Although oil pastels might be thought of as a very grown-up type of crayon, the first versions were created for students in Japan in the 1920s. They came in winter and summer versions, with less oil in the latter to discourage melting. After enduring the shortages of World War II, Picasso convinced the French art company Sennelier to make high quality oil pastels. They have been around ever since, combining the ease and fun we remember from our Crayola Days as children, with the adult thrill of seeing a smooth stroke of azure blue curve across a piece of 300-weight paper and blend with a patch of vermilion. The tools may change but the pleasure remains the same.