Faber-Castell Gelatos vs Marabu Art Crayons vs Caran D'Ache Neocolor IIs vs Derwent Aquatones!

[@priscillawarren9979]

thank you for showing us the Caran D'Ache comparison. I may try them.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Oh, I hope you do; they are fun!

[@CreatingCuteArt]

I love my Neocolor II and can’t imagine not having them now that I’ve used them, but I tried the FC gelatos when my niece and nephews came to visit and was surprised by how much fun they were! Great comparison, thanks for the fun video (and loved your makeup in this one!!)!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thanks, Maggie! They are fun, aren't they? In the future, however, I think I would only re-buy the Neocolor IIs, even though they're all fun!

[@Elvraie]

I have only about 15 of the neocolor Ii but i find the marabu art crayons quite vibrant. Great little experiment. Have a brilliant weekend, Miranda.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I do enjoy the Neocolor IIs. The Marabu are vibrant enough that I think I need to use less of them on my artwork so all the gaps don't get filled in quite so much.

[@GeorgeontheRocks]

Very nice and complete comparison. I have a 15 set Neocolor IIs and love them. I use them as washes on rocks and on wc paper. Excellent results.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thank you, George. I'm a bit behind on watching your videos (and several others, lol), but I have seen where you used the Neocolors on your rocks and it's really neat!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thanks for doing this comparison, I definitely need me some Marabu crayons! I haven’t had much fun with Gelatos because of their stubborn refusal to rewet. Great to know the Marabu ones work better! Neocolors are so awesome, aren’t they? Great little paintings. 😊

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

You're welcome, although it looks like I might have to redo the comparison and this time not let the Gelatos sit before trying to rewet them - oops! I do think the Marabus are softer/creamier than the Gelatos. And I LOVE the Neocolor IIs. I like how the Derwent Aquatone piece looked at the end, but it's definitely a completely different medium than the other three.

[@revondamehovic3132]

these were all so beautiful! I think I need to add the marabu art crayons to my wish list. thanks for the video and the cute puppy scenes!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thanks, Revonda!

[@gwensimmons_gigi1629]

I have not had an issue liquifying my FCGelatos, but I lay them down and add water. Definitely my CD NeoColor2, won that battle, in my humble, unbiased opinion!! 🤩😂😃👍🏾 TFS this vid, and the image!! 🥰🤩😃👍🏾💜

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Yes, I should not have let the Gelato sky sit overnight - I may have to redo this comparison. I do love the Neocolor IIs!

[@PaintinHiding]

is it ok if im here for jack? 😆🙈😜 also, you have sooo much front yard! and sooo many cars!! 😱🤯 back to jack… his fur seems sooo thick and fluffyyy~ 😍

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Of course it's okay if you're just here for Jack, LOL! Yes, our yard is quite nice, and we are storing some vehicles at home for the boys here and there.

[@starr-starr]

Nice comparison! I have 30 Neo IIs which I adore. Many of those are lightfast too. The Aquatones are surprisingly nice, and the Marabu look lovely, although I’m not a fan of all the plastic in those and the Gelatos.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I totally meant to mention the plastic casings versus the others and I forgot - darn it! Yes, I think the Neocolor IIs are really the best bet because you get the best of both worlds: creaminess AND beautiful water-blending, although the Aquatone painting is actually my favorite, ironically. The Aquatones just felt completely different than the others, so I believe they do fit more in the category of watercolor pencils (which the website said that's what they are basically).

[@starr-starr]

@@MirandaWatsonArt all the paintings came out pretty nice. I was so inspired I went and did a similar one with my Neos!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

@@starr-starr oh good!

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

OK. Completely off topic, but the very first thing I noticed is how beautiful you look today! Your makeup colors are so fresh and pretty and look so nice on you!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Aww... thank you; that's so darned sweet.

[@mendyhand3895]

They are all fun. I’ve heard that NEO. 2’s will take pen and ink better on top than gelatos. The FCastell gelatos… I use rarely. I think the Colored water soluble Faber Castells pencils are a good choice for on the go sketching…The just use your water color paints to finish at home. But for mixed media art… Neo 2s seem to be on top for now . Hope they are lightfast. Hint hint. Lol. Thx Miranda!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

They're in the window, so here's to hoping! I LOVE the Neo 2s!

[@sueallen952]

Hi Miranda, gelatos move beautifully if you gesso the page first, I've even used them through stencils and the work great

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Okay, good to know, thank you!

[@dianethoroughman9541]

Hi Miranda, I can't decide which painting I like the best. They are all so beautiful. It would be fun if you could do another painting with the Gelatos only add water right away. Jack is so adorable! I am glad you finally got to bring him home.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I do have a previous video where I used the Gelatos in my Etchr Sketchbook and they worked beautifully. Here is that link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIS5k5V7nK-pr5Y. Thanks, Diane. Hugs.

[@ginajennings1664]

I like all of the paintings, but for different reasons. Its as if I were a kid standing in front of a row of candy bars and trying to decide which one to buy. I like them all so I can’t decide… the puppy is adorable.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I feel the same way, lol!

[@cazumbandoartmaddy1728]

Hey Miranda, thank you very much for the review And comparison! All of your paintings turned out to be beautiful in their own way, but your video is very useful for people to get to know which product they want according to the creation process you've gone through and your final results. I will get the neocolors II via jacksons, since I am limited to buy only from there and aliexpress, so no marabu crayons for me, but it's good to know the neocolors deliver a good punch of color when wetted! If you still want to experiment more crayon type of water soluble media: there's gouache sticks (I bought mine from aliexpress but I'm sure Amazon has it) and mungyo's water soluble pastels too! The gouache sticks are incredibly fun, but they got the gouache opacity unlike crayons which can be transparent. Anyways, your videos are amazing as always, I love your energy and how much you make art a fun hobby!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thanks, Maddy! It's always fun to see how products compare to each other. The gouache sticks sound really interesting; maybe I'll get to try them someday.

[@katarinaholik]

Marabu looks very nice

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

They are quite pretty.

[@Crenshawtutoring]

That was a wonderful demonstration!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thank you, I had fun with them!

[@nancyloomis3046]

I know I already gave you my love of Gelatos before seeing all 4, but even though you couldn’t blend them out that well, I really do like the Gelatos artwork better. It just seems more colorful and the more “speckled” marks look just fine. But for “pro” work, I’d go with Caran dAche because of their archival qualities that the other 3 can’t really claim.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I do like the speckled look and the vibrancy of the color in the Gelato piece. I like the control I can get with the Caran D'Ache.

[@bjustbee]

I think I like the neocolors and the gelatos the best. The marabu looks almost hazy on camera.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I didn't know this in time, but with the Marabu crayons, I need to add a lot LESS pigment than I did in this exercise because it definitely covered too much of the paper (definitely made it look hazy). The gelatos look surprisingly nice even without the full blending effect and I might actually like to keep both the Gelatos and Marabu crayons slightly LESS blended. I think it's a fun look. I love the Neocolors every time I use them. :-D

[@nancyloomis3046]

I’m anxious to see how you rate these. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Gelatos, but there’s no lightfastness ratings, so anything I create with these has to be for digital reproduction only or never see much light. If only FC would create an artist quality version of them, I’d be in heaven. I do know that Gelatos will dry without much smudging, within about 24 hours. Their creaminess and blendability is fantastic and MUCH better than Maribu…that I have a good many of. I also have the Neocolor 2s and of course, they’re great, but do seem to crumble quite a lot. The gold Neocolor2 I have just sort of fell apart without virtually any pressure. I could still use the larger pieces, but it shouldn’t have done that. I have no experience with the Aquatones. Thanks!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Oh, interesting about the Neocolor IIs crumbling. Luckily, I haven't run into that problem yet, and I hope I don't. Yeah, I made the mistake of doing the sky in the Gelatos the night before and not putting water on it before I went to bed. Oops. I may have to re-do this comparison video between the two products (Faber-Castella and Marabu).

[@nancyloomis3046]

I’ve used Gelatos the most and smudge with my finger as I’m laying the color down. They will blend beautifully with water or fingers WHEN THEY’RE NEWLY LAYED DOWN, but as I noted, they set-up within 24 hours. After that, I think you would need to use a solvent of some sort to get them to budge.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Yes and yes. Found that out the hard way, darn it.

[@cazkiwinz4300]

Fun video. I only have Neo2s so they’re my pick…. But I liked all the drawings … you’re so talented! And… puppy!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thank you. ❤️ The Neo IIs are such a delight.

[@eileenvalachovic9435]

Thank you for the comparison. Have 20 to 30 or so Neocolor 2 (and same colors in Neocolor I and Neopastel-the oil pastel). Love them. Think my favorite technique is rubbing them on a cutting board (same surface as board sold by Caron d'arche but cheaper) and making a wash of it.thank Love the look of the Gelatoes but would have problem with the plastic. The look reminds me of oil pastels. Have slowly started to learn that medium. Thank you so much for another fun video.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thanks, Eileen! Yes, I've seen the cutting board method and I suppose I should try that someday, lol. If I ran out of these mediums, the only one I would currently re-buy would be the Neocolor IIs, even though I love the Marabu ones as well. They should switch them over to paper wrappers and then they would have a lot more fans! Always love hearing from you.

[@thesleeplessspook]

I'd be interested to know if the Gelatos will react to straight up rubbing alcohol or even OMS or lavender spike oil since they seemed to move a little with the colorless blending markers. Thanks for such an informative video. It's hard to pick a favorite since all produced beautiful pictures with different attributes, but I'd say for just ease of use in the least amount of time, the art crayons take home the gold.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I may try that with the Gelatos once I get back home the end of this month. We'll see if we can get them to move after many weeks - should be an interesting experiment. The Gelatos worked way better in a previous video I did where I added water immediately: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIS5k5V7nK-pr5Y. I may have to redo this comparison and be quicker with the water application. Thanks, Mrs. Tyrant!

[@juststartingover2735]

Very good review, thank you.

[@shawnrobinson6718]

I liked the Malibu art crayons!! Unfortunately I bought gelatos before I seen your video, ill tell you I just thought gelatos didn't like me😢. But I was very happy to know it's not just me. Thank you for this video ❤❤❤

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I'm glad it was helpful!

[@INCWorks]

That Elice Light Box - although pricier than the small/thin/cheap one I've been using for several years - looks to have some great features. If one can swing the initial cost, it's probably a pretty good investment.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I'm really enjoying using it although I noticed that some other rechargeable light boxes were offered on prime day today that were quite a bit more affordable.

[@jillwiswall5386]

How much time elapsed between when you applied the gelatos and when you added water? I’ve found gelatos to work very well with water applied right away, but all of these crayons will set up a bit if left to dry for awhile before water is applied.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Yes, I mentioned (very briefly!) in the video that the sky was done the night before, and that's probably why parts of the field "melted" better than the sky (because the field was done that same day), although it was still not as easy as the other mediums. So yes, the sky had basically 24 hours to set up, and the field and the rest of the painting had about 45 minutes. Hope that helps!

[@Julie-vy3oz]

I had a set of gelatos once upon a time and really didn’t care for them I gave them away. I tried the Recollections dupe (Michael’s) when they came out and again, gave them away. I love the Neocolor II and use them dry too-they blend so nicely. I’ll stick with them but found this comparison so fun. And of course, puppies….

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I would not re-buy the Gelatos or the Marabu Art Crayons in the future (at least I don't think so), but I would definitely consider re-buying the Neocolor IIs if I ran out. I really enjoy using them.

[@donsdoodleart]

COOL!!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Thanks. :-)

[@juststartingover2735]

Another artist did a demo with the faber castell gelatos…before adding water she used a sponge to spread out the gelato (can also use your finger) like you do with other oil pastels. Then when you add a little water its beautiful! I have used the Caran D’ache but did not like how the color was just blah..they are good for under painting, which other artists have shown. Im not familiar with the other two products you showed here. Thank you for the video. Please try gelatos again.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I will definitely try them again. I need to do the blending before they've had a chance to dry, so they really do need another go!

[@NanaBeth1]

Of course I like Aquatones-I prefer the softer look. Jack is so darn cute. He looks like a shag rug-what kind of dog is he?

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

The Aquatone painting was also my favorite! But the medium I enjoyed using the most was the Marabu Art Crayons. Believe it or not, Jack is supped to be a blue heeler, but we wonder if the mom jumped the fence? Stephen (my husband) wants to get a DNA test on him because there is an uncut Husky next door to where Jack's mom lives, and Stephen is convinces that's the dad of at least two of the puppies, lol.

[@NanaBeth1]

@@MirandaWatsonArt I agree-Mom liked the look of the boy next door!

[@stormyswann6177]

Very thoughrou thank you

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

You're welcome!

[@veystone2580]

Hi. I have been thinking about getting the Marabu, but I wonder, since they look so creamy, I worry they go out fast! My Neocolors II seem to last forever. But those Marabu seem to be more plastic package than actual product. Am I wrong?

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

The Marabu are creamy and dreamy. They do have quite a bit of plastic packaging, but the product inside is pretty full, if you know what I mean. But I would choose the Neocolor IIs any day over these, even though they are a big of a different product.

[@veystone2580]

@@MirandaWatsonArt Thank u so much! 😊

[@windykellems2374]

I got those Marabu crayons and I deeply disliked them. I love Sennelier oil pastels and they feel the same going down, but I did not find them to be vibrant, at all, and I found my pigment disappearing on me when I tried to blend. I love my Gelatos, but you definitely have to blend them right away. The fact that they dry fairly permanent is a point in their favor, IMO. Good complement to the Inktense pencils which I love for the same reason. Two mixed media superstars, IMO.

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I realized too late that the Gelatos needed blended right away, which means that this entire test needs redone. Fun idea for the future! I enjoy using these, so it'll be fun to compare them again.

[@fuzzydragons]

I havent used the gelatos, everytime i see them i think i could just paint with lipstick lol

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Yes, might as well, lol.