Introducing Caran d'Ache Neoart™ 6901, the revolutionary wax-oil pastel that is redefining permanence in contemporary drawing and painting. As part of Caran d'Ache's Expert Range, Neoart™ 6901 is the world's first wax and oil pastel to comply with the stringent ASTM D-6901 lightfastness standard, delivering colours that remain vibrant for up to 100 years. Developed and manufactured in Switzerland, Neoart™ offers professional artists an entirely new medium that combines the creamy softness of wax with the richness, depth and layering capabilities of oil-based colour.

With a highly concentrated pigment load and 75% mono or bi-pigment formulations, Neoart™ 6901 produces exceptional chromatic purity, luminous colour intensity and archival-quality results. The smooth, satin finish allows colours to glide effortlessly across the surface while maintaining enough structure for detailed mark-making, layering and advanced mixed media techniques. Unlike traditional soft pastels, Neoart™ is completely dust-free, making it ideal for studio artists, illustrators and creatives seeking a clean, permanent drawing medium. 

Professional quality for lasting artwork

Neoart™ 6901 was designed for artists who demand permanence. Whether creating gallery pieces, commissioned portraits, botanical studies or mixed media artworks intended for long-term display, every colour in the range has been selected and formulated for exceptional lightfastness. The range consists of 48 colours, including 34 shades rated LFI (Excellent Lightfastness) and 14 shades rated LFII (Very Good Lightfastness), making Neoart™ one of the most durable pastel ranges available today. 

Ideal Subjects & Applications

Artists find Neoart™ particularly effective for:

• Fine art landscapes and seascapes
• Botanical and nature illustration
• Wildlife and animal portraiture
• Portrait and figurative artwork
• Urban sketching
• Contemporary and abstract art
• Mixed media works
• Exhibition and archival projects 

The rich opacity, brilliant pigmentation and exceptional blending characteristics allow artists to move effortlessly between broad painterly passages and intricate detail.

Recommended Surfaces

Neoart™ 6901 performs beautifully on a variety of fine art surfaces, including:

• Mixed media paper
• Drawing and pastel papers
• Sanded pastel surfaces
• Illustration board
• Canvas
• Wood panels
• Cardboard
• Glass and experimental surfaces

Textured surfaces provide additional tooth for layering and allow artists to fully explore the depth and versatility of the medium.

Choosing the Right Neoart™ Set

Neoart™ 6901 Set of 12

• The 12-colour set offers a carefully selected foundation palette featuring essential primary, secondary and earth colours. It provides everything needed to mix a surprising range of hues while learning the unique handling characteristics of Neoart™. 
• Ideal for:
  • Beginners exploring professional-grade pastels
  • Art students
  • Urban sketchers
  • Travel artists
  • Small-format studies and sketchbooks
• Best suited to:
  • Quick landscape studies
  • Colour theory exercises
  • Everyday sketching
  • Foundational mixed media work
• The compact format makes it an excellent introduction to the Neoart™ range while still providing the permanence and colour brilliance expected by professional artists.
• Set contains: White, Yellow, Orange, Permanent Red, Violet, Ultramarine, Grass Green, Brown Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Sepia, Silver Grey, Black

Neoart™ 6901 Set of 24

• The 24-colour set expands the core selection with a broader range of warm and cool variations, allowing artists to achieve greater colour nuance and more sophisticated mixes directly from the stick.
• Ideal for:
  • Intermediate artists
  • Serious hobbyists
  • Illustration students
  • Plein air artists
  • Mixed media practitioners
• Best suited to:
  • Landscapes and seascapes
  • Floral subjects
  • Animal studies
  • Urban sketching
  • Contemporary illustration
• The additional greens, blues, earth tones and portrait colours significantly reduce the need for colour mixing while increasing creative flexibility.
• Set contains: White, Silver Grey, Black, Lemon Yellow, Yellow, Orange, Saffron, Burnt Ochre, Brown Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Red, Purplish Red, Violet, Ultramarine, Night Blue, Ice Blue, Grass Green, Moss Green, Spring Green, Light Malachite Green, Terracotta, Russet, Sepia, Slate Grey.

Neoart™ 6901 Set of 48

• The complete 48-colour collection showcases the full Neoart™ 6901 palette, including subtle tints, deep darks, contemporary pigments and specialist colours developed specifically for professional artistic practice. 
• Ideal for:
  • Professional artists
  • Commission artists
  • Illustrators
  • Educators
  • Exhibition and gallery artists
• Best suited to:
  • Archival fine art
  • Advanced portraiture
  • Botanical illustration
  • Wildlife artwork
  • Large-scale compositions
  • Professional mixed media projects
• With access to the full colour spectrum, artists can work with maximum precision, tonal control and chromatic complexity while benefiting from Neoart™'s unrivalled permanence and lightfast performance.
• Set contains: White, Bismuth White, Silver Grey, Payne’s Grey, Violet Grey, Slate Grey, Sepia, Black, Permanent Red, Burnt Sienna, Russet, Terracotta, Burnt Ochre, Cornelian, Herculanum Red, Brown Ochre, Burnt Ochre 10%, Saffron, Orange, Butternut, Ochre, Raw Umber, Gold Cadmium Yellow, Brown Olive 50%, Primrose, Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Spring Green, Moss Green, Grass Green, Dark Phthalocyanine Green, Cobalt Green, Dark English Green, Light Malachite Green, Chrysocolla Blue, Ice Blue, Cobalt Blue 5%, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine, Night Blue, Dark Indigo, Violet, Manganese Violet, Purplish Red, Anthraquinone Carmine, Violet Pink, Perylene Brown.

Mixed Media Possibilities

One of the greatest strengths of Neoart™ 6901 is its compatibility with other professional Caran d'Ache ranges. Artists can combine Neoart™ with:

• Luminance 6901™ coloured pencils for highly detailed archival drawing.
• Museum Aquarelle™ pencils for watercolour and pastel combinations.
• Supracolor™ Aquarelle pencils for sketching and water-soluble effects.
• Pablo™ coloured pencils for crisp finishing details.
• Pastel Pencils for refined linework and texture. 

The pastels can also be blended with odourless mineral spirits or other suitable artist solvents to create painterly washes, soft transitions and oil-painted effects, making Neoart™ equally at home in drawing, painting and mixed media workflows.

Neoart™ 6901 is more than a pastel—it's an archival colour system for artists who refuse to compromise on permanence, pigment quality and creative freedom.