Everyone loves color and drawings. Drawing and painting are some of the core subjects in schools and almost every person has made drawings and paintings at least once in a lifetime. Drawings and paintings can be made up of several different types of colors such as color pencils, watercolors, acrylic colors, and more. Oil pastels and crayons are two more types of colors that are quite popular.
Oil Pastels vs Crayons
The main difference between oil pastels and crayons is that oil pastels have an oil ingredient in them which makes the texture of the color not get dried and hardened to a great extent. On the other hand, crayons are made up of wax which results in a dried-up and hard texture.
Oil pastels can be referred to as a form of painting or it can also be referred to as a form of colors. Both of these terms are closely related to each other. That is to say, the type of painting that is made from oil pastel colors is known as oil pastel painting.
Crayons are also known as wax crayons and wax pastels. The reason why they are called wax crayons is that the core ingredient that is used in the making of crayons is wax. Since wax is used for making crayons, they are hard, brittle, and dry in texture.
Comparison Table Between Oil Pastels and Crayons
| Parameters of comparison | Oil pastels | Crayons |
| Main ingredient | Oil pastels have oil as the main ingredient. | The main ingredient of crayons is wax. |
| Hardness | Oil pastels are not hard in texture as compared to the hardness of crayons. | Crayons are hard in texture as compared to the hardness of oil pastels. |
| Dryness | Oil pastels are not very dry as compared to crayons. | Crayons are quite dry as compared to oil pastels. |
| Convenience | Oil pastels are more convenient to use as compared to crayons. | Crayons are not very convenient to use as compared to crayons. |
| Vibrancy of colors | Oil pastels have more vibrant colors as compared to crayons. | Crayons have less vibrant colors as compared to oil pastels. |
What are Oil Pastels?
Oil pastels are one of the most popular and more used types of colors that are used by painters all around the world. The reason why oil pastels are so famous is that they are very easy to use if a person is experienced about how to using oil pastels, they do not require much effort, oil colors are easily blendable among each other, and more.
Oil pastels are very delicate and thus one must handle the colors with care, or else they might break as well. The reason why oil pastels are so fragile is that they are not a very hardened form of colors, such as wax crayons and pencil colors. They have a core ingredient which is a type of oil. The oil gives the colors a very greasy texture and thus makes it not completely dry. Because of it, the colors can easily get on hands and clothes. Because the core ingredient of these colors is a type of oil, that is the reason why they are known as oil pastels.
Oil pastels are also famous for a technique known as the scraping technique. In this technique, oil pastels are layered over each other a couple of times and can scrape off layers as per their need.
What are Crayons?
For every child in almost every country and every school or teaching institution, crayons are considered the most basic type of colors to use. That is to say, crayons are used by people or children who are beginners to the world of painting, coloring, or drawing. The reason behind that is because crayons are not very expensive, and are the cheapest type of colors available. Moreover, they are not very messy to work with, unlike oil pastels.
Crayons are mostly available in the form of sticks, more specifically in the shape of pencils or pens. In most general cases, the length of crayons sticks is about 3.5 inches in length or 89 mm. Though depending upon the company which manufactures crayons, the ingredients used in the manufacture can vary. However, the most basic ingredient in wax crayons is known as paraffin wax.
In today’s time, several different types of crayons are designed and made which majorly vary depending upon their composition. Some of the most popular types of crayons are chalk crayons, charcoal crayons, washable crayons, and more.
Main Differences Between Oil Pastels and Crayons
- Oil pastels have more color options as compared to crayons. On the contrary, crayons have fewer color options as compared to oil pastels.
- Not much effort is required to color something using oil pastels. On the other hand, comparatively more effort is required to color something using crayons.
- Oil pastels are generally used by people who have prior experience with coloring. Whereas, crayons can be used by beginners as well as experienced people.
- Oil pastels are less brittle as compared to crayons. On the contrary, crayons are more brittle as compared to oil pastels.
- Oil pastels need a fixative to prevent them from getting dried. On the other hand, no fixative is needed in the case of crayons.
Conclusion
Oil pastels and crayons come under the same category, that is type of colors. However, they both are completely different types of colors with several different dissimilarities. The major difference between the two lies in their composition. However, one can easily identify the difference between the two by just knowing its texture.
When touching an oil pastel color, it might feel a bit greasy and if you rub your finger over the color then the fingers might get a bit of color too. Moreover, oil pastels would be more vibrant and have more bright-colored options. On the other hand, when touching a crayon color, it might feel extremely dry and hard. Moreover, if you rub your finger over the color then no color would be transferred to your fingers.
References
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1238258/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8659.2005.00826.x