Studio Exploration: Crayons
Test swatches of different crayons: Crayola, Jupitearth, and Massrt
Crayola ☆☆☆☆
K-8th grade
Crayola is the easiest to use for a typical PK-12 classroom, in my opinion. These crayons are durable, pre-sharpened, and suitable for school projects.
Price: These are very affordable, since a 24-pack is $4 and a 100-pack is around $25. Since schools need to buy in bulk, Crayola is the most practical.
One thing they do not do well is that they do not have a deep saturation compared to the other brands. I would use these crayons for students in elementary and possibly middle school as well.
These crayons are safe and nontoxic but should not be ingested by anyone.
Massrt ☆☆☆☆
pk-5th grade
I really like these crayons because, out of all three, they are full coverage, do not have paper or plastic around them, and have dots for grip on the crayons. Another thing is the bright colors with the ability to blend. These are marketed for a younger audience but can be used by others.
Price: A 12-pack of these crayons can be $9.99, and the highest amount they sell is a 24-count, which is around $18.
The price is the only unfortunate part about these because they are non-toxic, triangle-shaped so they cannot roll off tables, and easy for small hands to grip. I wish these were more affordable, but I understand that these are high-quality crayons!
These are also non-toxic, but students should be monitored during use of these crayons.
Jupitearth ☆☆
6th grade–high school
Jupitearth crayons are really nice because they are twistable, have bright colors, and are good for students who do not like the feeling of holding waxy materials. They feel very similar to oil pastels, but I don't think they smudge after use.
Price: A 12-pack of these crayons can be $14, and the highest amount they sell is a 48-count, which is around $35.
One thing I did not like about these is that they are hard to cover a surface evenly. They also seem to wear down pretty quickly and are hard to get sharp, so they are mainly for drawing big areas of space.
These are non-toxic and are also washable off clothes, skin, etc.
Final study—I used the massrt crayons for most of this flower drawing, and also the jupitearth.
