On hearing that Caran d’Ache was expanding their already extensive line of excellent products with some new pastels, I was very excited! I’m a big fan of Caran d’Ache and their products – particularly their Luminance colour pencils, Neocolor II watersoluble wax pastels, and Neopastel oil pastels. I was intrigued to see how the Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 oil pastels would compare to both, and how they would work as part of a mixed-media practice.
Review of Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Oil Pastels
Excellent Lightfastness Rating
The big plus to these new Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 oil pastels is that they are the first wax and oil pastels to meet ASTM D-6901 standards, ensuring exceptional lightfastness for up to 100 years.
Tested in the Arizona desert, the range of 48 colours offers superior lightfastness, with 34 LFI (best lightfastness) and 14 LFII (very good lightfastness) ratings. Featuring 75% single pigment or bi-pigment formulations, Neoart 6901 sets a new benchmark in pastel performance.
I tested the set of 12 assorted colours, which includes a selection of essential colours to get started, along with six single-pigment colours. Nine of the colours are LFI-rated, and three are LFII.
Physical Qualities of the Caran d’Ache Neoart Oil Pastels
The pastels have an unusual but very pleasing octagonal shape for easy handling. The Neoart oil pastels are aimed at professionals, art students, and passionate creatives. They have a soft texture, and a silky appearance. The pigment concentration feels very high – the colour lays down flat and easily on first use. They have the softness of a wax pastel, like Neocolor II, but with a slightly richer colour payoff like the Neopastel.
This set comes in a smart cardboard storage box containing the following colours: White, Black, Brown Ochre, Permanent Red, Russet, Manganese Violet, Ultramarine, Lemon Yellow, Purplish Red, Spring Green, Chrysocolla Blue, and Dark Phthalocyanine Green.
Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Oil Pastels on Jackson’s Watercolour Block 300 gsm Hot Press Natural White
I tested the Neoart pastels on both Jackson’s Watercolour Block 300 gsm Hot Press Natural White, and Jackson’s Watercolour Block 300 gsm Cold Pressed (not) Natural White. They laid down easily on both types of paper as you can see from my swatches, showing the texture a little more on the cold pressed paper as is to be expected.
Although Caran d’Ache states that the pastels don’t crumble under pressure, you do get slight flecks of product coming off when using – more so when using on the cold pressed paper due to its rougher surface.
Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Oil Pastels on Jackson’s Watercolour Block 300 gsm Cold Pressed (not) Natural White
Comparing the Neoart Oil Pastel to the Watersoluble Neocolor II and the Wax-Based Neopastel
In comparison to Neocolor II, they feel quite similar, more so than compared to the Neopastel. They sit well on the page, and they do not smudge if you rub your finger over straight away, unlike the Neopastel which smudges easily. And they go over one another very well, even white covers all the colours as you can see from my tests.
When you lay colours over the top of each other they blend ever so slightly. They are closer to the Neocolor II than I expected. Perhaps on a personal level, I think I was hoping for them to sit nearer to the Neopastel, but I guess it’s a very personal preference on how you like to work.
Using the Pencil Blending Medium
Using Jackson’s Pencil Blending Medium, I tested the Neoart pastels individually on the hot pressed paper. They blend well, feeling and giving the texture of an alcohol marker when thinned down.
I then tested both more freely on both types of papers to see how the colours would mix. They seemed to work better on the cold pressed paper – not leaving behind a ‘shadow’ of pigment and blending more fluidly.
How to Use Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Oil Pastels in a Sketchbook or on the Go
The sticks are robust and are only 68 mm in length so very easy to take on the go. They don’t seem to be as potentially messy as an oil pastel product in terms of rubbing against other colours or melting in the heat. I think they would work very nicely on location, or in a sketchbook when out of the studio. I will be taking a few colours with me to add to my pencil case. The small box with foam insert is handy to store them, but I do not feel it’s necessary to keep them in there for location drawing. I’d feel confident adding them to my Neocolors II in a small tin or pencil case.
Mixed Media Techniques with Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Oil Pastels
I have tested them quite a bit with different media on both types of paper. I don’t like to follow strict rules in terms of how I use my media – I enjoy using a resist technique for example, by using paint over a waxy material. In this case, you can see when I’ve applied a Pentel Pigment Brush Pen and some Holbein Acrylic Gouache paint over the Neoart pastels to create a resist and give an interesting texture.
The Neocolor II and Neopastel work well when layered over and under the Neoart pastels. Coloured pencils perform similarly over them as they do over Neocolor IIs. Some colours (the darker ones) work better and you have to apply quite a bit of pressure to see the pencil colour.
I’ve also shown how well the colours match to Luminance pencils I already own. I expected nothing less from the Caran d’Ache range, to be honest, but it is lovely to see what a great match their pigments are, Especially as it’s hard to choose colours from computer screen swatches. If you own some Luminance pencils, you could swatch those and be sure of ordering the right colour in the Neoart pastels as the pigments are exactly the same. Or if you have a particular favourite Luminance pencil, you could try out a new material in the same familiar shade.
If you already own and enjoy the Neocolor II, I am confident you will love these. If, however, you prefer a much softer, more buttery feel of a Neopastel, then I think these will be too much on the side of smooth and waxy for you.
They do have a great range of colours – a lot matching directly your favourite colours from the Luminance range. I like to buy materials like this individually, so although the boxes are handy and work out a better price per pastel, I still prefer the freedom of curating my own palette. If you already own some Neocolor II pastels, then being able to add some paler, more muted colours to your palette, I think is welcome.
Further Reading
Review of Caran d’Ache Artist Neopastels for Drawing and Painting
Two Artists Test Jackson’s Curated Sets for Sketching and Oil Painting
Review of Jackson’s Pencil Blending Medium
Shop Caran d’Ache Neoart 6901 Oil Pastel Sets on jacksonsart.com
