Marker, Pastel, Crayon, Colored Pencils

Material study with markers, pastels, crayons and colored pencils

Materials Explored:

Micron Pen

Manuscript Marker

Sharpie

Posca Marker

TFIVE Paint Marker

Crayon

Oil Pastel

Chalk Pastel

Prismacolor Colored Pencil

Colored Pencil

Watercolor Colored Pencil

Process:

• I tested all materials on smooth, textured white paper and on black paper. For some I tested both a lighter and darker color to see how well they would show up. I brushed water over part of the tests to compare how the pigment would bleed. When comparing the colored pencils I tried using them dry -then applying water and tried wetting the paper and drawing with them on top

Findings:

• The Posca and TFIVE markers gave the smoothest marks and left enough pigment to blend marks together so each stroke wasn't visible. Except they did show each stroke on black paper

• The manuscript and regular markers bled the most

• Unsurprisingly, the watercolor pencils worked significantly better than the colored pencils in water. Wetting the paper and then applying watercolor pencil helped keep pigment from becoming too opaque but wore at the paper and allowed for little control of the medium. I was easier to apply watercolor pencil dry and go in afterwards with a small brush for more control

• Chalk pastels and the dust they left could be used with water almost like a makeshift, less smooth and consistent gouache

• Micron, manuscript marker, marker, sharpie and crayon didn't show up on black paper like the rest of the materials

Ideas for Application in the Classroom:

• Crayon is water resistant, so that could be taken advantage of as a fun trick with watercolor art even with kids approaching or in middle school. Using crayon could naturally lead into lessons using oil pastels with their waxy similarities as a medium, and oil pastels could introduce kids to pastels as a way to lead them into lessons on chalk pastels when they're old enough and ready to handle the mess

  
  

• Posca marker, TFIVE marker, crayon, oil pastel, chalk pastel, Prismacolor colored pencil, and possibly colored pencil could be used to create a glow-y effect or night scenes, especially when teaching the definitions of "tenebrism" or "chiaroscuro"

  
  

• Lesson on blending, with different strategies with crayon, colored pencil, oil pastel, and chalk pastel

  
  

• Students could be given a demonstration of how water from a water dropper or brush can bleed marker and make materials hard to control (oops!). They could draw a tiny simple rainy day scene on a tiny portion of a paper in regular marker, watercolor pencil, or pastel and use water to smudge it. Then they could draw a car or house window around it when it dries, and draw the interior of a car or house around it in dry media to create contrast, as if it's raining outside.

  
  

  This could be used as a lesson in valuing mistakes as a natural part of the learning, experimenting and growing process and to encourage them to get creative and find ways to be inspired by mistakes. I could tell my story about my cat's spilled water dish ruining my marker drawings as a kid but how I realized I could use this as a technique to make pictures of the northern lights in the sky

  
  

• Dry materials with more texture (showing the white of the paper in spots underneath the pigment) like pastel could be layered over-top dried wetter materials with more coverage like markers or watercolor pencil to create depth within shadows. Or to give the illusion of textured white flecks seen when looking at a light source like a lightbulb, firefly, or dragon breathing fire (see last image for example)

Differentiation Strategies:

• In some ways it may be better to limit what kind of materials are being used for the day so students can best discover unfamiliar materials and be encouraged to experiment with different ways to use for them (allowing kids with different ways of thinking to approach the materials differently) before teaching technique. They could be asked to create as many different textures and types of marks as possible with the same material

• In other ways, when it comes to messy materials like chalk pastel, it may be best to accommodate for kids with different motor skills and ability to hold writing implements by providing both chalk pastels and chalk pastel pencils to help with control, how much dust is produced, and to give two different grip options (large and angled and tall round and skinny)

Technical and Safety Information:

• Chalk pastel and watercolor pencil were the messiest, I'd say chalk pastel was more messy from the dust residue and smudging and should be used with older kids. Introducing oil pastels and how to blend them first as a way to leading into blending with chalk pastels could be a way to familiarize kids with pastels before introducing more mess. I remember creating so much chalk dust and breathing it in as a middle schooler that I sneezed blue pigment into a tissue, so I wouldn't give them to the younger kids

• Motor skills may be difficult for some children who may struggle to not smudge chalk pastel. It may be difficult for younger children to cover large surface area when holding slim colored pencils with their slim marks. Markers, crayon, and sometimes oil pastel should be used for larger artworks with little kids

• Due to expensive pricing: Posca markers, microns with their fragile tips, and Prismacolor pencils should be saved for high schoolers and sometimes middle schoolers