Graphite pencils have been around, pretty much unchanged, for hundreds of years. Until now. Because Graphite Aquarelle is water-soluble, it can be painted with, transforming any sketch into a watercolour with added layers of depth and movement. Our challenge was to demonstrate this new pencil in an interesting and captivating way, showing it as the magician’s wand it really is.

Our key objective was to raise awareness of Graphite Aquarelle amongst artists and recreational drawers of any age, helping to drive sales.

Our big idea was ‘Just Add Water’ – a series of illustrations done in Graphite Aquarelle that brought this unique product to life.

We created three scenarios where the viewer sees the subject above and below the water. Above the water these are just ‘regular’ pencil sketches of ordinary objects – the magic happens when we see the subject underwater. This juxtaposition allowed us to demonstrate both techniques created by the same pencil in one single artwork.

We worked with world-renowned artist Redmer Hoekstra to execute our idea, showing how Graphite Aquarelle pushes creativity into extraordinary new places.

Our campaign launched in targeted publications, as in-store displays and in outdoor media spaces around Hong Kong. The ads also appeared online, where they quickly spread in the blogosphere – an indication of their effectiveness at raising awareness.