April's Review	Randi's Review	Penny's Review	Karen's Review	Tammy's Review

Review by April

Coloring with crayons has always been a passion of mine and I am firm believer in coloring therapy. I would also mention that I am a crayon collector or hoarder I guess you could say, and I currently have over seven different types of crayons in my scrapbook room. I always like to encourage others to use crayons as well because they are very versatile and can be used for a variety of scrapbooking projects and altered art. When I found out that Staedtler manufactured their very own Watercolor Crayons, I couldn't wait to try them out and was literally jumping up and down when we were asked to review them! Staedtler is an extremely reputable company and has been manufacturing art materials and writing instruments for over 150 years. I have fallen in love with several Staedtler products we have reviewed and I knew their watercolor crayons would be just as wonderful!

For this review I received a set of 12 Watercolor Crayons from Staedtler. The crayons are packaged in a sturdy tin carrying case that is referred to as a clamshell case because it opens and closes easily, yet provides a dent - like lock that keeps the case from opening when turned over or carried on it's side. Since the case is only about 5"x5" across and a little under 3/4" deep, it would be easy to pack in with your scrap supplies and ideal if you just want to pop it in your purse for easy access whenever inspiration strikes. The back of the tin features a crayon drawing and a detailed overview of three different crayon techniques. When you open the case, there is a printed list on the inside of the tin lid that lists all of the crayon colors in order. The bottom of the tin holds a blue plastic liner with individual slots for each crayon. Each crayon is a little over 3 1/2" in length and is a little thicker than a regular crayon. All of the crayon colors are vibrant and come in White, Yellow, Peach, Orange, Red, Bordeaux, Cobalt Blue, Light Blue, Willow Green, Green, Van Dyck Brown, and Black. Staedlter also provides the watercolor crayons in a 24 pack, or you can purchase them individually. Each of the colors are highly opaque and lay down smoothly. What I really like about these crayons is that they are so versatile. They can be used dry like a regular crayon, or you can use them with a wet paintbrush or mister to achieve a beautiful watercolor effect. All of the colors are gorgeous as is, but you can easily blend them to create almost any color combination you desire and a number of effects including shading. I tried them on a variety of surfaces and had great success with every surface I colored on!

I wanted to create a layout for my project, so I started by using the yellow, orange, peach, and red crayons to color a sun like backdrop onto a sheet of cardstock. After blending the colors, I ran a wet paintbrush over them and it created a beautiful sunset effect. I added a picture of my daughter, outlined the paper with the black crayon, and then placed a chipboard crown on her head that I had colored with the peach crayon. I mounted this piece on top of a sheet of patterned paper and a 12x12 sheet of cardboard that I had painted. To complete the design, I added journaling, some butterfly mirrors, a rub on quote, and a chipboard title. I used the Bordeaux crayon to color the chipboard word which colored very easily and looked great. At the last minute I decided to rub a little bit of glitter glue on the chipboard word and to my surprise, the wetness of the glitter glue caused the Bordeaux color to blend and darken. I thought the result was fabulous!

Title: She's a Dreamer
Products used:
Patterned Paper (Creative Imaginations)
Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Pens (Staedtler Triplus Fineliner, & Sakura)
Glitter Glue (Ranger Stickles)
Chipboard (Maya Road, & Fancy Pants)
Rub on (Autumn Leaves)
Mirrors (Heidi Swapp)
Ribbon (Basic Grey)
Paint (Jaquard Lumiere)
Carboard (Personal Stash)
Rhinestones (Wal Mart Cell Phone Bling)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

For my second project, I started with a pale pink sheet of cardstock and sprayed it with glimmer mist to add sparkle and interest. I then attached a clear scalloped frame to the page using ribbon and lined the inside of the frame with the black crayon. I used a wet paintbrush over it to achieve the watercolor look. Next I colored a frosted butterfly sheer with the red, bordeaux, orange, and white crayons. I attached the butterfly to the page using a jeweled brad and transfered a rub on onto the middle of the butterfly. The rub on worked perfectly on top of the watercolor crayons. I wanted to add a few tiny felt butterflies but their color was a little off so I used the bordeaux crayon to darken them. I really liked the fact that the watercolor crayons came off so smooth on so many different surfaces...I probably would not have thought to try other types of crayons on felt but these worked like a charm.

Title: Art in Your Pocket
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)
Butterfly Sheer (Maya Road)
Rhinestones (Sparkle Style)
Clear Frame & Ribbon (Fancy Pants)
Rub Ons (Scenic Route, & Hambly)
Felt & Jewel Brad (Heidi Swapp)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I worked on a small canvas for my last project. I laid a flower mask on the blank canvas and then colored over it with the light blue and the cobalt blue crayons. Then I misted the entire mask area with a blue shimmer mist and ran my fingers over some of the crayon to blend it. I lightly colored the other white canvas sections with the green and willow green crayons and then used a mini mister to mist over the green colors. I decided I wanted to color the sides of the canvas so I went back with the cobalt blue crayon, colored the sides and painted them with a wet paintbrush. The green areas were still a little wet so I decided to experiment by lightly touching the blue and green crayons directly on the wet surface and they just sort of pooled out and looked really cool. Since I wanted to keep the canvas simple, I added a rub on and small bird mirror. The entire process was fairly easy and I had a lot of fun creating it!

Title: Enjoy the Process Canvas
Products used:
Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Flower Mask (Heidi Swapp)
Rub on (Autumn Leaves)
Mirror (Heidi Swapp)
Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I was extremely impressed with Staedtler's watercolor crayons. I used them to create backgrounds for my designs and also decorated several different embellishments with ease. I will definitely be using them on scrapbooking projects from here on out, and would recommend that everyone give them a try. They are fun, produce unique effects, and are truly inspiring.

---

Review by Randi

I didn't ever think that I would use crayons in my scrapbook, but never say, "never." From Staedtler, manufacturers of quality markers and pencils, come these really cool crayons with a special twist.

I received a set of twelve "Karat Aquarell Watercolor Crayons" in a decorative tin. They are also available in a set of twenty-four. These versatile crayons can be used dry, or blended with a wet paint brush to create a watercolor paint look. In addition you can add special effects by layering and scratching.

I found the crayons applied in an opaque manner. I enjoyed layering the colors, then once a wet paintbrush was added to the mix, the blending took on a shimmering look. I immediately thought of a stamp that I received for a previous review and wondered how cool it would look by coloring in the image with these crayons. It looked pretty cool indeed! I loved how the watercolor effect was a natural for these ducks on a pond.

Duck Love Card
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Duck Love Stamp (Kodomo Stamps)
Dark Brown Fluid Chalk Inkpad, Colorbox (ClearSnap)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I really enjoyed the experience of coloring with crayons again, its been a long time! These added a unique look to my stamped image, and you'll find lots of other uses in your cardmaking and scrapbooking too! This set of twelve watercolor crayons retails right around $15. Good price, good product. Return to your childhood and check them out!

---

Review by Penny

Staedtler® Karat Aquarell Watercolor Crayons are available in sets of 12 or 24 colors. The crayons are thicker than a standard sized crayon and they have a flat tip for coloring. They come in a sturdy tin case with a beautiful colored flower picture on the front. The first thing I noticed when I opened the case is that the crayons appear brilliant and extremely saturated with color. The crayons can be used in a variety of ways. Use them dry for bold, rich color or blend them with a wet paintbrush to create a watercolor effect.

I used the watercolor technique on both of my projects. On my first project I wanted a color wash in multiple hues. To accomplish this easily, I grabbed a plastic paint tray and colored the entire bottom with crayon. I began with blue on half, and green on the other half, then added a small amount of water and blended each color separately and then combined them in the center of the tray. The less water added, the deeper the color will be. I discovered that I needed to reload my paint tray with crayon several times in order to cover the entire 10" x 12" surface.

Title: Prince of My Heart
Products Used: Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Brads (Daisy D's)
Chipboard (Fancy Pants)
Grungeboard (Tim Holtz for Advantus)
Crackle Paint, Acrylic Paint (Ranger)
Transparency (Hambly)
Sticker (Scenic Route)
Adhesive (Ad Tech Glue Runner)
Other: Transparency quote, velvet, gems

I tried coloring a sheet of Prima Paintables direct-to-paper and then using a wet paintbrush to blend the colors with mixed results. In some areas the crayon seemed to hold the watercolor paper's texture no matter how much blending I did. Mixing the color first and then applying it to the paper gave the more subtle shading and tonal changes that I was looking for. The flower pictured on the tin shows an excellent example of using crayons directly on the paper to add vivid color layers to your project for an entirely different look.

For my second project I used a leaf punch on a very light cream-colored cardstock. I followed the same method as my first project to paint each leaf with brown, red, yellow and orange layers, letting each color application dry inbetween. Because I wanted a more blended, natural look my color washes were fairly watery and I needed many layers in order to get the color I desired. To give them a little more punch I used a wet paintbrush and rubbed it over the crayon end to pick up the color and painted it along the edges of each leaf. The colored edges made the leaves stand out on my page. A closer look reveals a slight shimmer in the color, perhaps from the multiple layers of crayon.

Title: Jumping in the Leaf Pile
Products Used: Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Cardstock (Prism)
Stickers (Creative Imaginations)
Tag (Daisy D's)
Ribbon (Tie One On Ribbon Club)
Buttons, Thread (Stampin Up)
Rub Ons (Hambly, Chatterbox, Doodlebug)
Die Cut Alpha (BasicGrey)
Punch
Adhesive (Ad Tech Glue Runner)

One noticeable downside to the 12 pc. tin was that purple was not included. The 12 color set contains one each yellow, orange, red, bordeaux, cobalt blue, light blue, willow green, green, van dyck brown, black, white, and peach. If you plan to use these crayons a lot I highly recommend purchasing the full 24 pc. set.

There are so many fun ways to experiment with application methods and surfaces that I want to keep playing with these crayons to see what other effects I can create. Retailing at $13.75 for the 12 pc. set, the crayons will give you a lot of color for your money and keep you experimenting for months to come. The best guage of a successful scrapbook supply purchase is one that will keep me coming back over and over again. The Staedtler® Karat Aquarell Watercolor Crayons fall solidly in that category earning a top-shelf spot on my desk.

---

Review by Karen

I was first introduced to watercolor crayons a few years ago at a stamping convention. I remember falling in love instantly. The options that watercolor crayons offered for both stamping and coloring really impressed me. I am hoping that in this review I can share with you just enough so that you will fall in love too!

For my review I received a set of 12 watercolor crayons in a metal tin. The set white, yellow, peach, orange, red, Bordeaux, cobalt blue, light blue, willow green, green, Van Dyck Brown and black. Staedtler also makes a 24 color set and a set in the new ergonomic shape. Each set comes in a metal tin with the colors included in the set shown on the back. The tin is about 5 inches by 4 inches.

One of my favorite things to do with watercolor crayons is to use them with rubber stamps. I love how easy it is to create a stamped image that looks like I actually painted it. The amount of water added to the stamp as I worked with it will affect how much the final image looks like a watercolor painting. There is a bit of a learning curve between having too much water and not enough. This really is where I like to play. Some projects call for a really washed out image and the times that I added too much water would be perfect for those projects.

In my first project, I started with a line image stamp. To get the watercolor effect, I used a wet paint brush to pick up color from the crayon and paint it onto my stamped image. I was also able to create grass for the flowers using this same technique. I really love the finished look on this layout. It’s soft, but fits with the other embellishments on the page. In the detail image, you can see how the watercolor crayons can have a softer look and a more vibrant one all in the same image. It’s all about the amount of water you add.

Title: Beauty Day
Products used:
Cardstock Kraft(Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Heidi Grace)
Watercolor crayons (Staedtler)
Stickers (Heidi Grace)
Stamps (Imaginise)
Ink (India Ink)
Chipboard (Heidi Swapp)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

In my second layout, I colored directly on the stamp with the watercolor crayons, something that can’t be done with watercolor pencils. I used two different background stamps to create the images on the craft paper. I started with the red crayon and colored a background stamp that looks like it was handwritten. I misted the stamp with water both before and after I colored the image. I then stamped the image and repeated the steps until I had covered the page. Once that had dried, I used the same technique with the alphabet background stamp and the brown crayon. I really love how fun it is to create backgrounds with this technique.

Title: Family Adventure
Products used:
Cardstock Kraft(Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Heidi Grace)
Watercolor crayons (Staedtler)
Chipboard (Maya Road)
Stamps (Stampin Up)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I actually prefer watercolor crayons to watercolor pencils because of the versatility of them. I love using them on my background stamps. The real drawback to the crayons is not being able to work in small spaces without using a brush, this is where having a matching set of watercolor pencils comes in really handy. I’ve mentioned in the past that I feel that Staedtler has the best quality leads in the colored pencils, and I feel that the same is true in the watercolor crayons. The crayon itself “draws” smoothly on lots of different paper types, but really shows it’s superiority when it comes to using them on rubber stamps. The color pigment is more intense in the Staedtler brand, which means that you don’t have to let an area dry and then repaint it to get a strong and bold color. This is really impressive when trying to match some of the patterned papers that are around today.

For those who love painting, stepping into watercolor crayons should be an easy step. They are a beautiful way to create just about any item that you are looking for. They are easy to use and they don’t hit the ol’ pocketbook hard either. And by picking the Staedtler brand, you know you are not going to be disappointed. This is a product that you will enjoy using over and over.

---

Review by Tammy

Several years ago I was introduced to Watercolor Crayons and they quickly became one of my favorite mediums to use with rubberstamps. Unfortunately life brings bumps in the road and for a period of time I lost my creative interests along with my Watercolor Crayons. Not long after selling my crayons I began to regret that decision and have wanted to add this art medium back to my collection of art supplies ever since that day. Now that I have this set of 12 Staedtler Watercolor Crayons I am one happy person!

The Staedtler Watercolor Crayons come in a metal tin with the Watercolor Crayon names and numbers printed on the inside cover for easy identification. The crayons can be used directly from the tin with a waterbrush or removed for a direct to paper effect. Let me show you in my example:

My favorite way to use Watercolor Crayons is to color directly on the stamp then spritz my paper with some water and begin stamping. For this card I used the Light Blue and Cobalt Blue for the flowers and the Willow Green and Green for the stems. Once the stamping was complete, I went back over parts of the leaves with the Willow Green for more of a contrast and added White to the flowers for some highlights.

Title: Flower Card
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Creative Imaginations)
Watercolor Paper (Marco)
Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Stickles (Ranger)
Ribbon (Misc)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

I just couldn't resist using the Staedtler Watercolor on a piece of the Prima Paintables. I first used the watercolor method to paint in the flowers then went back over both the flowers and the petals with a direct to paper method to add depth and highlights. Using the Orange Watercolor Crayon I edged the paper and my background mat was complete.

Title: GASC
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Prima Paintables
Watercolor Crayons (Staedtler)
Ribbon (Misc)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

If you have never tried using Watercolor Crayons, then I encourage you to pick up a box of the Staedtler Watercolor Crayons today. You will love how easy and versatile these are to use and the quality is amazing!

---

Visit the ScrapFriends Steadtler Gallery