Test Driving Some New Art Materials! -

One of my favorite hobbies is discovering and finding new art supplies. Watch as I test out some fun, new (to me) art materials. I’m not sure how new they are, but they were all exciting finds for me.

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I do like to have different types of art materials available (such as these color switching markers). I just keep a box or two of different types up at the front of the room and kids can try them out when they have free time. So you don’t need to buy a class set of everything, but you can have different samples for kids to try and share.

A selection of art materials, including new markers, watercolor crayons, gel pens, and metallic outline markers, awaits on a table for some creative test driving.

Crayola Pearlescent Cream Sticks

A set of 12 Crayola Signature markers in various colors, perfect for test driving new art techniques, organized in a sleek black metal tin.

These Crayola Pearlescent Cream Sticks are smooth and creamy, kind of like oil pastels, but not as oily. They remind me of the texture of Kwik Stix. The tips are medium width, so they would not be good for coloring in fine details on coloring books. They have a very beautiful pearlescent sheen to them and look lovely on white paper. They are meant for older artists, so I probably wouldn’t use them with my very youngest students. Little kids might use them too roughly and smash the cream sticks. They are beautiful, but for the price, I wish they came with more colors.

The colors also show up nicely on black paper (except for the gray).

Ten pastel chalk strokes on a black surface, arranged in a diagonal pattern, showcasing the potential of new art materials.

You can dip a paintbrush in water and blend the colors like you can with watercolor crayons.

A patch of light to dark blue chalk pastel is smudged on a white surface, inviting exploration of new art materials.

Watch the video and see the shiny colors!

Crayola Metallic Outline Markers

I found this concept really intriguing. The markers write with the color, but the inside of the line is metallic. They work pretty nicely, but not as perfectly as the box shows.

Box of new Crayola Signature Metallic Outline Markers, featuring 6 brilliant markers with "Create to Inspire" and lettering design on the front, perfect for test-driving your creative ideas.

You can watch the video below to see how they work.

The image showcases new art materials, with the words "green," "purple," "gray," "red," "blue," and "pink" painted brilliantly in corresponding colors on white paper.

One thing I did not like about these markers was that the green one was very drippy. And the colors are hard to get off of clothing. I got a little blue on my sweater and had to scrub a lot to get it off. I would not buy these for my elementary students to use because of that reason. But, like I said earlier, I think this is an interesting concept and kind of fun to play with.

Crayola Watercolor Crayons

Crayola Signature Watercolor Crayons offer a fantastic introduction to new art ventures, featuring 12 vibrant colors, a paintbrush, and a mixing sheet. The package cover displays stunning floral watercolor art to spark creative inspiration with these versatile art materials.

These are really nice! They feel more like oil pastels than crayons to me. I got these in a box of materials sent from Crayola after I did a very long survey at the NAEA convention. I will probably buy more for my students to use. They go on smooth and feel nice drawing with them.

I used a paint brush dipped in water to blend them and the color blended beautifully. I was delighted to see how vibrant the colors looked when the paper dried! No filters here. I used watercolor paper, because regular copy paper is too thin to use with the water and paintbrush.

Experimenting with new art materials, these watercolor swatches on paper showcase vibrant red, yellow, purple, blue, and pink hues.

Grabie Glitter Markers

I kept seeing this ad in my Instagram feed and they reeled me in. I thought they looked so beautiful in that video. They do look really nice in person as well. I read the reviews on the page after I bought it and I did not have the problems with getting them to start. You do need to start them like any other paint pen, by shaking the marker and then pressing the tip up and down on a surface. Out of 24 markers, only 1 did not flow perfectly. The color comes out a little thinner than the others, but it still writes. These are all the colors it comes with.

A white paper showcases an artistic test driving of color names, handwritten in corresponding hues like blue, red, green, and pink, on a textured beige surface. The use of new art materials brings a fresh vibrance to the textured canvas.

Various color names are written in matching ink on white paper, showcasing new art materials like "Light Red," "Light Orange," "Yellow," and shades of blue and green.

Zebra Mildliner Markers

These are my new favorite markers! I love the soft, mild range of colors these have. I bought my set with some gift cards from Michaels, but you can find different sets on Amazon as well. They are double-ended, with a thinner tip and a medium tip.

A package of 25 Mildliner creative markers, featuring double-ended soft tips, rests on a table. Perfect for test driving new art materials, these markers come in various colors, with the product label prominently displayed.

A collection of Zebra Mildliner pens in various colors, perfect for test driving new art projects, displayed on a table.

Vibrant hues dance across the white surface, as if test driving new art materials, with marker lines and squiggles showcasing a colorful array.

WonderStix Chalk Crayons

Discover the new Art Materials with the Box of Wonder Stix markers. This set of 24 colors is perfect for test driving on whiteboards, poster board, paper, glass, windows, wood, and cardboard. Enjoy vibrant creativity with washable and dust-free convenience.

These are my go-to pastels when having kids decorate a black or dark colored piece of paper. They are dustless chalk crayons and show up beautifully on black paper. It says they write on almost everything, but I honestly haven’t used them on anything but paper.

Colorful chalk shapes and symbols, including stars, triangles, and spirals, drawn on a blackboard showcase the vibrancy of new art materials.

The new art on display features chalk drawings on a black surface, showcasing colorful shapes like triangles, spirals, and stars. Art materials come alive in this vibrant expression of creativity.

What do you think of these supplies? Have you used any of these before? Do you have any art materials you love and think I should try out? Share in the comments!