If our customers had a Neocolor II favourite, this would be it. The Tin of 15 is the set we sell more than any other, and once you have used it you get why. Fifteen colours is the point where you stop feeling limited and start actually painting pictures. Bold and creamy dry, glowing and fluid with a splash of water, and still small enough to throw in your bag.

What You Get in the Tin of 15

Fifteen colours gives you the brights plus the earths and darks that make a picture feel finished. Combine that with what Neocolor II does with water and you have a tiny tin that behaves like a full watercolour set and a full pastel set at the same time.

It is professional Neocolor II through and through: high pigment content, excellent lightfastness and a soft wax that leaves no dust. That is why art teachers love it for classrooms and why journallers carry it everywhere.

Colours in the Tin of 15

All 15 colours by number and name, as published for this set. Every colour is also sold on its own, so note the numbers of your favourites for top ups.

Caran d'Ache occasionally updates set assortments, so the colours in your box may vary slightly from this list.

The Caran d'Ache Difference: Swiss Made Since 1915

Here is the thing about Caran d'Ache. They have been making drawing tools in Geneva for more than a century, and they still do it the slow way, in their own Swiss workshops at Thônex just outside the city. Not outsourced, not rebadged, not made wherever is cheapest this year. When the tin says Swiss Made, it means the pigment, the wax and the stick were all made by people who have been perfecting this exact thing for generations.

It is still a family company too. The Hübscher family has been at the helm since the 1930s, and today Carole Hübscher leads as the fourth generation. That is why the quality does not wobble from one batch to the next. A Neocolor II stick you buy today behaves exactly like the one your art teacher handed you years ago.

Caran d'Ache also has form for inventing the things the rest of the art world copies. They launched Prismalo in 1931, the world's first watercolour pencil, and turned their Neocolor wax pastel water soluble in 1972. Neocolor II is the original, which is why so many imitations get compared to it and so few come close. We have stocked Caran d'Ache at Art Shed Brisbane for years, and it is one of those brands our team actually buys for themselves.

Why Artists Keep Coming Back to Neocolor II

• Two mediums in one stick. A bold, creamy pastel when dry and a luminous watercolour the moment water touches it. Fewer tools to carry, more ways to work.
• No dust, no mess. Wax based, so nothing to breathe in, nothing to fix, nothing smudging across your desk.
• Works on almost anything. Paper, cardboard, wood, glass, fabric, leather and stone. Journals, rocks, windows, mixed media.
• Pigment that pulls its weight. High pigment content means real covering power, so light colours sit over dark and washes stay bright.
• The original water soluble wax pastel. Neocolor II has been on art school kit lists since 1972. Everything else is the copy.
• Made to last. Excellent lightfastness and a stick tough enough to survive a school pencil case, so your work and your tin both go the distance.

Getting the Most Out of the Tin of 15

Layer two colours dry, then brush water through them to mix them on the page. Leave some areas dry for texture next to the smooth washes. Contrast is your friend.

Dip the tip in water for strong, juicy lines, perfect for lettering in your journal. A Caran d'Ache water brush makes this mess free on the go.

For washes, use a watercolour paper of 300gsm or more so the paper stays flat.

Browse the rest of our pastel sets, everything in pastels, or the full Caran d'Ache range.

Questions About the Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Tin of 15