Caran d’Ache is a renowned Swiss brand known for producing high-quality art materials, and I am excited to review the latest release of their new Neoart 6901 Wax Oil Pastels and present a project for you to follow. Whilst exploring their packaging, texture, colour range, performance and overall value, I hope to provide an insight into the experience and learning journey I encountered. 

Andrea Naylor, pastel artist

Presentation

My Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 wax oil pastels arrived in an elegant and sturdy, cellophaned box. Each oil pastel stick was wrapped in a protective paper sleeve, labelled with the colour name and number. The packaging not only looked professional but also protected the pastels well from damage during transport. 

I used the set of 12 colours for this review, but the oil pastels are available in sets ranging from 12 to 96 colours, as well as individual sticks. 

"Neoart 6901 Wax Oil Pastels' 100-per-cent lightfastness, smooth texture, high pigmentation, and exceptional blending ability make them an excellent choice for both professional artists and passionate hobbyists" 

Lightfast, texture and application

One stand-out feature of the Neoart Wax Oil Pastels is their buttery, smooth texture. Unlike some of the harder oil pastels that I have tried that require pressure to release pigment, these glide effortlessly onto the paper, making them ideal for both large expressive strokes and fine details. Their consistency is soft but not overly greasy. I decided the best place for me to start would be to create a colour chart to familiarise myself with the look and feel of the pastels. I used a piece of Pastelmat paper so that I could easily create a light, textured effect together with a more solid opaque mark, and finally I added a splash of solvent to show how painterly the pastels can spread and move (Fig 1).

Figure 1: Colour chart of the 12 colours tested, with blending and solvent

Compared to some brands that are extremely soft, Neoart wax oil pastels feel slightly firmer to hold; they are also slightly slimmer than some of the other brands, providing more control without sacrificing creaminess. I found that this makes them suitable for detailed work as well as broad, expressive applications (Fig 2).

Fig 2: These slim wax oil pastel sticks are eminently suitable for both broad strokes and adding detail. 

Colour range 

Although I worked with a limited palette of 12 colours, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to achieve a much broader range of colours simply by mixing and layering these basic colours on top of each other. The pigmentation is exceptional, offering opaque and highly saturated hues. I was able to layer and feather the colours together nicely but didn’t quite cover the tooth of the paper completely.

Performance 

Neoart wax oil pastels blend well, especially when using a blending stump (torchon) or solvent, such as Gamsol. They mix well with each other, allowing for smooth gradients and without creating an overly waxy or muddy effect. I chose a kingfisher to compare paper, performance and technical abilities, as I found I could use almost every colour in the palette.

Surface compatibility

These wax pastels perform well on a variety of surfaces, including Canson Velvet, Caran d’Ache pastel paper and cartridge paper. For my style of work, I felt that I could blend and push the colours around better on the smoother paper surface.

Canson Velvet  

My usual style of work is quite tight and realistic. Using the Neoart wax oil pastels on the Canson Velvet surface enabled me to work precisely, but it did take quite a lot of coverage to hide the tooth of the paper. The blending stump helped to push these creamy wax oil pastels around to achieve the solid look I wanted. The light blue dots on top of the kingfisher’s head were more difficult to achieve once I had already applied a thick layer of royal blue, but you can just make them out (Fig 3).

Fig 3: Kingfisher on Canson Velvet, 15.5x9.5in. (32x24cm).

Caran d’Ache pastel paper   

I decided to try the Caran d’Ache pastel paper to see if it made much of a difference to the detail that I wanted to achieve, and I used the smoother side of this honeycomb-textured paper. The beautiful pigments seemed to glide and blend a little better and I soon discovered that instead of trying to apply the lighter dots on top of the darker blue colour, if I applied the lighter colour first then added the darker colour on top, I could use a sharp tool, such as a mini screwdriver, to scratch away the top layer of dark blue to reveal a beautifully vibrant chrysocolla blue underneath. What a revelation!  I used this technique to create a lovely bright highlight in the eye: light blue under black then I scratched back the black. I used the little screwdriver to gouge out a nick of white pastel and place it in the centre of the eye. Pressing this in with a separate piece of scrap paper helped to push it into the painting, leaving a bright white highlight. Voila! My painting came to life (see Figure 4, right). 

Fig 4: Kingfisher on Caran d'Ache pastel paper, 12.5x9.5in.(32x24cm). 

Cartridge paper

Curiosity had the better of me and I decided I’d have one more trial on an even smoother surfaced cartridge paper.
The Neoart 6901 wax oil pastels blended much easier and took less effort to smudge and move around on this surface. The ‘scratching-back’ technique that I previously discovered worked extremely well on this smoother paper and I was able to achieve some fine feathery details on the body. This suited my style of work, however if you work in a more contemporary or abstract style, any of the previous papers would be suitable for mark making, and wood, primed board and canvas. Below is the process I worked with using the smoother cartridge paper.
 

Project 

Kingfisher on cartridge paper 

You will need: 

- Cartridge paper 113/4x81/4in. (30x21cm)

- Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Wax Oil Pastels 

• Black
• White
• Russet
• Brown ochre
• Spring green
• Dark phthalocyanine green
• Chrysocolla blue
• Ultramarine
• Manganese violet
• Purplish red
• Permanent red
• Lemon yellow

Step 1
I began by sketching an outline in graphite pencil, keeping the marks simple purely to identify shapes and changes in colour.  

 

Step 2
Applying my prior knowledge that light colours can be scratched off and revealed if they sit under darker colours, I started to apply the chrysocolle blue to the areas of light blue.  

 

Step 3
I could then start to apply the ultramarine blue to all remaining blue areas, being mindful to lay down a thick opaque covering of colour.  

 

Step 4
Before I added black to mark out the eye, I thought ahead and used the chrysocolle blue first as an under layer so that this blue could be revealed when I scratched back the black. Using a small screwdriver (any small sharp tool would work) I carefully scratched the highlight and little rim into the eye. 

 

Step 5
Using the black, I applied a layer over the darker areas of blue, knowing that I could once again scratch some of the black off to gain feather detail. My favourite stage was scratching out the little dots on the kingfisher’s head; what a great little technique!  

 

Step 6
I then added a basic colour scheme from light to dark on the chest area. When using chalk pastels, I tend to work from dark to light, applying the yellow area last.  With the oil pastels it works best when you work from light to dark so that I didn’t lose the vibrancy.

 

Step 7
It was then a matter of layering the yellow, red, ochre and russet to achieve the desired graduation of colour and feather tone.  

 

Step 8
Again, I was able to use the screwdriver to add feather detail now that several layers of colour had been added.

 

Step 9
After a loose background was completed, the kingfisher study was finished. 

 

Conclusion 

Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Wax Oil Pastels live up to their reputation as one of the finest oil pastels on the market. Their smooth texture, high pigmentation, and exceptional blending ability make them an excellent choice for both professional artists and passionate hobbyists. In conclusion to my review, Neoart 6901 Wax Oil Pastels stand for me as a top-tier option for those who value quality in their artwork.

About Andrea Naylor
Andrea is a professional Rutland-based artist, who has been teaching, demonstrating and painting commissions for the past 20 years. She specialises in painting portraits of pets, people and wildlife. Visit Andrea's website to find out more. 

About Jakar

For more information about about Neoart 6901 Wax Oil Pastels visit the website.