Invented in 1925, Sakura Color Products of Osaka, Japan, formulated Cray-Pas oil pastels with premium quality pigments, wax and oil. The motivation was to provide school children with a blend-able, smooth textured art material to help promote creativity and self-expression. See Cray-pas History to discover invention details!

With innovation, first-class ingredients, and the belief of an individual’s Power to Express™ at its core, the company expanded the oil pastel family offering, which now consists of Junior Artist®, Expressionist®, and Specialist®. Today, the finest elements continue to make up Cray-Pas oil pastels. And the Cray-Pas family is ideally suited to compliment technique and expression development from childhood through high school, college, and into the professional level.