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Review: Faber-Castell Gel Crayons

What do you get when you cross a twist-up crayon and watercolor paints? A GEL CRAYON from Faber-Castell!Faber-Castel Gel Crayons

These “crayons” are very soft and creamy- like a lipstick- and they are water-soluable, too. So it’s a two-fer.

Here’s how they are described on the website:

Budding artists ages 3+ love to experiment by drawing on different surfaces. Gel crayons are a great way of drawing on large surfaces, with their soft stroke and bright colors.
  • Super soft and buttery Gel Crayons in 12 colors: red, yellow, orange, dark blue, grass green, black, silver, neon yellow, neon orange, neon pink, neon blue and neon green
  • Chunky size is perfect for small hands
  • Colors glide effortlessly on paper, glass and mirrors, but washes off easily. Includes sturdy plastic storage case and book with tips and techniques
  • Ages 3+

But don’t be misled- just because these were formulated for children doesn’t mean that they aren’t high-quality art tools and appropriate for adults and seniors.

Oh, how I wish these had been around when I was an activity director in a nursing home! You’ll see why….

First, let’s take a closer look.

Nice barrel and grip!

Nice barrel and grip!

Faber-Castel Gel Crayons are housed in a plastic, easy-grip barrel that features a twist-up action to access the product. And the grey grip is wonderful- perfect for small hands, but equally as good for folks with arthritis, hand/grip issues, or fibro.

There is a cap for each Gel Crayon and they come in a sturdy plastic see-through box so you can keep your product tidy.

I can always show you better than I can tell you, so here’s your video demo. This is about 7 minutes- I tried to keep it condensed.

 

Here are those photos of the samples and swatches again.

The regular colors are vibrant on darker papers! The neons, not so much.

The regular colors are vibrant on darker papers! The neons, not so much.

Amazing blendability, and great for using with water to create a paint right on the surface.

Amazing blendability, and great for using with water to create a paint right on the surface.

I put Gel Crayon on a palette, then used a paintbrush to pick up color to color in these stamps from Stampin' UP.

I put Gel Crayon on a palette, then used a paintbrush to pick up color to color in these stamps from Stampin’ UP.

I have so many ideas for these, spanning kids to adult mixed-media artists!

I had a REALLY good time doing rubbing resists.

XX

Stay tuned, I’ll have a post coming with a special project using the Rubbings Resist technique!

Disclosure: product provided for review purposes- all opinions are my own and based on my first-hand experience with the product. 

 

Comments

  2. Thanks for the review but I have two questions.

    1) How similar are the crayons to Gelatos?

    2) Is the color permanent when it dries?

    Thank you!

    Kitty

  3. Ohhhh, I have to get those now! Looks like fun! Thanks Jenny for another great review!!!

  5. Great review! I haven’t seen these crayons before but I’ll need to be on the lookout for them. I love your idea of leaving an image uncolored with smudges of color below for the recipient to color themselves!

  6. They appear to be Gelatos in an easier to use applicator. Do they have exactly the same properties? Sorry, haven’t watched the video yet. YouTube is blocked here.

  7. Kitty- I’ll be doing a separate post and video on comparing them to Gelatos. I can tell you right off the bat that they are in the Red Range and are considered at children’s art supply. They color is never permanent- they remain creamy and watersoluable.

  8. I have been wanting to try these since they came out but have not gotten around to purchasing them yet. I think they are moving up on my wish list! Thanks for the review!

  11. I am new to this art thing & I’m getting totally confused with all the products and methods shown on YouTube.
    Brusho, Gel sticks, Gelato, Dylusions Inks, Stencils, Templates, Brayers & on & on.

    Help – I don’t know were to start. I only wanted to be able to use the water color paints & pastels I already have, but this Art Journaling looks like something I could do if only I knew where to start.

    I don’t have a lot of funds available to buy new things, so I would appreciate any advice.
    Thanks.

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Jenny Barnett Rohrs is Head Dummy and Pied Piper behind CTD, which focuses on reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news. Jenny has appeared on HSN, Scrapbook Soup PBS series, and is currently the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS.

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Copyrighted Content Permission All images and tutorials on this blog are copyrighted material. Please contact me if you would like to borrow any media (photos, video or audio files), tutorials, or ideas from this blog. 99% of the time I would be happy to allow you to use one photo with appropriate credit and link back to CraftTestDummies.com (preferably to the same post it was borrowed from.)
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