Saving Mom’s Sanity with Caran D’ache Pastels

I started making art again this spring because my son came home from kindergarten with artwork that genuinely surprised me.

Not because kindergarten artwork is usually bad. Although, let’s be honest, sometimes you do have to smile, nod and wait for the young artist to explain why the purple circle is actually a fire truck. Hint: it was the truck’s tires.

But his drawings were really good. He noticed details. He made interesting choices. He clearly loved doing it. And he was proud to show mommy.

Apparently, I am the mom who did not realize her own child was artistic until school pulled it out of him.

The good news is that I know now and drawing has become something we can do together.

Finding Time to Make Art as a Busy Mom

With two boys under six, I don’t have long, peaceful afternoons to devote to art. Most of my quiet moments happen at night, after bedtime, when the house is finally still and nobody needs a snack.

Sometimes I have five minutes. Sometimes I manage half an hour. Occasionally, bedtime goes suspiciously well and I get enough time to finish an entire piece all at once.

I’ve stopped waiting for the perfect block of uninterrupted creative time because it does not appear to be coming. Instead, I leave my supplies where I can reach them easily and work whenever I find a small opening. Even a few minutes spent adding color or working out one stubborn section helps my brain settle down after a full day.

The Affordable Water-Soluble Pastels I Use

I usually call them oil pastels because that is the easiest way to explain what I’m doing, but the supplies I use most are technically water-soluble pastels.

My everyday set is this affordable set of iCrayon water-soluble pastels. They can be used dry or blended with water, which gives me plenty of room to experiment without needing a complicated setup. They’re actually very smooth to use and layer pretty well.

The set also comes with a brush, palette and sharpener, so it is easy to pull everything out and start working without searching the house for six additional supplies. Although nowadays, I don’t use the watercolor brush or the palette really.

Most importantly, they are inexpensive.

That matters because my son likes to create beside me, and I want him to feel free to try my art supplies without me hovering over him. He can blend colors, press too hard, use half a stick making one very enthusiastic patch of blue and generally experiment without me calculating the cost of every mark.

Adding Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Pastels

I also use Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water-soluble pastels alongside the more affordable set. You can go to Blick and order singles, but until you know you like them, I liked getting a starter set.

The Neocolor II pastels give me additional colors and behave a little differently when I layer them. They sort of work as my finishing tools, help me blend out sections much better than the iCrayons.

This is very much a learning-as-I-go situation.

I still cannot draw people particularly well. Faces are especially dangerous territory. But my blueberries are coming out pretty good, and sometimes you have to recognize your strengths.