Guide to coloured pencils and crayons

Coloured pencils and crayons are the beloved, creative and colourful friends of our childhoods. These are tools that we all know and love – and which can be found in children’s rooms, schools and offices everywhere.

But did you know that coloured pencils and crayons have different qualities? While coloured pencils are good for creating fine details, crayons can make broader strokes and colour larger surfaces. Children love using both types – and often make the most fantastic drawings with both coloured pencils and crayons. Drawings that we hang on fridges, frame in gold and glitter – or pass on to proud grandparents.

You can also find inspiration for more than just drawings – check out our idea universe with painting and drawing. The universe is full of exciting projects. They require either oil pastels, drawing pencils or something else entirely – and you can find everything in our range. You can find coloured pencils and crayons in all the variants you can dream of – and our guide ensures that you put the right ones in your basket. Our guide tells and shows you what type you need for your creative project – and walks you through things whenever you're unsure.

Drawings with coloured pencils

They’re a big hit everywhere – the colourful drawings hanging on the fridge – and it only takes paper and crayons to get started. This is one of the easiest activities for children – and when the drawings are finished, you can hang them up as small artworks. There are many different motifs that the children can try drawing – for example:

• Drawings of flowers and insects found in nature
• Animal drawings
• Drawings of each other or loved ones

Children can also draw freely from their imagination and create fun drawings that don't depict anything or anyone but are simply pure expressions of colour. This kind of abstract drawing challenges both your imagination and your creativity.

A third option is colouring books. Here the motifs are already drawn for you – so you only need to focus on the actual colouring. It’s therapy for the soul – and many adults love it because it promotes calm and mindfulness. Find our adult colouring books right here.

And remember, if you’re going to draw with coloured pencils, you can find the right ones with our guide on this page. For example, our guide recommends hard and water-resistant coloured pencils for drawing.

Drawings with crayons

Do you love colouring too? Make drawings with crayons and mix the colours to create the wildest expressions that you can build on. Stick to the colours you know and love – or opt for some brand new colours. Whatever colours you choose, you can make unique drawings with crayons. Crayons are especially good for making broad strokes – and they are easy for the children to use in their drawing projects. For example, they can make beautiful butterflies with symmetrical patterns or portraits made as monoprints.

Soft pastels and oil pastels

Here you will be introduced to both soft pastels and oil pastels. Both are so much fun to work with – and the results are simply so beautiful. It’s really exciting to explore the different types of crayons and see what they can be used for and what they're not so good at. If this is the first time you're working with them, our guide can help you. The guide suggests the right type of crayons for your creative project.

When working with soft pastels, the chalk is so porous that you can easily use your fingers. This gives you lots of freedom – and you can easily rub out the chalk and make some really nice colour transitions.

If you work with oil pastels, you'll note that the chalk is softer and oilier – and you can easily rub the colours together and apply them in several layers. When the layer is thick enough, you can scratch your own motifs with a pointed object. 

So you can use both oil pastels and soft pastels – and make some great artworks with them. Children will love using the different crayons – and they can have fun rubbing the colours out with their fingers.

Watercolour paint

When painting with watercolours, it’s fun to experiment with different colours and expressions. You will need the right equipment to get started however – and here, water-soluble crayons and coloured pencils are  the very best. If you're using them for painting, they need to be mixed with water – this will enable you to create the best play of colours. If you like, you can try adding water-resistant crayons and coloured pencils as well. Because this media won't flow with the water-soluble crayons, they can be used for the outline of your motif, for example.

Try our guide here on this page and find the right coloured pencils and crayons for watercolours.

Creative ideas that involve crayons and coloured pencils

Coloured pencils can be used for much more than just drawings – and we give you the ideas right here.

For example, you can make a shaker ball with a drawing inside of it. You'll want to get out your coloured pencils from Colortime for this one – and then it's time to get started. First, you should paint and colour a motif onto a shrink plastic sheet – then heat it in the oven and glue it to the shaker ball. This idea is super-easy to do – and the children can easily join in. The finished shaker ball makes a fun little Christmas present for grandparents, for example.

If you want to decorate your own wooden hangers with oil pastels,this is a super-cosy idea where the whole family can join in. You can get some really good results – and the finished decorations can either be hung on the Christmas tree or the notice board.

If older children want to join in the fun, then our idea with smart badges is perfect. Here, the children can make small drawings with coloured pencils to design badges that match their own personal style. Then they can attach them to the school bag – or use them as decoration on a jacket or T-shirt.

Whichever idea you choose, you’re certain to use your coloured pencils and chalk on lots of new and creative things. If you have a creative project in mind, use our guide to find the perfect coloured pencil or chalk