buy, pay attention to the following factors:

• brand;

Depending on these parameters, pencils vary in texture, dynamism, durability and color range. Inexpensive sets are sold everywhere, their main advantage is an affordable price, starting from 36 rubles. The cost depends on the size of the set, in which there are from 6 to 12 pencils.

Why are budget options not the best? Because in the end, people overpay by buying other pencils, a little more expensive, but better. The fact is that cheap pencils scratch paper, turn out to be too pale. So it's better to buy quality pencils and enjoy the creative process without worries.

Top best colored pencils for drawing

To choose suitable tool, professional artists it is advised to buy several sets from different companies and experiment with them. The best manufacturers, whose products have been tested by different generations, are presented in the rating.

Classic Faber-Castell Polychromos

If you're looking for time-tested pencils, then Faber-Castell makes what you're looking for. They are sold in a metal box, in a set there are from 6 to 60 colors. The stylus is thickened, made on an oily basis. Pencils are easy to store thanks to thoughtful packaging.

The colors are bright, juicy and blend beautifully. Faber-Castell pencils are unbreakable, suitable for sketching and painting. They manage to apply layers beautifully, without defects. The manufacturer uses only environmentally friendly paints to cover wooden cases. Pencils will seem expensive, but they pay off with a long period of operation.

Pencil overview:

Advantages:

• durable lead;
• bright colors;
• easy to sharpen;

Flaws:

• high price.

Average price: 1420 rubles.

Crayola pencils

These colored pencils are suitable for artists of all ages, from toddlers to teenagers and adults. Bright packaging and a wide range of creative tools distinguish them from the rest. The company produces watercolor, metal and wax pencils. Products are made from proven raw materials, so finished products are absolutely safe for children.

Overview of pencils from this manufacturer:

Advantages:

• strength;
• comfortable to hold;
• saturated shades;
• environmental friendliness.

Flaws:

• not detected;

Average price: 619 rubles.

Pencils for children under 3 years old - "Kalyaka-Malyaka"

For first-graders and kids attending kindergarten, the first pencils for drawing are most often products from the company "Kalyaka-Malyaka". They attract attention with an affordable price, a different number of pencils from 6 to 24 pieces.

Advantages:

• quality corresponds to the declared manufacturer;
• do not crumble;
• the lead does not break;
• soft enough.

Flaws:

• packaging does not withstand long-term use.

Average price: 190 rubles.

Colored pencils Prismacolor Premium

They are made on an oil or wax basis, are made for both professional artists and beginners. The stylus glides softly and gently over the paper, leaving a rich color. A couple of strokes are enough to make a masterpiece! Drawings made with pencils from Prismacolor look like photographs. The name of the shades is written on the pencils themselves, and the numbers are indicated on the box.

In order not to purchase a fake, it is better to order from American online stores or from trusted domestic sellers. Pencils are the leader of all ratings in the US and have high quality and therefore are expensive. The company produces different lines of pencils - soft or hard, watercolor. If you can’t choose one thing, you can buy several pieces of each series, and then combine them.

More about these pencils - in the video:

Advantages:

• wide range of colors;
• convenient packaging;
• high quality.

Flaws:

• high price.

Average price: 5,000 rubles.

Pencils KOH-i-NOOR for schoolchildren

Czech pencils from KOH-i-NOOR have been and remain prestigious drawing tools. The products of this company have been chosen for two centuries by professional artists and beginners.

The manufacturer came up with a unique technology, according to which pencils are made on three machines. On the first one, planks of cedar are prepared, on the second, a slate of granite. After they are connected, a pencil case with slates inside is obtained, which is cut on the third machine. The surface of the finished pencils is painted several times, then they are put on a gold tip with or without an eraser.

Video review of pencils:

Advantages:

• do not scrape paper;
• one package is enough for a long time;
• do not break after an accidental fall;
• sharpen perfectly.

Flaws:

• the price "bites".

Average price: 1,164 rubles.

Erich Krause watercolor pencils

The manufacturer is sensitive to their products, so the stylus contains a lot of kaolin and color pigment. Pencils from Erich Krause are a godsend for a novice artist or just a lover of coloring.

They have high-quality cores, are not erased and do not fade from paper. Pencils are presented in large color palette, so you can draw whatever your heart desires! Soft, watercolor, trihedral types are on sale.

Advantages:

• comfortable for children's hands;
• beautiful bright packaging;
• well chosen colors in one set.

Flaws:

• quickly consumed.

Average price: 250 rubles.

Maped pencils

Ergonomic pencils are ideal for children who are just getting started with drawing. The trihedral body is made of American basswood, and a special coating and multi-layer varnishing prevent slipping. Why is it convenient for the baby to hold a pencil in his hand.

The lead is soft, impact-resistant, so it does not break or crumble when sharpening. Thanks to the thick diameter, it will be possible to draw wide, saturated lines. Maped products are of high quality and bright colors. Many of today's young parents drew with exactly the same pencils as children, so it is safe to purchase them for their children.

Video test of pencils:

Advantages:

• comfortable to hold, especially for the smallest artists;
• bright colors;
• triangular shape.

For development fine motor skills many exercises have been developed. Drawing with pencils is one of the most loved by children. Fortunately, today manufacturers offer a huge selection of such instruments: in a case made of wood and wax, trihedral and round in cross section. Let's talk about each type in more detail.

Traditional pencils in a wooden case

Familiar from childhood, boxes with bright rods in a wooden “wrapper” are traditional tools of labor for all young artists. How to choose the best option for your child?

• Sectional shape. For the first creative experiments, objects with three faces are best suited. They teach the child in advance how to properly hold drawing and writing supplies in his hand. In addition, trihedrons are difficult to lose - falling from the table, they will not roll under the sofa. Similar parameters for hexagons. But it is better to refuse round sets.
• Lead hardness. It is important that the lead does not crumble in the case. Then the pencil will be easy to sharpen even by children's hands and will not become unusable after the first fall.

Watercolor pencils

Watercolor sets - the same paints placed in a wooden case. The rod itself is made of compressed watercolor. Drawings made in this technique are brighter and more expressive than ordinary pencil drawings. If the image is wetted, it is visually indistinguishable from a watercolor painting.

Wax pencils

Such sets are made of wax, which is tinted with food coloring. Pencil rods are soft, so clear colored lines work out for little artists without any extra effort. Plus, they're easy to sharpen. Wax sets are suitable for the first coloring pages with large details.

Since the invention by cousins ​​Edwin Binney and Harold Smith in 1903, crayons have become almost an integral part of children's lives. Remember your childhood and your children's albums, dotted colorful doodles inept lines and strokes. Drawing with colored pencils, perhaps, has not bypassed a single person on Earth, because drawing lessons begin with kindergarten and continue in primary school school precisely with pencils, along with watercolors.

No other commercial product can match the versatility of a pencil. Most importantly, wax crayons are absolutely non-toxic, made from natural materials, eco-friendly and available in over 120 colors. In fact, with their help, you can get a lot more colors and shades by mixing them directly on paper during the drawing process.

Pencils and crayons undoubtedly play an important role in developing a craving for creativity in a child. As for the market for these products, here we see several different types pencils: regular classic, glow in the dark (luminescent), flavored, glitter and water-soluble. But, despite the variety, they all have the same basic ingredients: paraffin wax and pigments that determine their specific color.

Manufacturing methods

First we need to make paper tubes. They will serve not only as a form for our home-made drawing supplies, but also protect your hands from stained dyes later.

Tubes are very easy to make. You just need to wind several layers of any paper on a round blank of a suitable diameter, gluing the layers with PVA glue so that they are dense enough. How many layers will have to be wound depends on the density of the paper itself. As a result, you should get approximately the same tubes as in the illustration.

There are only two methods for making homemade drawing supplies themselves.

First method, similar to an industrial method, available, however, for do-it-yourself reproduction at home.

First, melt paraffin or stearin from candle cinders (beeswax is also suitable). In the melted paraffin, add the usual food coloring and about one tablespoon of boiling water. All this must be thoroughly mixed until the color of the mixture is uniform and poured into molds, that is, into those same paper tubes.

In industrial conditions, special hardeners and pressing are used to give the pencils the necessary hardness, but we can do without it.

Second method, not less affordable way making crayons for drawing with your own hands consists in using ordinary soap instead of paraffin.

You will need half a glass of soap flakes, again food coloring and boiling water. Soap flakes must first be dissolved in hot water. There should not be much water, but just enough so that the mixture has the consistency of a paste. If you pour water and the mixture is not thick enough, you will have to evaporate it.

After dissolving the soap flakes completely until the paste is even, add food coloring to it, and mix it all until the color is uniform. When doing this, make sure that there are no air bubbles in the paste, otherwise the crayons will be brittle. And in the end, pour into your paper tubes and leave them to dry for a day.

It is also easy to make new wax pencils from broken or scribbled ones. Just melt them down and pour them into molds.

If you subsequently wrap the pencils in colored paper or the original wrapper, then they may well become the most original gift self made.

By the way, one of the most interesting facts about crayons: the average child uses about 700 crayons from their first attempts at drawing through their decade.