Drawing materials for kids. How to choose the right set of pencils for kids The best colored pencils for professionals
All children love to draw, and Crayola pencils can be safely given to one-year-old children.
Thanks to their special shape, any little one can easily hold the pencils in their hands. There are only 8 in the set bright colors. All pencils have been tested for the absence of harmful substances and toxins. Therefore, even if the baby puts the pencil in his mouth, there will be no harm.
basic information
Child age: from 1 year.
. The set contains: 8 colored pencils with a diameter of 1 cm each.
. Features: convenient shape, drawings of different animals on each pencil.
. Manufacturer: Brazil.
Safety
These wooden pencils made from environmentally friendly raw materials and completely safe for a child, even if he decides to taste them. However, children should not be left unattended with pencils. But this general rules safety that applies to all toys for small children.
Child development
Drawing is creative activity, which is available even for 10-month-old children. Crayola pencils develop:
. fine and gross hand motor skills;
. fantasy and imagination;
. creativity;
. color perception;
. perseverance.
In addition, the child will be able to learn the colors and names of the animals that are depicted on the pencils. Drawing for just a few minutes a day gives children not only joy, but also an impetus for further comprehensive development.
Our review
Crayola pencils are designed specifically for little artists who are making their first progress on paper. The product is packaged in a bright colorful box through which you can see the pencils with drawings printed on them.
The set contains only 8 pencils. Their advantage is that they are thicker than regular pencils. At the same time, their cross-section is classic, hexagonal. But pencils actually fit more comfortably into small hands. The pencil leads are also thicker and softer.
The lead does not break, but still draws with the slightest pressure. The colors are very bright and clear. Blue color not to be confused with green. Each pencil depicts one animal:
. a lion;
. lamb;
. pig;
. frog;
. elephant;
. duck;
. monkey;
. cow.
Price quality
The price of these pencils is an order of magnitude higher than regular pencils. However, the cost, in our opinion, is completely justified. The pencils are non-toxic, hand-friendly, bright and soft.
conclusions
Crayola pencils are designed for little ones aged one year and older. The lead of the pencils is soft, the colors are bright and rich. The set will last for a very long time.
Drawing for children This is a very interesting and useful direction in the development and formation of a child’s personality. Through drawing, a child learns the world, splashes out all his emotions on paper, develops his imagination. Besides the fact that it is very a fun creative activity that develops fine motor skills, and this is stimulation of parts of the brain, responsible for thinking, speech, visual and motor memory, coordination.
Not being able to properly hold a pencil or brush in their hand, they try to scribble on paper. Why are they doing that? After all, a one-year-old child is not able to depict something meaningful, and his parents will not see drawings of houses for several years.
The first attempts at painting on walls are complex actions. The child does everything at once: develops motor skills, imitates adults and tries ways to express himself. He is aware of himself a separate person(usually this happens during the so-called “crisis of the first year of life”) and feels the need to leave a visible mark on the world. Drawing gives him the opportunity to see the results of his own actions.
A child should always have paints and brushes, colored pencils and markers, crayons, drawing paper, and illustrated books with paintings by artists.
In this article we will talk about which set of pencils is best for a child.
Sets of colored pencils from our childhood
There are currently several types of colored pencils on the market. The first are the most traditional wooden ones, invented several decades ago, with a lead made of colored pigment and kaolin. The same ones that we and our parents used to draw. Once upon a time, such pencils made up 100% of the product range in their market niche, but today progress has already gone very far, and many other types of pencils are presented on the plastic and virtual shelves of regular and online stores. Pay attention to materials, softness of the lead, size, shape.
How to choose your child's first colored pencils
Thanks to the special shape of the rod, perfect for naughty little fingers triangular pencils. A box of colored triangular pencils is an ideal choice for a gift for children before school age who are still just learning to hold a pen correctly. Another small advantage of such drawing tools is that they do not roll off the table, reducing the possibility of the child being distracted from an activity that requires concentration.
If you couldn’t find triangular pencils in the store, then opt for a set hex pencils. The worst option for an unsure child's hand is pencils with a round section.
Children under 3 years old It is better to choose fairly thick pencils with a diameter of about a centimeter.
Soft colored pencils are preferred for children. They are brighter and it is much easier to draw with them; you will not develop the habit of pressing on the paper with a writing instrument.
As for the choice of color palette, during the period when children are just getting acquainted with colors, it is worth limiting yourself to a small set - 6, maximum 12 colors.
Variety of colored pencil sets
Watercolor colored pencils – combine the advantages of colored pencils and watercolor paints. Their base is watercolor paints, pressed using a unique technology that does not allow crumbling under pressure. When drawing, they allow you to get very bright colors, compared to slate ones, they are softer. And if a drawing created with watercolor pencils is rubbed with a brush dipped in water, then we get the effect of watercolor paints on paper. Very interesting idea, Truth?
Wax pencils – as the name suggests, they are made from natural wax. Bright colors are provided by natural and absolutely safe food dyes. IN in this case The pencil is entirely a drawing rod, and at the same time it does not stain your hands at all. It also does not require regular sharpening; the baby can draw with any side of the rod, even sideways. In addition, images created with pencils of this type, are durable and do not fade in the sun. And you can draw with them not only on paper, but also on many other surfaces (wood, cardboard, clay, etc.).
Plastic pencils - less common than the other types mentioned above, but still having a number of advantages. In particular, they give a thin stroke, do not break when dropped, and are easily erased with an eraser. But at the same time, the colors are not as bright as those of watercolors and wax. And the plastic pencils themselves are harder.
Allow your child to draw whatever he wants. The results may surprise you!
There are specific requirements for materials and tools for drawing at an early age. Not all adult materials and tools are suitable for a baby. In this post I provide an overview of only our favorite, proven materials from 1 to 3 years.
Oil pastels (oil crayons)
Oil crayons are a convenient and inexpensive analogue of pencils for preschoolers. When I was a child, there were only classic wax crayons. The latter drew inconspicuously and required strong pressure. Nowadays there is a wide variety of drawing materials. Oil crayons are a type of wax crayons that require little pressure and produce vibrant colors. Among the oil pastel sets you can find very interesting color palettes. The only disadvantage of oil crayons is their fragility. If you throw them, stand on them, sit on them, the crayons break, but if you use them for their intended purpose, they behave perfectly.
Oil crayons
Of the tested options, we liked Colorino crayons. They have an interesting color scheme and a juicy soft trail. In the photo above is a surviving part from a set of 12 crayons (my-shop). When purchased, each crayon was wrapped in a wrapper, but Yana tore off all the labels. This set is already more than six months old, it was freely available to Yana and is perfectly preserved for its age. Colorino also has a set of oil pastels in 24 colors (my-shop). We haven't tried the extended color gamut yet.
They also drew:
- oil crayons Orange Elephant, their texture and color scheme are close to Colorino;
- soft triangular crayons from the Luch chemical plant, declared as oil-based (my-shop). But they have a rough texture and darker colors, compared to Colorino. I don't recommend it.
Oil pastels for little ones (oil crayons)
Oil crayons in a plastic holder
When Yana was already 3 years old, I noticed oil crayons on sale in a plastic holder from the Colorino brand (my-shop). They are even softer and juicier than regular oil crayons. The twist-out mechanism allows you to adjust the length of the rod. The plastic case protects the crayons from breakage. The thickness of the crayons in plastic is about 1.5 cm.
Washable markers
Next important tool V children's drawing are markers. For children under 2.5 years old, it is better to choose washable ones. It turns out that markers from different manufacturers wash off differently. Thus, using felt-tip pens from an unscrupulous manufacturer, we ruined the color of the dishwasher door with our drawings. After this incident, I decided not to take any more risks and bought washable markers only from the trusted Crayola brand. Pictured below are Crayola washable markers for different ages. Pay attention to the shape of the rod:
- for the little ones, the rounded tip of the rod protrudes 1.2 mm, felt-tip pens are 1.5 cm thick (my-shop). These markers are designed to grip the marker perpendicular to the surface. For children from 2.5 years old they may no longer be comfortable!
- for two-year-olds the rod is enlarged and sharper, the thickness of the felt-tip pen is 1.5 cm (my-shop). Drawings made with such markers can be seen.
- for children older uniform and the thickness of the felt-tip pens is classic (my-shop).
Felt pens (regular)
When Yana turned 3 years old, we switched to regular markers. The reason for the switch is that regular ones are cheaper and have more interesting colors. In search of an inexpensive and high-quality option, I settled on the Giotto brand. Our Giotto set of 24 markers (my-shop, labirint) was purchased about 8 months ago. Most of He still draws perfectly with felt-tip pens, and there is no need for new felt-tip pens. Based on the color scheme, there is a feeling that in the sum of colors the emphasis is on pink-brown tones. However, no one will paint with all colors at the same time, but separately there are various shades (3-4 shades) of all colors.
Along with the Giotto set, I bought the Erich Krause set for testing. After about a month, the Erich Krause markers began to dry out, and after a couple more, I threw them all away as unusable. Perhaps I came across stale goods, but I have no desire to buy Erich Krause markers again.
Finger paint
I tried hard to understand finger paints, but I couldn’t get into them. Yana found it difficult to draw with paints. It was then that it turned out that children do not really like strange consistencies that get their hands dirty. For those who don’t know, all finger paints have the consistency of thick translucent jelly. We tried both nameless and branded options. Of the brands that I remember, we tried Jovi (my-shop). None of the options impressed me. In my opinion, it’s easier to take starch, jam and cook thick jelly. You can also brew jelly from a bag, but add a third less water than indicated in the recipe. The consistency will be identical to finger paints. To obtain a more saturated color, add food coloring.
According to Zhabych (a blogger and teacher at the Children's Art School, I mentioned her in my article), finger paints are not intended for drawing, but for getting to know texture. In fact, at an early age, it makes no difference to the baby what to smear, porridge or paint. It is for this reason that Zhabych postponed her daughter’s acquaintance with paints until a more conscious age.
IN general idea I like tactile acquaintance with brightly colored jelly, as a developmental activity, more than painting with finger paints.
Gouache
I don’t remember when gouache appeared in our house, but we definitely didn’t use it before Yana was born 😀 . The period for testing gouache should be at the age at which the child stops getting dirty. Gouache washes off well, but it can be difficult to wash it off the skin. Some colors are directly eaten away. Gouache contains toxic components and should not be ingested.
I went through several options and settled on copies from the Luch chemical plant. For price and quality children's creativity it is optimal. We also liked Ikeevskaya gouache, but it is more expensive. For comparison on this moment(January 2017):
- Ikeevskaya gouache costs 469 rubles - 400 ml (8 colors);
- Gouache from the Luch plant costs 157 rubles - 360 ml (large set of 18 my-shop colors).
- Gouache from the Luch factory costs 85 rubles - 120 ml (set of 6 colors my-shop, labirint).
- Gouache from the Luch plant costs 115 rubles - 180 ml (set of 9 colors my-shop, labirint).
Consistency and color schemes these options are different. The differences in consistency are not critical. Both are comfortable even for babies. Many people now have high demands on color palettes, so I’m providing a photo.
Ikeevskaya gouache drawings
Classic 6-color gouache palette from the Luch chemical plant in two packaging options - in screw-on jars and in a block container. I found screw-on jars more convenient.
Picky people and aesthetes, pay attention to Lucha gouache in the Lux version (my-shop, labirint). For children, the differences with the classic series will not be obvious. For me, I’m a bore 🙂, in this version the colors are cleaner and more attractive.
In general, when choosing gouache, you need to focus on the quality of the colors. Poor quality gouache can produce muddy shades when mixing colors. If after drying the drawing becomes dull, we also make claims about the quality of the gouache. In this regard, I did not like the behavior of the popular gouache Cartoons produced by Gamma.
Watercolor
Marina Ozerova writes in her book that watercolors are not needed until the age of 7. Our practice has refuted this. At one point, Yana began to paint with too dense layers of gouache. It got to the point that one drawing required the volume of one jar of gouache. Switching to watercolor allowed me to dose the paint correctly. Therefore, I repeat once again, where there is creativity, there are NO rules.
As with gouaches, I fell in love with two main manufacturers, Ikea and the Luch chemical plant. In the case of watercolors, for the first acquaintance I recommend the 6th color palette of Lucha (my-shop, labirint). Then smooth transitions to wider color gamuts (12 colors my-shop, labirint). Ikeevskaya watercolor is very beautiful, but dry. To a small child It’s more difficult to paint with it than with the classic consistency of honey watercolor, like Luch’s. In my opinion, it is better to switch to it after the child has confidently learned to draw with the classic consistency.
Watercolor in black block - Ikea, in white - Luch chemical plant.
24-color watercolor palette from the Luch chemical plant. Independent coloring Yana 3y.7m.
Ikeevskaya watercolor. I painted the birds, Yana painted the leaves (she was 3 years old).
Pencils
I placed the pencils at the end of the review because I have nothing to say about them. Yana doesn't like pencils. I bought a pack from Ikea a couple of years ago and they are still intact. Compared with oil pastels they require more pressure and leave a pale mark. Perhaps I chose the wrong option for pencils, so they are ignored. Although many people praise Ikeev's. There was an idea to choose softer pencils. Maybe you know better options, write about them.
Completion
Finally, I wrote everything I wanted to write about drawing. I foresee questions about brushes and the easel. I like the brushes from Ikea the most. Most of the brushes we've tried have lint. Even the brushes from the Luch chemical plant:-(, although I didn’t expect this from them. We don’t plan to buy an easel. It’s more difficult to paint on it than on a surface, because there’s no support for the hand. The purchase is possible only if Yana is seriously interested in drawing.
And further! Now, in order to become even closer to the readers who know and love me, I am posting photos with notes on instagram. In my profile you can see how it went. If anyone is interested, please subscribe. I will be glad to have new subscribers!
Announcements of blog articles, as before, are published in the group
The best colored pencils depend on the age and skill of the artist. Many children early age They prefer felt-tip pens or paints to pencils because they give a richer color and do not need sharpening. It is more difficult to draw with pencils, but the skills of working with them will be useful in the future. Therefore, it is important to choose pencils that will be convenient and pleasant to draw with; they should have the following properties:
- safety;
- ease of use (to fit well in the hand);
- brightness;
- strength;
- availability.
Money spent on buying cheap pencils often turns out to be wasted: they are not so pleasant to draw with, the lead can be brittle and break immediately when sharpened. Such pencils leave a pale color on the paper, effort is required to draw clear lines, which are then easily erased, and the palette leaves much to be desired. A high-quality product will be easy to sharpen without breaking, will be economical to use and will produce bright, rich colors, finished works will not be erased from the paper and fade over time, for a long time pleasing to the eye.
Pencils can be used for drawing from the age of one year. Crayola "Mini Kids" are ideal for this purpose." From the age of three, you can start using Stabilo Trio and Kores "Kolores" children's pencils. Children of high school age and amateur adults will be interested in Faber-Castell and Koh-I-Noor pencils. Professionals have higher quality requirements, and their choice may already be on expensive famous brands, such as Derwent or LYRA.
