Traveling to trade shows affords me the opportunity to see products up close and personal. NAMTA, held in March this year, was where I had the chance to see the Marabu products first hand and I spent a fair amount of time learning about the various paints and other mixed media items in the line.
The first of the Marabu products to land on our loading dock are the Art Crayons; 25 open stock colors (including 2 metallics) and 4 sets. Because there are often discount specials offered at trade shows I was able to bring in the Art Crayons at such a good price that we can offer them on an introductory special at 35% off.
In today’s video you’ll see me discuss the basics of Marabu Art Crayons and demo ways to use them. I can tell they’re going to be a useful item in my studio. They’re still out on my work bench (and only party because I’m messy and haven’t put them away yet!) and I’ve discovered a couple of other options for using them that I really like. Perhaps what I like the most about them is how very, very soft the product is. Applying color to any surface is really easy and requires very little in the way of pressure. The color range is really nice too. Expect to see more of Art Crayons in the coming weeks and months.
Supplies For This Video:
Joggles 9″ x 12″ Stencils (I used Flower Patch and Bubble Blast)
8 Comments
this looks like a fun product. I was wondering how do they compare to the scribble sticks?
stamping sue
Scribble Sticks have no wax in them; they’re just pigment and cannot be smudged or moved with your fingers. Both are water soluble, but that’s really the extent of the similarities.
I am so glad you are stocking these – I have some colors, but now I’ll add more. Marabu has some other products that look interesting. I’ll kept an eye out to see whether you expand the line!
I think the time has come to do a comparison video on ALL the crayons out there since they all appear to pretty much do the same thing. Like, how many crayons does one crafter/artist need?
I suppose I am the only one who cares about this but that’s okay because I am not going to buy up crayons and try and figure it out myself. That’s why we have you. And you are so good at it.
I didn’t have time to watch the entire video, can you tell my do they smudge after they sit for awhile or do they dry permanently (using direct on paper technique)?
Using the water technique, do they dry smudge-free?
The Art Crayons dry relatively smudge-free, but that is dependent on the surface. If it’s been gessoed you’re more likely to see movement than if you’d used them on an unsealed porous surface.
How do these compare with the Faber Castelle Gelatos and the Tim Holtz Distress Crayons?
They’re similar, but Art Crayons are by far the softest of the three and the overall cost is less. Very easy to lay down a lot of color and, on a gessoed surface, move it around. Of the three, I prefer the Art Crayons. When you look at the overall cost per piece and how much product is in the Art Crayon, they’re less expensive and with no loss of quality.