How to Use Neocolor II Water-Soluble Wax Pastels

How to Use Neocolor II Water-Soluble Wax Pastels

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How to Use Neocolor II Water-Soluble Wax Pastels

If you're wondering how to use Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels, this guide covers every essential technique. You'll learn how to blend colours, layer pigments, activate them with water, create texture, and choose the right paper—whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced watercolour artist.

In this article:

     

    Two Families of Techniques: Dry and Wet

    The first thing to understand about water-soluble wax pastels is that they can be used in two complementary ways.
    Dry techniques involve using the pastel just like a traditional crayon: drawing, colouring and layering without adding any water. Depending on the pressure you apply and the paper you choose, you can achieve everything from smooth, even colour to richly textured marks.
    Wet techniques begin by activating the pigments with water. The wax softens, the colour spreads and blends, and the result can look remarkably similar to watercolour. Neocolor II pastels also have a few unique characteristics that make them especially interesting to work with.

    These two approaches are not mutually exclusive. In fact, combining them opens up an impressive range of creative possibilities.

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    Coloured fishes and sky from my pastels free mini-course


    🖍️ Read my blog post to learn everything you need to know about Neocolor II, including how they're made, how they compare with watercolour, and the art supplies I recommend.

    How to Use Neocolor II Dry

    Flat Colour: Creating an Even Layer

    Applying a flat, even layer of colour is the foundation of working with Neocolor II pastels. Use steady pressure to cover an area as evenly as possible.
    When placing colours next to one another, it's best to apply the lighter colours first, followed by the darker ones. This advice applies to both flat colour and blending. If dark pigment transfers onto a lighter pastel stick, it can easily contaminate the lighter shade.

    Layering colours with Neocolor II Layering colours with Neocolor II

    Pressure variation on smooth and cold-pressed paper / light colour first and dark colour first

    Blending and Gradients

    A blend is simply a gradual transition from one colour to another. Here are two tips for creating smooth blends when working dry:
    1. Work from the lightest colour towards the darkest. If you're working with water, rinse your brush between colours to avoid muddying your mixes.
    2.  Use an intermediate colour for longer gradients. Going directly from yellow to blue creates an abrupt transition. Introducing a green between them produces a much smoother and more natural result.
    Neocolor II blending technique Neocolor II blending technique

    The Neocolor II White pastel is particularly useful for dry blending. Applied between two colours that don't naturally blend well together, it acts as a bridge, softening the transition and creating a more harmonious result.

    Neocolor II blending technique

    Layering Colours

    One of the strengths of Neocolor II pastels is their ability to be layered.
    Apply one colour first, then build another over the top. When working dry, each layer remains slightly translucent, allowing the colours to mix visually. For example, applying yellow over blue creates a green.
    Pressure also plays an important role here. A light application allows the underlying colour to remain visible, while firmer pressure creates greater coverage.
    That said, layering isn't limitless. Once you've applied a heavily pigmented layer, the pastel has less grip on the surface, making additional layers more difficult to build.

    Experiment with different colour combinations and vary the pressure you apply to discover the wide range of effects these pastels can produce.

    Layering colours with Neocolor II

    Smudging: Softening and Unifying Colour

    Smudging is used to soften marks and blend colours into a smoother finish. Different tools produce different effects:
    1.  A paper blending stump allows for precise blending. It moves the pigment while lifting away a small amount, making it ideal for fine details and subtle transitions.
    2.  Your finger spreads the pigment over a wider area, creating soft, even blends without removing too much colour.
    3.  A soft cloth removes the greatest amount of pigment, revealing the underlying layers and creating interesting depth and texture.
    Smudging transforms flat areas or visible strokes into a soft, velvety finish. It's especially useful for skies, backgrounds and anywhere you want colours to merge seamlessly.

    Scratching (Sgraffito): Adding Fine Details and Texture

    Scratching, also known as sgraffito, involves removing the top layer of colour with a pointed tool such as a cocktail stick, metal stylus or compass point.
    This technique only works when at least two layers of pastel have been applied. By scratching away the upper layer, you reveal the colour underneath, allowing you to create fine lines and delicate details.
    For the strongest effect, aim for good contrast between the two layers.
    One important thing to remember is that you need to plan ahead. If you want white scratched lines, you must first apply a layer of White before adding the other colours. Scratching only reveals what's underneath—it cannot create a colour that wasn't already there.

    Want to see each technique demonstrated step by step?

    My complete Neocolor II course includes over seven hours of video tutorials covering every technique shown in this guide.

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    How to Use Neocolor II with Water

    Adding water completely transforms Neocolor II pastels. The pigments dissolve, spread and blend, opening up a more spontaneous – and often more surprising – way of working.

    Five Ways to Use Water

    There are five main methods, each producing its own distinctive effects.
    1. Apply the pastel dry, then activate it with water. This is the most straightforward technique. Apply the pastel directly to dry paper, then brush over the coloured area with a damp brush. The pigment dissolves and smooths out beautifully. The more pressure you used when applying the pastel, the more pigment will be available, resulting in richer, more intense colour. This is also the easiest method to control, making it ideal for beginners.

    Using water with Neocolor II

    2. Pick up colour directly from the pastel with a damp brush. Lightly wet your brush, remove the excess water, then gently rub it over the tip of the pastel. The brush picks up the pigment, which can then be applied to the paper just like watercolour paint. This technique is particularly useful for fine details and precise areas where using the pastel directly would be too broad.

    Using water with Neocolor II

    3. Dip the pastel directly into water. When dipped briefly into water, a Neocolor II pastel becomes much softer and creamier. You can then draw directly onto the paper, producing rich, textured marks that are quite different from those made with a dry pastel. The effect is bold and expressive, almost resembling oil pastel in places while still remaining water-soluble.

    Using water with Neocolor II

    4. Make a paint mixture using pastel shavings. Another technique is to scrape small shavings from the pastel onto a palette, then add a few drops of water. The shavings dissolve into a highly concentrated paint that can be used exactly like watercolour. One advantage of this method is that any leftover mixture can be allowed to dry and simply reactivated with water later. Of all the wet techniques, this one comes closest to traditional watercolour and is capable of producing particularly intense, saturated colours.

    Using water with Neocolor II

    5. Wet the paper first, then draw with the pastel. Start by dampening your paper before applying the pastel directly onto the wet surface. As soon as the pastel touches the paper, the pigment begins to disperse through the moisture, creating beautifully soft, organic effects.Some colours travel much more than others—Vermilion and Payne's Grey, for example, spread particularly readily. The results can be stunning, but they're also less predictable. This is the most spontaneous technique and the one that most closely resembles the classic wet-on-wet approach used in watercolour painting.

    Using water with Neocolor II

    Choosing the Right Paper for Wet Techniques

    Paper makes a huge difference when working with water.
    A cold-pressed watercolour paper is generally the best choice. Its lightly textured surface absorbs water well, withstands repeated wetting, and allows the pigments to settle evenly with fewer streaks.
    Hot-pressed watercolour paper, such as Arches Hot Press, also works well. Because of its smooth surface, pigments can be lifted more easily, making it useful for certain techniques. However, it tends to cope less well with large amounts of water than cold-pressed paper.
    For sketchbooks and travel journals, Royal Talens sketchbooks offer an excellent balance between quality and affordability.

    Water-Soluble Wax Pastels vs Watercolour: What Watercolour Artists Should Know

    If you're already familiar with watercolour, water-soluble wax pastels may surprise you in several ways.
    Their biggest strengths include:
    • You can apply opaque layers, including light colours over darker blended areas. 
    • White becomes a creative tool in its own right, rather than simply the colour of the paper. 
    • Creating texture is quick and accessible, even for beginners. 

    There are also a few limitations worth bearing in mind:

    • Because Neocolor II pastels contain wax, it's generally not possible to layer coloured pencils or certain other media over the top. 
    • They are slightly less intensely pigmented than traditional watercolours, although using the palette shaving technique can produce remarkably rich colour. 
    • When activated with water, the finish is often more opaque than watercolour, particularly in lighter shades, as these contain a proportion of white pigment. 
    • If you're coming from a watercolour background, you'll probably find the wet techniques feel the most familiar. The dry techniques, however, are where you'll discover an entirely new way of working.

    How to Improve Step by Step

    The wide range of techniques available with water-soluble wax pastels can seem a little overwhelming at first.
    The best approach is to focus on one technique at a time. Practise it repeatedly using different colours, papers and formats. By revisiting the same subjects in different ways, you'll gradually develop confidence, build muscle memory and begin to establish your own artistic style.
    There's no need to master everything at once. Consistent practice with a handful of techniques will take you much further than trying to learn them all in one go.

    Ready to Get Started for Free?

    I've created a free online mini-course featuring two complete step-by-step tutorials to help you discover the creative possibilities of Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels.


    Ready to Take Your Skills Further?

    My complete online Neocolor II course covers all of these techniques in depth across seven hours of video lessons and more than 25 step-by-step classes, each built around practical projects that help you apply what you've learned.
    You'll enjoy lifetime access, with French and English subtitles included, so you can learn at your own pace whenever it suits you.
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    FAQ

    Are Neocolor II the same as oil pastels?

    No. Although they look similar, Neocolor II are water-soluble wax pastels. They can be used dry or activated with water to create effects similar to watercolour.

    Can you use Neocolor II without water?

    Absolutely. Neocolor II work beautifully both dry and wet. Used dry, they're ideal for flat colour, blending, layering and gradients. When activated with water, they behave much like watercolour while retaining their own unique characteristics.

    What's the difference between Neocolor I and Neocolor II?

    The main difference is that Neocolor II are water-soluble, whereas Neocolor I are not. Neocolor II can therefore be used both dry and with water, making them a much more versatile medium.

    What paper works best with Neocolor II?

    For dry techniques, I recommend Bristol paper, Canson Illustration paper, or Arches Hot Press watercolour paper. For wet techniques, cold-pressed watercolour paper is the best choice, as it absorbs water well while maintaining vibrant colour.

    Are Neocolor II suitable for beginners?

    Absolutely. They're easy to learn, forgiving to use, and allow beginners to explore both drawing and painting techniques with a single medium. You can achieve impressive results with just a small selection of colours.

    Can you use Neocolor II with watercolour?

    Yes. Neocolor II and watercolour complement each other beautifully. I generally recommend painting with watercolour first, allowing it to dry, and then adding Neocolor II to benefit from their opacity and textural effects.
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