Crayola Portfolio Series Oil Pastels, Water Soluble, 24 Count, Colors May Vary

Very nice pastels. These oil pastels are water soluble but also behave like regular oil pastels. They are lots of fun to use.

As other reviewers have pointed out, these water soluble oil pastels give great value for the money. Over the years I've bought (and sometimes given away) nearly every brand of paint, marker, pen, pastel (oil and clay-based) on the market, sometimes paying a fairly high price. For years my favorite brand of oil pastel has been Sennelier (not cheap).I first heard of Portfolio after seeing them in artwork on someone's (don't remember who) blog. I enjoy media that doesn't require a lot of fuss and mess, so I'm a big fan of watercolor pencils and crayons, brush pens and markers, but sometimes I want something with more texture. After reading more about these, I decided to try them: they're by Crayola, after all--who doesn't like Crayola products? I've used them on different weight and textured papers and on cardboard. They glide on smoothly, disperse easily with water and you can smudge them with your fingers before or after applying water. (I use a Niji waterbrush with them.)They're very soft (which is why they glide so easily across your paper), so if you use too much pressure, they leave behind some crumbs. You can just brush these off with a paper towel or blend them into your artwork with a finger. Colors (which are vibrant) blend well together, too--not as thoroughly as paint will, but that's to be expected. I like these better than my watercolor crayons because they don't dry as quickly, giving you more time to blend.As for mixed media, you can use them (let the artwork dry first) with permanent markers, like Sharpie, but you will need to stop occasionally and "clean" the marker by scribbling with it on plain paper to remove any waxy/oily residue. (For that reason, I'd never use expensive markers like Copic with them.) They work well with acrylic paint and India ink. I haven't tried them with oil paint, but I'd expect them to work well together. You can layer them over watercolors, but not the other way around. (Well, you can, but the results may be disappointing, depending on the effect you're going for.)Bottom line: l love them! (I wish they'd make some metallic ones, though.)

Best pastels ever. I love using these in my art work

I rate these four stars, but as a "student" grade product. Otherwise I would give them a much lower rating due to the fact that several of the colors are not very lightfast.I did a lightfastness test (strong sunlight in a west window) and then rated them on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being most lightfast), and here are my results:10: True Blue (the lighter blue), Blue Green, Yellow Green, Golden Brown (the ocher color), Rust (the sienna color), Medium Brown, Grey, and Black9: Cerulean, Blue, Blue Violet (the dark purple color), Green, and Slate Grey (the very blue grey color)8: Yellow, and Moss (the khaki green color)6: Violet (the lighter purple color)5: Red Orange4: Yellow Orange3: Orange2: Red Violet (the lightest purple color), and Peach (the light "flesh" color)1: PinkThose rated 10 showed no degradation, even in the wash application.Those rated 9 showed a very slight lightening of the wash application only.Those rated 8 showed a little more lightening of the wash, and little if any lightening of the dry (and so stronger) application.The Violet, rated 6, had a little loss of intensity/brilliance in both applications, resulting in a slightly duller color.The Red Orange, rated 5, had a little lightening dry, but more in the wash, with also a loss of some of its orange hue in both applications.The Yellow Orange, rated 4, lost all of its orange hue and now looks a lot like the Yellow.The Orange, rated 3, lightened about 50% dry, and about 70% in the wash.The Red Violet, rated 2, lost about 80% of its color in both applications. The Peach, also a 2, lost about 90% of its color in both applications.The Pink, rated 1, forget about it; nothing but the "wax" left.I gave away (to some neighbor's young children) all those rated below 4 (5 of the 24), and probably should of let go the Yellow Orange, and maybe even the Red Orange too.I would rate the remaining, in general, as a 5 star product, especially considering the price (even just for those I kept). They are fairly well pigmented and wash well, and with little of the dry strokes remaining after applying water.

A fun new medium for an adult like me. These are less waxy than regular crayons, so application is smooth on a variety of papers. Using water with them elevates the experience!

Easy to use without without water! Good quality. Good pricing.

They were a little melted at the tips when I opened the package, however, I tested the out immediately and was able to get them back to normal tips without any waste. The application is smooth, creamy, glides so easily and move well with water. The pigments are fantastic. Would be great to get in even more colors

I LOVE Portfolio Series water soluble oil pastels. The box I received, the cover picture looks totally different from the Amazon picture featured. So I don’t know what to think or what that means or if it even makes a difference. Since this will be a gift for a beginner I’m sure it will work fine. I’d love to test them out but since it’s a gift I don’t want to open & use them lolHope my friend enjoys them as much as I do & hope they r the same or better than the box I have…