CONTé CRAYON
Although earth tones and sanguine had existed for centuries, in the 1800’s there was still a need for a variety of colors in a stable, stick-like form. The a stick of color named a ‘conté crayon’ was a colorful solution beyond graphite or pastel.
Conté Crayon
Also known as ‘colour carre crayons,’ Conté crayon is named for its inventor, Nicolas Jacques Conté.
In France, in the early 1800s, he “worked on making the colours ‘fixed and unchangeable’ to meet the requirements of the painters of the day.”
With a mixture of pigment, clay and cellulose ether, “Artists’ pencils and pastels were born.”
Pigment, finely textured kaolin clay, and either cellulose ether or other binding agents are combined to produce smooth, strong sticks of color for finished drawings or for sketching out ideas.
Sketching in any medium can stand alone, or be a preparation for painting, designing or building.
As an artist works out color, composition on a substrate of paper, wood or canvas, he or she may need to freely sketch out ideas of shapes, placement and interactions of color.
The conté crayon allows energetic forms of expression using color sticks in powerful strokes or gentle blending.
-https://www.conteaparis.com/en/carres/
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