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Very Pleased. I am very happy with this product. While it's an investment, the flexibility it offers has given me a lot of creative opportunities with my scrapbooking/cardmaking/etc. Some reviewers commented that it eats paper but I have not experienced this (I've also followed the directions very closely). It can't do things that are *super* intricate or have very thin lines, but overall even on this front it exceeded my expectations. I've only had it a few weeks or so but I have used it a lot - so far so good. You will want to purchase the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pazzles-Inspiration-12-Inch-By-12-Inch-Cutting-Mat-2-Pack/dp/B00198UH82/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pazzles Inspiration 12-Inch By 12-Inch Cutting Mat, 2-Pack</a> - once the stickiness runs out it won't work as well. You will also want the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pazzles-Inspiration-Replacement-Blade-2-Pack/dp/B00172SK16/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pazzles Inspiration Replacement Blade, 2-Pack</a>. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Same As The Tim Holtz Paper Packs. Why buy the expensive packs of Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper when you can purchase this for so much less and have the exact same thing? If someone can tell the difference between the two, please let me know, because I have used and examined both, and I can't differentiate.
Buy this, you'll be happy you did.
Is it the absolute best watercolor paper in the world? No. Is it good for papercrafters who like to add watercolor to their projects? Yes. Why, you ask? Because it has more sizing on it and therefore has a more smooth, workable surface on both the "smooth" size and the more textured side. It's fun. It holds up well, doesn't pill unless you overwork it. I can go back in and rewet an area after it has completely dried and change it with no difficulty. It's very, very forgiving.
This paper works very well with watercolor pencils, gelatos, watercolor crayons, transparent and opaque watercolor paints, Distress Ink products, Stampin Up!, and also with pigment inks such as Stazon, Memento, Ranger Archival, and other similar inks which, when dry, allow you to watercolor without losing definition lines. Have at it, have fun! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for coloring (medium difficulty) but some issues. I received this pen set yesterday and I was truly impressed by the color and pen type variety: glitter, metallic, neon, and what looks like black light reactive colors! I've been coloring for about 4 or 5 hours now and I've found that while they still show ink inside the pen, some of them go a little dry and get hard to use temporarily. Some of the pens almost spill the ink making fine details hard to color. The grip is nothing special but my hands didn't get tired regardless. I'll probably buy these again when they run dry for real, until I find a finer tipped pen with lots of colors like this has. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Don't believe the hype. I did a lot of research prior to purchasing these - read through endless + and - reviews, watched numerous online videos extolling their virtues. I finally purchased a set, rather put off by the price, but wanting to see if they lived up to those glowing reviews. I've worked with Polychromos, Prismacolor (both Premier and old Eagle Prismacolor), Southsun Premium, Sudee Stile, Crayola, Cra-Z-Art, Staedler, Koh-I-Noor and a number of generic brands, and come to the conclusion that you can get as good a result with some of the less expensive pencils. In fact, I found that some of the cheaper pencils had prettier, more vivid colors than the Holbeins. I haven't had any crumbling leads, broken points or sharpening problems, and the set I received was obviously brand new. I did get 150 different colors. Some of the pencils are scratchy - not smooth going on. They don't seem to blend well, but I'm still experimenting with them. (Major gripe - I've been unable to find an English translation for the enclosed booklets.) Are they worth $2+/pencil? I don't think so, and wouldn't buy them again. July 30, 2017 - Addendum: Oops, I forgot to mention Marco Raffines. Anyway, I think the picture at the bottom will illustrate my point. I used similar colors from each set to make comparison easier and only one layer of color. Some of the sets were used twice because there were so many colors to choose from, it didn't seem fair to do just one design. The page is from an old coloring book I had ("Designs for Coloring 4" by Ruth Heller). Row 1 across: Marco Raffine/Eagle Verithins and Eberhard Faber Mongols and Colorbrites/miscellaneous pencils/Prismacolor Premier. Row 2 across: General's Pastel Chalk Pencils/Sudee Stile/Staedler. Row 3 across: Koh-I-Nor Tri-Tones/Faber Castell Polychromos/Holbein Pastels/miscellaneous pencils. Row 4 across: Cra-Z-art/Southsun Premium Oily Pencils/June Gold. Row 5 across: Holbein/Marco Raffine/Prismacolor Premier/June Gold. Row 6 across: Thornton's Artist's Pencils/Crayola/Eagle Prismacolor (made before the company was sold and production moved outside the US). Row 7 across: Allary Chalk Cartridge Set (tailor's chalk) and miscellaneous leads/Sudee Stile/Faber Castell Polychromos/Crayola. I used a Prismacolor Ebony black pencil for the background. Caveat: I use colored pencils mainly for sketchbook drawing and coloring and in coloring books; I don't do museum quality artwork or artwork for display, so for my purposes, a less expensive pencil works just as well. Faber Castell Polychromos remain my favorites. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
it was wonderful- fine detail, nice mist and great control over the . EDIT: Seller quickly refunded money for the original airbrush with the fluid nozzle issue and reordered/received new one the next day. Seller was very easy to deal with and prompt with replies. As previously stated up until the fluid nozzle broke the airbrush was wonderful and I highly recommend the brush!
While it worked I would rate 5 stars, it was wonderful- fine detail, nice mist and great control over the air flow and paint flow. However after maybe 4 hours of use there was a little paint/pigment stuck in the tip- not a big deal at all and expected with any airbrush just unscrew the tip and the fluid nozzle and just clear the tiny bit of paint out. That's where the problems started, I used the included 'wrench' to remove the fluid nozzle and with barely any pressure at all the threads/screw part of the fluid nozzle snapped off/sheared- picture attached. Rendering the entire brush useless. I have contacted the seller and will update once they respond :) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The first two were fine - #91316 Beach Chair Trio and #91357Adirondack Evening and . This (#73-91446 Canoe by the Lake) is 3rd PBN kit I've purchased by Dimensions. The first two were fine - #91316 Beach Chair Trio and #91357Adirondack Evening and turned out very well. The quality of the paints and the packaging were exellent. See attached pics. But this latest one I purchased, #73-91446 , had several paints nearly dry; AND 22% or 4 of the 18 paints ( #s 13[97], 15[AV], 16[27], and 17[33] were not even able to be reconstituted. Totally unacceptable so I guess I will have to substitute from some where else... More problematic is that the Dimensions' PaintWorksCrafts.com site listed in the paperwork also does NOT function, so customers have NO way of contacting the company about deficiencies. I guess I will keep this kit but am very disappointed in the quality. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dimensions-Paintworks-Paint-by-Number-Kit-Canoe-by-The-Lake/dp/B00CTN1IY8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dimensions Paintworks Paint by Number Kit, Canoe by The Lake</a> | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Gorgeous Easel. I showed up at a caricaturing job with this easel and was met with oohs and aahs. This is one beautiful, impressive easel! It's like a piece of furniture. The box is big enough to carry everything I need and it is lightweight enough for me to carry even when I fill it up.
I do have one problem (not a deal-breaker in the least) in that the inner screw keeps coming lose and has to be retightened ever so often. I initially thought the easel was broken when I first got it because it had come lose and the center leg couldn't stand by itself until we figured out what it was and fixed it. It will slowly unscrew itself and is impossible to get really tight because of the inability to actually get your hand in there to tighten it with optimal pressure. I've only had to retighten it twice since buying it and I have jobs every weekend so while it is aggravating to have to tend to, it is not a deal-breaker for me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A good size for A7 Greeting Cards. I make and sell greeting cards to benefit our local library and have collected hundreds of different dies over the years. I have found that Die-Namics dies work with all major die-cutting tools on the market. They are usually a good size for A2 greeting cards (5.5" x 4.25") and cut very well on my Spellbinders Grand Calibur machine. I personally think they cut better than the Spellbinder dies. I have used at least one of my Die-Namics dies well over a hundred times and it still cuts sharply.
Having said that Die-Namics dies work on A2 cards, I need to point out that these Tag Talk dies are better suited for A7 (5" x 7") cards. I found them to be a bit too large for my A2 cards See customer image for an A7 graduation card I decorated with the 'Congrats' tag die. Incidentally, the owl's hat comes from the Die-Namics Graduation die set. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Get the tricks down and you'll love em. I've had these for a few months now and was a little hesistant on their quality at first, but I've mastered them now. A few tricks I've learned to get the best consistantcy ink out while drawing vertical. Always give them a good shake before your about to draw and I like to use the top of the cap to press down the tip to help draw out the color. I bought the chalk board contact paper and I can get it 99% new again buy using a soapy cloth then going at it with a magic eraser. I've used them on my glass wine glasses as well to mark names and comes off with one wet swipe of a cloth. My kids also enjoy them for window markers!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
BEST SERVICE STORES... price at almost $10 needs to come down. Price needs to lower...
My review is based on if you want to use these for other than paint.... I decorate glass jars for kits I make... otherwise folks who use them FOR paint love them... for this I will give a star...
It is understandable that no 2 glass jars in a set might weigh the same.... but these varied (when empty) by 30 grams in many cases. The bottoms are flat, but inside they are at an angle by as much as more than 0.5 inches (they were not uniform)!...Not a deal breaker for me, but makes me wonder reality of what the body will actually hold... seemed, even though the weight remained the same for all of my fillers, that some jars wouldnt fit my needs, and others had room left over. Luckily for my needs I could make it work... but it's overpriced - no matter what you use them for - I mean, a dollar per jar at best... with lid. The lids are cheap, too.
Don't plan on using these reliably for more than 1 to 1 1/2 (dry) ounce filler...
1 star for showing up.... quickly, too!
1 star for being thick sturdy glass.
1 star for working with paints. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Silhouette Cameo versus Cricut Expression 2. I am writing this review from the perspective of a comparison between the Cricut Expression 2 and the Silhouette Cameo. My review is also approaching the application of these machines from a more industrial perspective, NOT from an arts & crafts perspective. In other words, what applications can inexpensive computer-controlled cutting machines be put to outside of the usual arts & crafts world, and how do the two most popular machines of that type compare in those divergent applications?
By Arts & Crafts, I am referring to applications that involve the usual 'hearts, flowers, puppy dogs, cupcakes' shape cutting. By Industrial, I am referring to other tasks such as cutting stencils for spray painting numbers on shipping crates, cutting gaskets, cutting of labels and industrial markers, cutting picture frame masks, and so on.
NEW*** I have placed a short demo video on YouTube under the title "Silhouette Cameo Design Demonstration", URL is [...]
I have obtained and used both machines during the same time period. I have had extensive communications with both manufacturers, both in pre-sales discussions and in post-sales customer/technical support. If I mention a feature of a product here, it is one that I have used and verified personally. If I mention a limitation of a product, it is one that I have experienced personally AND also discussed with the manufacturer to see if I was missing something and/or if there was a work-around or alternative way of achieving the goal.
Both machines will cut out shapes from sheets of flat materials under computerized control. Both machines are very similar in design and layout, and both work in the same mechanical fashion. Both machines are about the same size and can cut shapes from similar sized pieces of raw material. Both machines use a tiny metal knife that is moved up and down under computer control, while the knife holder moves sideways and the material moves front and back. Both machines use a knife blade that swivels so that it always cuts regardless of the direction the material is moving relative to the knife itself.
Other than these similarities, there are significant differences in the philosophy between the two products. Henceforth in this review I will refer to the Cricut Expression 2 as the "Cricut" and the Silhouette Cameo as the "Cameo".
The Cricut is fundamentally designed to provide a wide range of predefined symbols and symbol sets from which the user can select and assemble the desired craft projects. It does this without the need for any additional equipment, and specifically the user does not need to have a personal computer or have any knowledge of software or computers. It is the more portable of the two products because you can pick it up and take it to another location easily without the need to lug along a personal computer (or have a personal computer in the new location). The Cricut is self-sufficient.
The Cameo is fundamentally designed to act exactly as an inkjet or laser printer does when connected to a personal computer; it is in effect a computer printer that produces patterns by cutting them from material as opposed to producing them by putting ink or toner on material. Without a personal computer, it cannot be used to design shapes or patterns. Its user must be able to learn and use computer software, the same as learning other software such as word processors, photo editing, web browser, page layout, and other popular applications. The Cameo is not self sufficient. HOWEVER, once a design(s) is done using the computer software, you can save the design to an SD memory card (such as are used in most digital cameras), then plug the SD card into a slot on the Cameo. At point the Cameo can be disconnected from the computer, taken elsewhere, and the cutting can be done in any location. However, I have not personally verified this SD card printing feature.
The Cricut does not allow the user to create shapes from scratch. You must find a suitable shape, or group of shapes, from within the huge library of predefined symbols that is spread across a large number of Cricut cartridges. It is possible to 'weld' different shapes together and this offers some flexibility, but ultimately the shapes must originate in the cartridges. When the user has a specific shape in mind and cannot alter it to suit what can be found in the cartridges, it can become quite frustrating. In the task of trying to assemble the designed custom shape, the user might have to purchase several cartridges, and they are not cheap. It is also quite possible that the desired shape cannot be cut at all.
The Cameo allows the user to create shapes from scratch. There are no cartridges at all. If the user does not wish to design their own shapes, there is also an extensive library of online shapes designed by other users. Cameo does not limit where the shapes come from, but does offer a great many from their own online library at 99 cents per shape. The user can buy only the shape, or shapes, desired and he/she does not need to buy an expensive cartridge only to get a single shape from it. Instead of purchasing shapes designed by others, the user can draw any desired shape using the computer software, and can offer it to others for use.
The Cricut has a nice display, consisting of a color LCD screen with touch sensitive surface. All the operations can be performed by touching the screen, or for more precise selections a plastic stylus is included. Once a given cartridge is plugged into the Cricut, all of its shapes can be viewed on the screen as tiny thumbnail images, and the desired shapes can be selected to a queue, from which they can be dragged to a virtual cutting mat, showing where they will appear on the material to be cut. Any shape can be selected, enlarged, and re-sized.
The Cameo has a small simple display like a calculator's or that of an older cell phone. It displays only one color and shows only text. It is used for diagnostics and for messages like "Load the material" and "Unload the material". It can also be used to initiate printing based on design(s) stored on an SD card, as previously mentioned. All other operations are done using the included computer software, using the computer's keyboard, mouse and screen.
The Cricut can be used, optionally, with the free Craft Room software on a personal computer. This software must be downloaded from the Cricut website; it is not included with the machine. The software includes a library of all currently known cartridges, and allows the user to assemble a complete cutting session before the actual cartridges needed have been purchased. The Craft Room software will not function unless the computer is currently online with Cricut; this is important, since it means that you must have an internet connection anywhere that you want to use the Cricut in conjunction with the Craft Room software. The Craft Room does not allow the user to design their shapes, but it does provide a more user-friendly interface for the Cricut, since more tools and objects can be viewed on the larger computer screen.
The Cameo must be used with the included Studio software; this comes on a CD-ROM in the box with the machine. For a fee of about $50, it will upgrade itself to the more advanced Designer Edition. The main advantages of the Designer Edition are the ability to import a wider range of graphics from other programs. Both the regular version and the Designer Edition allow the same design and cutting functionality, so for most people there is no need to buy the Designer Edition. The Cameo's software only needs to be online with the Silhouette website when you wish to purchase shapes from their library, or when you wish to do an upgrade to a newer version. Otherwise, the software works without the need for an internet connection.
The Cricut includes a white LED headlight next to the blade, so you can see what it is cutting as it does so. The Cameo does not have such a light.
Both machines use cutting mats, which are clear plastic sheets with a special adhesive on the top surface to make it a bit tacky. This holds the material to be cut so that it does not slide around during cuttings. The mats wear out due to wear from the blades cutting through into them, and from the adhesive wearing out.
Both machines use blades that attach to a tool holder on the machines. The Cricut uses tiny blades that fit into a blade holder, while the Cameo requires the user to replace the blade holder when the blade wears out; this makes the Cameo blades a bit more expensive, but on the other hand it is much easier to handle the larger blade holder than it is handling the tiny (and sharp!) Cricut blades. The Cricut blade depth can be adjusted while the blade holder is attached to the machine, whereas the Cameo blade holder must be removed from the machine in order to change blade depth. Both machines seem to cut equally well.
The Cricut is not intended to make its cuts on specific areas of the mat (you can get close, though, using the Craft Room software). The Cameo allows very precise cuts relative to the material, so you can specify that a shape be cut starting 1/2", for example, from the edge of the material.
The Cricut is not intended for cutting out pre-printed materials; it is intended to cut out shapes in different materials (of materials of different colors) that can be later assembled to form a multi-colored overall shape.
The Cameo is not a printer, but it does allow importing and designing shapes in any desired color or combination of colors. Then it will send the image to the printer of your choice, printing on the material to be cut; this is limited only by the ability of your printer (e.g. inkjet printers ate usually limited to printing on various papers, while laser printers, both black & white and color models, can print on paper as well as a variety of plastics). I would like to point out that 3M (the makers of Scotch tape and Post-Its) have a wonderful product called "Print To Last" paper, which is an almost indestructible paper-like plastic material designed for laser printers; it is very useful for crafts and industrial applications. Both the Silhouette tech support folks and I have verified the the Cameo will nicely cut this material using the 'Transparency' cut settings (and I fully expect that the Cricut can cut it too, but have not tried it). The Cameo software will print registration marks on the printed sheet, and when the printed sheet is then loaded into the Cameo machine, it uses an electric eye to scan for the registration marks, and will synchronize and align the cutting with the pre-printed images. This allows an infinite number of printed images and cut shapes to be made. The synchronized cuts are very accurate, matching the desired printed images. The user can specify where the cuts are to be made relative to the printed shapes, or the software can automatically figure it out. This even applies to graphical objects imported into the Cameo software, as opposed to being designed in that software.
The Cricut requires that all text come from the cartridges, so the user is very limited in regards to available fonts. The Cameo software can use any True Type font that is installed on the computer, which means pretty much all fonts available to other Windows applications, and of course you can download any font you want from the internet. Since none of the Cricut cartridges include a 'stencil' style font, you cannot easily use it to cut stencils for painting signs and such.
I find that overall, the Cricut is probably a better choice for people interested simply in arts & crafts projects, or for people who don't have or don't care to use a personal computer. I find that the Cameo is better for people who are prepared to use a personal computer and who desire complete freedom in what shapes they cut.
I have noticed that most crafts stores, such as JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc; carry the Cricut Machines and their supplies; I rarely see many cartridges sold in the stores though. Unfortunately, these same stores carry little or no Silhouette supplies. It seems that different chains carry the Silhouette. This may be marketing pressure placed on the stores by the one or both manufacturers. I have read that Cricut blades and cutting mats can be used with the Cameo, but have not experimented with this; some alterations may be needed. But in any case, Supplies for the Silhouette products are widely and readily available online.
Finally, I have found that emails to Cricut take four to fives days before a reply arrives, whereas emails to the Cameo folks are answered almost immediately, and with real and useful responses (and you are talking to people who apparently actually work at Silhouette, not some contracted call center where people read from scripts). I have found that phone calls to Cricut require long waits on hold (typically 20 to 30 minutes) and then often the person answering the phone does not know the answer and transfers me to another group of tech support people, with another long wait. Every time I have called the Cameo folks, I have gotten through very quickly. Most importantly, it seems that Cricut support people either know the software or they know the machine, but not both. The Cameo folks seem to know both the software and the machine, since they must be used together. My experiences with the Cricut software included issues with getting the software to recognize the machine, whereas in my experience, the Cameo software was more bullet proof and installed easily and recognized the machine every time without trouble. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Holds a Lot of Paint - Watercolor Tested #2 Wash Brush. I tested the Divinci Casaneo brush with watercolor paint and made a continuous line after one brush load with the number 2 wash brush. The paper in the photo is 11 X 14 inches and I did one line in green, one in blue, and one in Violet. You can see that it makes a very long line and it is smooth. I was impressed with the amount that the brush held.
Casaneo is a new line coming to America which Was first released in Europe. They are marketing to the urban sketching market. This is a synthetic fiber brush with what they are calling a wavy fiber which attempts to replicate squirrel hair. They say on the package insert that it works on watercolor, gouache, fluid acrylic, silk painting, calligraphy and ink. da Vinci says that the ability to manufacture a wavy fiber is a breakthrough in the synthetic fiber Brush line. Love it = 5 stars. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great set for beginner or advanced. Love the quality and variety. This is a great set of paint brushes. This set offers so many different options and brush tip sizes. I have purchased many cheaply made paint brush sets in the past, mostly for my kids, and these are not cheaply made at all. I can tell just by looking at the nylon hair. Very soft but strong and gives a wonderful stroke of color. The brushes are very comfortable to hold and the length handle gives the painter lots of control. This set has 8 different sizes which is labeled on the handle. The brushes cleaned up easily with water. This set has so many different shapes and sizes of tips to get someone started with painting. Definitely recommend on quality and definitely price. Cheap for all of these high quality brushes. I did get these for free for my honest and unbiased review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Well built workstation. I was pleasantly surprised when I received this product. The assembly instructions are completely wordless. However, all parts have ID letters which are indexed to the printed parts list, with descriptions, and are repeated in the step-by-step assembly drawings. There is no guessing as to which part goes where. This is the best system I've seen in any "you assemble it" product. The manufacturer should be commended.
While not absolutely necessary, a helper would be beneficial at some stages of assembly. The top is quite heavy, and there are times when an extra set of hands would be welcome.
The assembled unit is very sturdy and we'll made. The height can be varied over a considerable range, and the legs have feet that can be adjusted to accommodate an uneven floor. Overall, this workstation is very impressive for the price. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fun for Kids, A Little Extra Work for Grown Ups. This is a fun set with lots of foam pieces and pom poms for kids to decorate with. I'm not sure why it's advertised as a "black light" set. The pieces aren't exceptionally neon or the type of colors you'd expect to pop out under black light. But, it's a decent craft set.
One thing we did find annoying was that the frame size is non-standard. It's too small for a 3x5 but too big for a wallet. So, you end up having to pick pictures with a lot of head room and cut them down. That doesn't seem like a big deal, but if you are buying a craft kit instead of getting all the pieces seperately, you are probably going for an uncomplicated craft. And, having to reprint and re-size pictures to make them fit just makes things a bit more fussy and complicated. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Super Nice, You Cant Beat These For the Price ~ Excellent Quality. Comes in a Non Functioning, Cheap Box, Only Drawback. Super nice, you cant beat these for the price tag ~ No cool box, etc. The one that comes with it is not really functional - at all. So if you buy these the best thing to do is immediately buy an aftermarket box of your choice and put them in there : ) There are a number of wooden ones available actually right here on Amazon, between $5 - $20. You still will save money with these and are not a bad choice. If you need to save money, go with these and buy a $200 set later down the road. Solid quality, and that is all that matters. I cant wait to use them. Lastly, these are harder tipped, not soft, so make sure you know your preference first. Now go draw something inspiring and beautiful : 0 ! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great bag! Well constructed. Great bag! Well constructed, extremely well designed. I was not sure this would fit everything thing I needed because I was using it for more then just my gym equipment but I was able to get two pairs of shoes, sweat suit, shorts, t-shirt , protien shake in an ice bag and a small meal inside. The side pocket has plenty of individual pockets for organizing smaller things, and the bright orange interior helps with contrasting things so they are easily recognized. I have the velcro holster 5.11 makes so I tried it with my glock 19 and I will say I'd like the pocket to be a little deeper because of the pressure placed against the velcro closure it will open easily, exposing the pistol. That said, without a doubt I'd purchase it again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beautiful Lace Look. Absolutely gorgeous results! These stencils are my very favorite I own. It is easy to use. How I generally apply stencils is by a small sponge brush that I have dipped in paint. The less paint on your brush, the better. This will keep it looking cleaner, when you remove the stencil. I first tape down the stencil as best I can to produce better results. I generally cover up some of the stencil with tape and go over those parts later. If you wanted your stencil to turn out perfect, I would recommend getting some stencil adhesive spray. However I personally like the vintage, messy look.
Such a wonderful purchase. Stencils I know I will use more than once! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
you'd be surprised. i have been using Raphael brushes for some time now, mainly the 8408's and the 8404, they are nice brushes with a stiff snap, they create very nice straight thin lines with ink.
recently i decided to try out the W&N series 7 because people were swearing by them but i held off because i heard they suck now? i dunno, i got one anyway.
heres the thing, i like to ink comic books and for a long time with the raphaels i was having issues getting the 'professional" look to my line work, keep in mind a lot of facors came into play, type of paper, type of ink i used, and yes even the brushes. the moment i started using the series 7, i saw a huge change in my work, the line work was coming out a lot nicer, it was easier to get the desired 'pro' look to my drawings and i found the brushes are slighty softer as well and bend a little nicer.
according to the dick blick website, the W&N are pure Kolinsky where as Raphaels are Red Sable, which from what the site said isn't the same beast but rather any red haired weasel. maybe an experert can chime in but i do notice a color difference in the brushes and where the raphaels take time after not in use to be warmed up again so to say, the W&N's are soft right off the bat, they don't get that stiffness after not being in use like the Raphaels so im thinking its totally different hairs.
anyway, i am sold on the series 7 brushes. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Girls are loving this!!! So much fun. I brought 3 of these before Christmas time which 3 of my nieces were my sister in-law sides... Until Christmas arrived, oh boys, girls are so excited. Very attractive by the color of the unit frame in my reaction but girls are like this alot. It was "hot pink" color which I described (almost purple)... All exactly same when I ordered of 3...
Before I packed in the gift which I installed with batteries (as mentioned on the description) and turned on, bright white LED (ultra cool color, much lighter sky blue) which I described as much possible. It likes 5000 K-ish... However, you can use with rechargeable batteries but light output may reduces than alkaline batteries because of voltage drop on each cells which I recommended with alkaline batteries, they are better performance light output and spent couple hours of usage ( I already brought one of mine with "boy" version which is blue unit body ). They are okay with well-lit room but when come to weak batteries then suggestion going to be less lit room for awhile usage. Illumination stage is not so strong brightness. It has 6 LED lamps passing through white filter underneath the stage which is very smooth texture. Thin as tablet but there is bulk handle at the top which is batteries compartment.
On stage areas, normal size of printer paper, also come with pre-printed sheets, that can be re-use as purposes such as tracing (copy over) with style dresses, personal details, background patterns, etc... (I brought the "boy" version which is different pattern details from this product)...
Cons: No A/C or D/C (car) adapter optional... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Easiest image transfer I've done. I bought these for doing image transfers. Having a laser printer instead of ink-jet means that most printer papers meant for transfers are not as widely available as they'd be if I were using inkjet. This means I've tried a few different methods.
Mod Podge transfers colors the best but was hit and miss with me. Even when I thought I'd gotten good coverage and left it long enough and was rubbing the paper off just as every tutorial described, I'd still end up with huge chunks of the transfer than just didn't transfer. Also while it transfers colors the best, it also ends up feeling very plastic'y.
Then I moved onto the Citra-Solv cleaner. It works well if you are going for a faded / age look. It's fairly cheap and you'll get a lot out of one bottle. BUT you do tend to use a lot of force when rubbing the image (I used a spoon). I love the way this works, it can just be painful if using anything but a tiny image. It also doesn't seem to work well on detailed images.
That leads us to these Chartpak blenders. Much the same results as the Citra-solv with two big differences. Citra-Solv smells much better. These pens are STINKY. Be careful - you'll need ventilation that you wouldn't need with Citra-Solv. The other difference is the pressure you must use to transfer the image. Here I just used an old store club card and much lighter pressure on a much bigger image and the results were the same faded look as Citra-solv gets me but some of the details were better.
I'd put this as my #1 image transfer (from laser printer to fabric). Citra-solv is a close second. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Loving them and having fun. I just received this paint set today. I am really having fun with them. The colors are romantic, strong but gentle at the same time. They granulate wonderfully with some interesting color play. For example the jadeite has a bit of black so the granulation varies from green to dark green or black. The amethyst sparkles, the ground crystal looks like extra fine glitter. Not overpowering but subtle. All the colors are wonderful. They dilute and mix easily. I played with them and painted the attached picture real quick. Not a masterpiece, just having fun. I just love the almost renisaunce romance of the colors. I will add to this set with some other colors in this line. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect. So, I bout this pad early 2016. I figured it was time to write a review. This pad has lasted me well over. Year and is STILL going strong!
I used scissors to cut the pad into certain sizes to fit my needs. I was able to get a 4x15, 8x8, 4x4, 6x6 and a 3.5x3.5 out of it and even had a little left over.
This pad have been through VERY heavy use as I press vinyl onto many garments throughout my time. Since I've had this pad, I've pressed over 4,000 garments with designs ranging from the 3.5x3.5 and up and there has been ZERO sign of wear or tear!
This pad is about 5/8 of an inch thick which should be the same as the heating pad on your heat press now. If you needed to, you could remove your previous pad and cut this one to size and glue it down to replace your old one. Or, do as I've done and cut it into certain sizes.
After 18mo of constantly using this pad, I'll DEFINITELY order a few more. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good mindfulness reminder, water damage is less common with the new board design. <div id="video-block-RYTD5KQG99GTF" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1m4tjwWFHS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/219OaKj0r-S.png" class="video-slate-img-url">It's a good practice in letting go, encourages me to purge possessions and not get attached to 'things.'
A great companion to meditation, I got this from a Tim Ferriss Quarterly package a couple of years ago.
I read the instructions and it says to not let water collect at the base where it sits, given though I knew not to do it, it happens anyway with regular use.
My friend also managed to leave the brush in the water dish and it cracked right down the middle.
A good idea is to wash the dish so sediment doesn't collect.
Overall its pretty durable - it lasted me a good 6 months to a year before it started showing water damage, and after 2 years it still works well.
EDIT APRIL 2016 - They replied to my review and sent me a replacement brush AND a replacement board, with customer service like that, how can you not give 5 stars? | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
WARNING: Montana only fills markers 25% . I like the ink and feel of the marker, however, my issue is with Montana (Cans), the company. For the price you pay (set or individually), the paint reservoir is only 25% filled. At least give us 50% (really 75%), leaving more than enough space to mix paint! Yes, they are refillable, but give us a break!
25% is horrendous and I generally only get one 11"x14" canvas when using several colors. Think if you did a full piece, you could easily use all 12 markers (in store, you'd pay $120 USD). Yikes. Montana is definitely making a killing off of these 75% air-filled markers. I want to support Montana, however, I don't want to be "ripped off" in the process. Go with Molotow One4All 127 (I prefer 227) as the investment is more sound.
If you plan to purchase this set, you may as well add a refill bottle for each color into your cart as you will need each one after one maybe two canvases, tops. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cheap for a reason, but a good (acrylic) set for total beginners. This box is NOT for any sort of even semi-seasoned artist. It's for beginners only, I think. Anyone familiar with good quality paints and art supplies will find most of this stuff subpar. But, for kids or others wondering if painting would be fun for them, it's a cheap (in every sense) way to find out.
The box is thin and flimsy, not made to last or be opened and closed a lot. The brushes are low grade. The paints are not bad, but not great; the colors are occasionally rich but they don't combine exceptionally well.
But, once again, if this is for a total newbie, none of this will matter much. The idea is to see if you like spreading colors on a piece of paper or canvas before you spend a few hundred bucks on serious top quality paints and brushes. To get this many colors of good paint, that's what it would take. Thus, I'd recommend this only to parents of young kids who express interest in painting, or those who just want to see if they have the inklings of some artistic talent.
Because if this simple, low grade kit pleases the artist in you, you ARE an artist! Now go and get the real stuff and give the rest of the stuff you didn't use up from this kit to someone else to try. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My experience with the new Guerrilla Painter Palette Extension Kit. I like it but when you have paint on the extensions (I bought two of them) The wind can blow them over because they are so light.
The paint and medium got allover the paint box and it took me forever to clean up the mess. They also offer very little room to mix paint on. When I added more paint on the extensions I had to hold them down with paint tubes and that also took up room. I notice there are slits on the end of the extensions. I am assuming this may be used to use strings and add weights. that will attach to the strings. I will have to figure out what I can use as weights.
I travel into Manhattan to paint. I am looking for the least amount of stuff I have to drag on the subway. I did buy a close pin holder
which is very a very light mesh bag with a little hanger. I hooked this on the handle of the easel. This is excellent for holding the tubes of paint. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great Product but go with the larger size. This is ok but if you have a number of fine scratches from your dog or cat, I would recommend the larger size. This spreads like a paste and has a small applicator in the top. It was just too thick for my needs for my off white sofa. I have tried the paint pens too and just hated them because you are constantly mixing and I could never get the right color. Too much effort. On the other hand, the larger size is a liquid which pours on very easily and dries quickly. What I used the smaller bottle for was to fill in some deeper cuts and also applied a clear super glue Locite which is flexible and adaptable. I then applied used the Angelus Bone Paint with a soft rag. It drags quickly, like within 5-10 minutes, which allows you to go an immediate second coat. The pastiness of this size made it obvious that I was trying to cover something up. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good set of sentiments for card makers . This set seems to work best for more contemporary style cards. The type style is wonderful -- quirky and casual. I often make sets of cards to sell at various fundraising events, so having a variety of sentiments in the same or similar type style helps to unify the cards in a set (along with matching colors/layouts/etc.). This is the one I use when I'm doing more "clean and simple" cards (as opposed to my "fancy/bling/ribbons/lace" cards).
Paper Smooches tends to specialize in this more whimsical style of stamps/etc., and the quality it always good. I own several of their stamp & die sets -- never had a problem. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great quality, fast delivery, slap the guy who tapes the rolls. The vinyl is excellent quality. I don't know who's doing the taping of the rolls, but you need to knock it off. The metal teeth are supposed to cut the tape, not get jammed into the vinyl. Thankfully my cuts precluded that region of the vinyl, but I do a lot of different cuts, so there's a good chance this is going to ruin some sqft if I order again.
My order arrived quickly (a day before the estimated eta) and in decent shape.
Edit: My second order from this seller came with smudges of what appear to be grease over the first couple of inches of the roll... I couldn't wipe it all off so unfortunately significant product was wasted from each roll. Dropping a star. We'll see how the next order goes. 3rd time's a charm. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Months Later, and I'm Still in Love. I adore this desk! I ordered the one with the opaque black top. It looks nice and goes well with the furniture we already have. The only thing I wish I had investigated further is the ability to use it as a light table. This one is so opaque that it cannot effectively be used as a light table, and I foolishly took the work of one reviewer who said that it could be. They were actually referring to the one that is black with only semi-opaque glass, not the model I ordered. Regardless, this is beautiful and sturdy. I wouldn't trade it.
Do be careful when snapping on the side trays. The plastic is hard, but considering that you do have to snap it into place (and it is a snug fit), it is also very easy to be a little too forceful and chip one of these pieces. (This totally happened to me, but luckily, it's not noticeable.) Several reviewers did mention instructions that were a little unclear. Sadly, it has been too long since I put this together for me to remember at exactly what point I had my "aha" moment where I realized what had confused so many others. I really wish I could offer helpful advice here, but the best thing I can do is encourage you to buy it anyway. It's nothing that will keep you tripped up for hours. The worst that will happen is you may have to do a quick internet search for some clarification. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect for documenting weddings. I do Project Life, and I've been to six weddings over the past year. I always struggled with how to address them in the album, so I just put the photos in and figured I'd come back to them later. So, I picked up the Wedding mini kit about a month ago, and I've basically completed all those wedding layouts!
There are two cards of each 3x4 inch card design in this kit, which I found to be just about perfect for what I'm doing. I think there is just one of each design for the 4x6 cards, but I haven't really worked with those yet. These cards blend well with the Midnight Edition core kit as well as other cards I've purchased, and they are also easily customized. I've used my Silhouette to cut some Bazzill Bling cardstock in the wedding colors to embellish these cards, and they look fantastic.
I may actually pick up a second Wedding mini kit for the weddings I'll be attending later this year and to finally finish my own wedding scrapbook after four years of marriage! The only reason this kit doesn't get five stars is the weight of the cards. Like the other kits, the card seems quite flimsy to me, and there is the risk of ink bleeding through depending on which pens you're using. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Creative time at the breakfast table. I bought this so my son can do a little creative water-painting at the breakfast bar in the mornings. It is water you "paint" with so there is no mess (other than a few drops of water on the counter here and there) and my son loves it. He thinks about what he will paint, carefully creates it, then when it dries a few minutes later he already has another idea. I wish he had a whole wall of this material in his room!
I also plan to buy another and use this product at work, where I can paint a little during long conference calls.
I do suggest picking up a second paintbrush which you can get at many asian gift stores, or even use a regular small fluffy ended artists paintbrush.
Enjoy this, adults and children alike. It is simple and calming. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Brilliant. Exactly what I was hoping for. The pages are fairly thick, though when writing on them with a sharpie (i tested on one of the last pages) it tends to show through onto the opposite side of the page faintly and if you bear down it will bleed through onto the back side of the page. It's about the size of a journal you could buy at a store like Walmart, though of much better quality than any of them. The page on front that advertises "Visual Journal" can be removed and the actually cover is hard (and in my case had a neat little pattern to it that really only shows in direct light). It stands up to watercolors extremely well, and the spiral binding makes it much easier to work. The pages will curl slight once dry after working with water color, though that's to be expected. Overall a fantastic product for the price. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A Pleasant Surprise. I am not an artist, but over the last few years I've discovered that coloring is a wonderful way to relax. And while I'm at it, I usually like to look at the finished product and feel some sense of accomplishment. I use markers, gel pens and colored pencils. I have my favorites for markers and gel pens, but have never quite found a favorite for the pencils. Many times the colored pencils I used left a grainy effect or were waxy looking and didn't achieve the results I wanted. I've tossed many pictures because of the pencils I've used. I've bought expensive pencils....and quickly realized that for my purposes....higher cost did not necessarily mean a better product. A couple of weeks ago I came to Amazon to do yet another search and the first item to show up was the Pluqis pencils. The pack of 24 had just the right amount of color variation for me, they are non-toxic, and the price was right. The positive reviews convinced me to purchase them and I'm so glad I did! Whether I'm doing light shading or applying more pressure, they go down smooth and the colors are bright. As of now, I've not had any problems with the points breaking. A pleasant surprise indeed! Needless to say, I'm very happy with these pencils and I plan to order more so I don't run out! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The chalk markers are NOT permanent. Easy to wipe off and reuse. Great product. These chalkboard labels are such a fun and stylish way to keep all your items organized. You can label just about anything and you'll have a somewhat uniform look throughout the house. I use them in the kitchen on jars and containers. In the playroom, I use them to label my kids' plastic storage bins. In my office, I use them to organize my craft boxes and bins. With 96 labels to choose from, you'll have plenty for just about everything you need.
A set comes with twelve sheets with eight different designs. They are all about the same general size (approximately 3.5"x2"). If you need to label something smaller, you can use the rectangle shaped one and cut it down to your desired size. I like them being all about the same size though. It keeps a somewhat uniform look around my whole house.
This set also comes with two chalk markers that is NOT permanent. You can write, then wash it off with a damp cloth and then write something else. So if you ever need to refill your container with something else, you are not committed. Just wipe it off and write it again.
I ordered this set at a discounted rate for review and testing purposes and would definitely recommend it to my friends. I think it's a very good price point and a great deal as the markers alone cost about that much! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for coloring, but not great for hand-lettering. These markers would be great if I just wanted to use them for coloring. Vibrant colors, two very different-sized tips for variety, and they work well on watercolor paper -- you can use a water brush in addition to these for some very nice blending action.
HOWEVER, I got them to work on hand-lettering, and despite the description saying they're good for calligraphy, they're really sub-par. The tips of the "brush" side (really more of a felt tip) fray easily, so it's impossible to get a really thin upstroke. It's very easy to damage the felt tips through the simple acts of putting the caps on -- there's some ridge inside the cap that the tip is supposed to rest in, but if you don't put the cap on exactly straight, that ridge can catch on the tip. The felt ends also aren't as flexible as other brush pens, so you also can't get a very wide difference between thick strokes and thin, and the tips make transitions between the two rough.
If you're going to use these for coloring books or other simple drawing projects, they're a good bargain over other brands. But if you want to do any kind of hand-lettering, get yourself a pack of Tombow brush pens instead. Or even Sharpie brush pens (though those dry out surprisingly fast.) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
the first two measurements are meaningless and should be corrected to what really counts when people are spending good money and. What is the deal with listing the size of the package instead of the size of the product? How many people are going to slap the package on their homemade card, thereby making that size measurement relevant? There are three places where the size is listed. The first two are apparently the size of the package, not the product. But nowhere on the page does it say it's the size of the package. It says Product Dimensions. To me, that means the PRODUCT, not the PACKAGE! If you keep going all the way to the bottom of the page, you finally see Product Description, which has the smaller dimensions. Unfortunately, the first two measurements are meaningless and should be corrected to what really counts when people are spending good money and expecting something they can actually use. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Can't go wrong with RIT. RIT dye has been around for a very long time. First of all yes you can absolutely do the dying in your washing machine without ruining your washing machine. There are so many colors than they used to have you just cannot decide which color you want. I buy my towels and wash clause and T-shirts in bulk and white and then I choose the color I want to diyr them and it's really a fun process very creative to think about what you want to dye I highly recommend getting the liquid version because it makes everything much much easier and it dies more evenly then the powder But get out all those old clothes that I faded or you don't like anymore and toss them in some die and you'll feel knew all over again. Yes of coarse a little guy is going to leak after a few washings so be careful what you wash them with. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Pretty good, but also frustrating. I have had the Neo for, I guess, 5 months now. All in all it does exactly what I want, and is not difficult to utilize. Having very little airbrush experience with which to compare it, I'd say it's pretty good. The major down side is that it's almost impossible to find replacement parts. I realize it is on the low-end of airbrushes, but still. I'd managed to lose the needle chucking nut, and then was unable to locate any place that sells it. Luckily I'd purchased a cheap airbrush from Harbor Freight several months ago as well. The parts from the HF one worked perfectly in the Neo. You can make your own judgments as to what that says about either. If you need replacement parts go to harbor freight. You can find one for about $15 dollars, and then have extra spare parts if you need them in the future. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Kuretake Me Again. Oh, these are different. I love them. I have been using watercolor for many years. I can't tell anyone that these are the best watercolor paints, and I understand that the lightfastness isn't that great. What I can say is that they are so different and fun, that if watercolor is something you like or want to try, buy this set. The colors are vibrant, different, easily mixed, and beautiful on paper. They are great for journaling, card making, and just plain fun for painting with. The pans are big enough that a large brush can be used to pick color up with. The washes in some are transparent but others can be made quite opaque. I just love them. I don't know that one could make a masterpiece that would not fade in years to come, but for general use these are so much more vivacious in color and application than some other brands I have used that come in cake form, they are a joy to use. I read other reviews about getting damaged product, mine was in pristine condition, not one crack or flake or loose pan. I will be buying the larger set as soon as I can. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Sent the wrong version 2 times. We ordered the Baby Folding Wheasel WITH TUBS back in March. We were initially sent the other version of the Baby Fold Wheasel with a single shelf at the bottom instead of 4 tubs. To there credit, Wayfair looked into sending us the 4 tubs to correct our order. However, they were unable to send the support rack so that plan fell through. Instead, they instructed us to send back the first easel, and they would send the correct version. Unfortunately, they sent the same version with a single shelf AGAIN! We asked for a full refund at that time which they agreed to. I feel that Wayfair does strive for customer satisfaction as they were prompt in addressing our concerns, but they were unable to fix their mistake in the end. They need to double check their website and the orders they are processing. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great, except for the quality control. Not a negative review of the brush but, rather, a comment on the supplier. Received three of these brushes today, sizes 2, 4, and 6. The smaller two are fine and all three appear to perform according to the praise outlined by the best reviews here.... fine point, holds a lot of water, and snaps back to shape.
It's this latter point which frustrates me. The size six arrived with the plastic tube, which is designed to PROTECT the bristles, wedged down around the outer bristles, forcinglorious them down around the handle forming a skirt of hairs destined to be useless. I soaked the brush in warm water and tried to reshape but only met with marginal success. I realize of course that this happens... who hasn't been brush shopping and meticulously picked through the selection looking for the one in the best shape? But it would've been nice had someone on the shipping end had a look. It was obvious.
I'll probably order another and make this one a mask brush. The brushes appear to be great, probably worth a 4 or 5 star review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beautiful brushes, soft bristles. Beautiful brushes, soft bristles, came with little caps for protections. The hairs came in great condition, no bent or straying hairs, so no issues there. Just overall very pleased. Bought them to replace a ruined detail brush. Though the smaller they are the better, that is not always the case. The brush I was replacing is a size 18/0, insanely tiny. And because I do a lot of small details in my paintings, I used it a lot. It was a high quality brush, it just was used so much and it had so few hairs to begin with, that it was inevitable that it would get damaged. It only has 3 hairs left now, and no ability to really paint anything with any precision. These brushes may not be that small, but because of their fine pointed tips, they are able to paint details just as well, maybe even better. And I can use them for a larger variety of things. So overall, very pleased with my purchase. I've only used them for a few days, but so far they are still in tip-top shape. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Do They Erase? Yes and No. I got these for my Kassa chalk board because they were so highly recommended by Kassa and other users. These are great depending on WHAT you want/need them for. I wanted to use them to write my sons daily homeschooling schedule out for him in the morning. They look amazing, but erasing is laborious and leaves a clear and annoying shadow. I used water and a ribbed washcloth with no help. I used cleaner (also as recommended), still could see the shadow. Finally, I grabbed my magic eraser which I cut into 2 inch squares and Wha La! problem solved!
GOOD FOR: writing titles and things you don't want erased every day. We have a daily bar chart to graph progress on certain goals during the day. I made the outline in the Chalk Markers and we fill the center using regular chalk. At then end of the day I use a regular eraser to remove the filled center. I rub over the entire area, outline and everything and ONLY the chalk comes off.
NOT GOOD FOR: Items you want to erase frequently.
BEST TIP: Erase using water then use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove shadow. This is the quickest and easiest way to 100% remove the shadow. I have done this many times and the eraser has not damaged the chalkboard at all. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great Pencils At a Great Price. Like so many other adults who live quiet lives (cat ownership is optional), I became obsessed with adult coloring at the beginning of the fad. I've always loved arts and crafts, but I have zero talent. If it's possible to have a negative level of talent, then that's probably closer to my actual level, which is why adult coloring is perfect for me. I get to feel super creative and talented by simply picking out appropriate colors and then smearing it within the correct lines (both of which I still mess up). As part of my obsession, I've become something of a colored pencils connoisseur; I've bought or been gifted 38 different brands totaling over 2300+ pencils. Yet I still remain relatively untalented and am, at best, a knowledgable layman. So please consider my review with that background in mind.
I particularly like creamy, oil-based pencils (like Prismacolor Premier, Lyra Rembrandt, or Faber-Castell) and these Colorolio pencils have a fairly similar smooth application to the expensive brands. Some colors are not as vibrant and the pencils are slightly less substantial in comparison to those other pencils I mentioned, but that's to be expected in more affordable pencils. In fact, the Colorolio pencils aren't just the affordable option; their pencils have some beautiful hues and very little trouble with crumbs or a rough application. I've also found that they handle my sharpener without incident, and while they are skinny, they're sturdy and seem to avoid breaks. I also enjoy the light wood color which reminds me of writing with all those Number #2 pencils of my youth.
Considering their affordability and attention to detail, I think these Colorolio pencils are just right for amateur colorers like myself, students, or those looking to expand their pencil collection. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Boo, hiss! Get Crayola Super Tips instead. These markers suck. I got them at Pat Catans for like $25. Big waste of money. Some of the markers were already dried out, fresh out of the brand new box. Not cool.
Do yourself a favor and get the Crayola Super Tips set of 50 colors instead: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Crayola-Washable-Super-Tips-Markers-with-Silly-Scents-Assorted-50-Set/dp/B00OPFD40Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Crayola Washable Super Tips Markers with Silly Scents, Assorted, 50/Set</a> Yes, you only get half as many colors, but the coloring experience is so much better. The Crayolas have sharper, pointier tips; better/brighter color saturation; and the color of the plastic caps actually match the color that comes out of the marker onto the paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
size is not correct. I am a little disappointed in the size of the screens. We purchased these under the impression that the size was the screen size which is not the case. This is closer to the total overall size which is smaller then our paddles. We trying to see if we could use them put no matter the adjust that we make we cannot get the leading edge of the screen to lay flat on the paddle. We are using our order screens for now as they are working they just have a lot of pin holes. I feel like the quality of the screens look good so I will order larger screens from this company.... of course pending my return of these screens.. I will update when I hear back from the company on my return.... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Better Than the Current "Best. I own several complete sets of Artist quality colored pencils. Several of which are very good. Including the wax based Caran d'Ache Luminance, Faber-Castell Polychromos, oil based, Prismacolor Premier, wax based and the Caran d'Ache Pablo, oil based..........I have had an opportunity to work with the finest products manufactured today. In all honesty, for me, these are the best. They feel lighter to my hand, comfortable to hold and manipulate, and slimmer than all the others. They hold their point longer than my Polychromos. The cores are generous. The same as Polychromos, or Luminance. The quality of the Cedar casing is excellent, the cores are centered and they do not split. They have excellent light fastness. I got these after watching a review on Owing's Art on Youtube. That's my go to when deciding on such a purchase. My set was made in Germany and I bought it on Amazon. The day they arrived I ordered 2 additional sets even though I will be waiting 2 months to receive them. That's how good these pencils are and how amazing the price. If you compare this price with Dick Blick, you'll see what I mean. When I bought the additional sets here, the DB price was $109.....Lyra is an old and trusted German brand. As more people who use colored pencils try these the price will go up considerably. There have already been 2 increases in price since I ordered my sets in January. If you are interested, I wouldn't wait. These really are my go to pencil. I am selling my Caran d'ache. I do use an Alvin hand held 3 hole sharpener to properly sharpen all my CP. Using an electric sharpener can damage and will eat up good quality pencil. Everyone has a brand that works for them. Other brands fill in the blanks color wise. This is my choice. I really enjoy working with them. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Quickly Discovered How Versatile the Golden High Flow Paints Are. I was, at first, leery about buying these mostly because I am used to using heavy body acrylic paints and craft acrylic paints. However, I wanted to try some new techniques - pouring and air brushing - and quickly discovered how versatile the Golden High Flow paints are. The viscosity is nearly perfect right out of the bottle for most air brush techniques and nozzles (yes, size matters), and the pigment load is, well, stupendous compared to thinning craft or heavy body paints for the same jobs.
The absolute best way to use these High Flow paints, for me, anyway, is as a thinning medium with heavy body paints. Just tiny bit on the pile on the palette makes the heavy body paint much easier to apply with a brush, and using the High Flow doesn't thin out the pigment load - it actually increases it! A bit of titanium white High Flow mixed with the heavy body paint really does give the paint on the canvas more opacity.
My only complaint with this product is that I don't seem to have enough time to use all the hues as fast as I want. But that's my problem, not the paints'. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
They ALL smell the SAME. I don't like them. I was hoping the cherry would smell like cherry, the black would smell like black; er, sorry, licorice; but they don't. They all smell the same and it isn't even a pleasant distinctive smell. They just don't stand out like the scented markers do. Mr. Sketch came out with a limited edition set of movie scents and those really did smell like popcorn and cheesy nachos, but these don't smell like the delicious artwork on the package at all.
You can test them out for yourself. I don't regret the purchase too much because I love the idea of a twistable crayon--less breakage!
I'll stick with classic Crayolas. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good Paint But Not So Good Tubes. These are good colors, as Tri-Art has always made good colors...the reason is three stars is because of the packaging, and also I see the 59ml. tubes are slightly smaller than other brands like Golden's that have maybe 1ml more. 1 ml. does not make that much of a difference, yet there seems a size difference. It may be in how they are measured by the companies. The see through tubes are a novel idea, as well as the caps but the metal seal on the inside is like a tube of antibiotic cream and is a bit too much. Mainly because they are a bit hard to get off and paint can get on your hands when You remove the top and tear it off. Otherwise good quality paint. Why not use the other type tubes...I have had some that are years old and still fresh after opening. So Tri-Art go back to the old tubes...it is good for Your Customers like me who love Your paint! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect Magnetic Whiteboard. I was apprehensive after reading some other reports about whiteboards arriving bent or otherwise damaged. I ordered from PLEXSUPPLY. The box had a little tear at the top but the inside was sufficiently protected with styrofoam packing forms.
I've hung this at the recommended height, which works for me (at 6 ft tall). The board came with three mounting screws and inserts (and brackets). I substituted a molly bolt for two of the screws because those mounting locations were not at a stud. When mounted with the supplied brackets on top and velcro pads at the bottom corners, it rests secure.
The instruction sheet at first glance suggests there are two square nuts to attach an eraser tray to the bottom. Note: these nuts are already mounted in the frame. I didn't bother to attach the tray as I'm using a Rembrandt Magnetic Whiteboard Eraser <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rembrandt-Magnetic-Whiteboard-Eraser-For-Dry-Erase-Pens-Markers-Magnet-Sticks-Perfectly-to-Boards-Ergonomic-Design-Prevents-Cramping-Large-5-x-2-5-Inch-Lifetime-Guarantee/dp/B00XCHK7GA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rembrandt Magnetic Whiteboard Eraser - For Dry Erase Pens & Markers - Magnet Sticks Perfectly to Boards - Ergonomic Design Prevents Cramping - Large 5 x 2.5 Inch - Lifetime Guarantee</a> which sticks to the surface admirably. There is a 5/8 in. curved ledge built into the board which holds your standard dry erase markers perfectly.
I can't speak to "ghosting" of markers as I haven't used it enough, but so far Expo black/red/green markings seem to come off just fine. The 48 x 96 in. size is totally worth it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Buying Paper and Art Supplies (Canson and Scratchmore. I hate buying paper online for my drawings. I like to be able to hold it and feel the paper; examine it like a monkey examines a banana; see its color. These are all vital things to determine if its the paper for you. BUT. I put my name on Canson paperits fantastic paper.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SHOPPING BUT DONT KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT THE PAPER
I don't know about paper for pastels, charcoal (its not my best medium), watercolor, etc., but I do know about graphite or colored pencils for portrait drawing. So, this review is greatly geared towards paper for the purpose of drawing in pencil.
POUNDSLBS
Notice how the pad reads something like 65lbs or 100lbssomething like that? Obviously, the drawing pad isn't going to weigh 65 pounds. This refers to the stock. 60lbs is what I consider Sketch paper, and its usually the pound of paper youll get for a book called a Sketch book. But I draw traditional realistic portraits, and 60lb doesnt hold up against all of the wear-and-tear the pap... Read more | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My family has a history of skin cancer and I've . My family has a history of skin cancer and I've already had a few precancerous moles removed so I take sun protection very seriously. I bought this for a music festival as clothing only filters out so much UV light. I didn't have a UV detecting device I can't say definitively that it worked, but it appeared to as my skin tone under my clothes matched that of areas I applied sunscreen (and trust me, I'm VERY diligent about applying sunscreen) even after four days in the sun. For those that are concerned about this ruining your clothes, mine appeared to be exactly the same before and after washing. I did not notice any discoloration whatsoever. I will definitely be purchasing again! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Dying is not for novices. In reading some of the reviews I suspect that people who had poor results and rated the product poorly have no idea how dying actually works. Water temp is important, "fasting the color" is important, and the add in of salt or vinegar is important. You can't always just "cover up" an old color with a new color because dye is not like paint. You'll likely get a blending effect unless the material is absorbent enough or the dye is overpowering enough.
I dyed a teal cotton jacket with the black dye in hot water with salt for 45 minutes and got a charcoal color with blue tones due to blend with the teal. The dye did not color the nylon or synthetic lining, or the zipper linings.
This is a good, easy to use, inexpensive product with clear directions, but it's not magic-- It can only do what science will allow it to do, so consider your wants in your project. Ideal for darkening up faded black items, or dying white, natural fibers. have caution trying to "cover up" a vibrantly colored garment. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great, versatile Cutter/plotter. This is a great cutter. I don't have any experience with other cutters but I would strongly recommend this to anyone.
I purchased it to make items for my wedding including custom mats for photo frames, shaped cut-outs for notes from guests, and stencils for various decorations.
It cuts a wide variety of papers, though it would not cut through a heavy-weight plastic folder we wanted to use as a stencil... but I would have had trouble cutting it with scissors, so I don't blame the Silhouette for that.
The software it comes with takes a minute or two to figure out but it does a lot of useful things including a "fill page" option, which is great for making cutouts... it will fill the page with the shape you load/create at the size you choose.
One warning with the print and cut option, the Silhouette may not be able to find the markers on shiny/glittery paper. We were using a slightly shimmery paper for our gift tags and wanted to print out the text for them and then cut them out but the Silhouette could not recognize the markers, though it worked fine on plain printer paper. Fortunately, we figured out where exactly we needed to place the paper on the cutting mat and into the machine and got them close enough without using the markers. Print and cut is great for really detailed stuff but if you have a bit of give, you can just eyeball it... this is particularly useful as the print and registration marker actually cut down a lot of your cut-able area.
The cutting mat is great and lasts really well as long as you're careful with your blade depth! The one that comes with the Silhouette is very sticky at the beginning and is not appropriate for standard-weight papers unless you're okay with them curling (or even tearing) when you you try to unstick them, so I recommend using only cardstock-weight or above on new regular mats. After some use, they become less sticky, so you can use them with regular weight papers. Apparently they offer lower stick mats, so get one of those if you want to do medium-light weight paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
absolutely great machine. I have been sewing, quilting and making cards for years. This product fit my life right out of the box. I do need to tell you that I have several Brother products. Fax, 2 embroidery machines to name a few. Brother has great customer service and product support! I am enjoying all the features of this machine. I especially like the ability to cut applique shapes for my embroidery. It takes the tedious task of tracing and cutting fabric shapes to a new level of perfection . I have to admit that tracing and cutting shapes is not my forte. The scan n cut cuts them out perfect every time and that is very important to the process of making perfect embroidery projects.
The scan n cut canvas software has brought out my creative side big time.
I also purchased the wi-fi card and rhinestone activation. I love the ability to get "additional" things that I want to try. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Headache-Inducing Odor. Strong chemical scent almost took my breath away on opening the canister. The product says non-toxic but I cannot believe it. The odor gives me a headache every time I open the canister, and coloring with the pencils does likewise.
I must say these are better than the Scholar line by Prismacolor, but not the Premier line necessarily. On the other hand, the Prismacolors do not have a bad odor. The Ohuhu pencils do have nice soft leads which lay down color nicely. I have not tried to blend them. In addition, all pencil barrels are silver, not color-coded to the lead, which makes it difficult to quickly identify the color.
I might be returning these pencils because of the odor and headaches. It's a shame because they do color better than some pencils I've used. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love my Circut Expore Electronic Cutting Machine. Boy, do I love my explore. Just got it 3 days before my scrapbooking retreat. So I took it with me and ended up taking my other machines back to the car. I found that using the explore with the cricut design space was so easy to use. I had such fun making designs and cutting them with the explore. Cutting out the design with layers and different colors was no problem with the explore. The explore lets you know how many mats you will need to cut your design and it lets you know what color paper you will be cutting. Now that's a no brainner. Also I learned to put different color paper on one mat and the cut all my pieces out a once. I have 2 cricuts plus the cameo, but with having the explore I will not need my other machines. Can't wait until the print and cut comes out. I am sure glad the I bought the Cricut Explore and didn't make a mistake it getting it, I don't think that I will need anymore machines, this one does it all. Thanks Cricut, I love this machine. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Meh, a lid liner/gasket seal would make these work for liquids. I assumed that an airbrush supplier would have lid liners/gaskets available to create a tight seal and maintain integrity of custom paint products--I was wrong. To be fair, it took several months for my calligraphy ink to slowly turn into sludge, then harden like a jolly rancher candy as the liquid evaporated. Some reviews said they had a great seal, while others said the opposite, so I took my chances. I like the size for holding a good amount of ink for beginners so they don't contaminate original, full ink jars and the mouth is wide enough to dip in an out easily when writing with a quill or dip pen. I've not had any breakage in two years; never used at anything but room temperature and never stirred or inserted anything more aggressive than a writing instrument, so I'm not completely dissatisfied, just needing to keep looking for lid liners or new bottles. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cute die for Get Well and Baby cards. This 7-piece mini die from Cottage Cutz makes a cute decoration for Get Well (see Customer Image for an example) or Baby greeting cards. The main die is the duck's body, and the smaller die-cuts are the bubbles and the duck's beak.
This die is about 1.75" square and comes with a piece of sticky foam that you will adhere to the cutting surface. That's all it takes to make this die ready to use. I run it through my <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Spellbinders-Grand-Calibur-Die-Cutting-Machine/dp/B0046II9MI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine</a>, and it produces crisp die-cuts on cardstock. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
These labels are much better than I expected. I ordered these labels to cover the original manufacturer's name on some makeup palettes I bought. I thought that they might be thin paper and wasn't sure that they would cover completely. But they are very nice and thick enough to be completely opaque. They are also somewhat plasticky, so I thought they might work with dry erase markers, but they don't. The dry erase markers write, but don't wipe off completely. They do work brilliantly with permanent marker. Also, they stick very, very well to the surface you're applying them to. I would recommend making sure that they are totally in the perfect spot before you stick them down. If just a little bit of the glue attaches to the surface, you can lift it up again. But if more than a quarter of the sticker is attached, you will have a very hard time getting it off without ruining the sticker. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Even an amateur needs to treat themselves to a GOOD brush. I am an amateur watercolorist, which actually sounds way too professional for what I like to do. I paint entirely for my own enjoyment, since I love making puddles of color and splashing, skipping, and skating along paper. I have never had the opportunity to take lessons, but have a quantity of "how to" books on the subject. I elected to skip the advise of most authors, to invest in genuine sable watercolor brushes. Instead I have handfuls of "good" synthetic brushes that I felt were good enough for me. Well, let me tell you that the Da Vinci red sable brush has spoiled me forever. Who knew that a brush could hold so much color, and that you could swirl and flow with ease, drawing the fine tip into the most delicate vine or squiggle. What a pleasure to use! And this one size brush has replaced most of my other brushes, since it does it all for me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The clown fish are dimensional, but not the others. I make and sell greeting cards to benefit our local library and a couple of the cards that I designed feature underwater scenes. When I don't feel like stamping or quilling my fish, these stickers make a nice substitute.
Normally, Jolee's stickers are best-in-class but I thought they cheated a little on this set. There are sixteen fish stickers in total, but only the clown fish (the orange-striped fish) are truly dimensional. The other fish shine with glitter and have little black beads for their eyes, but they aren't built into layers like the clown fish.
These fish stickers are a nice size for A2 (5.5" x 4.25") greeting cards. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Interesting artistic tool, but the tips break. The Craypen is fun. If you are looking for a new artistic medium, this could be interesting. I wouldn't bother with the set that includes pucks of wax that is around $37. Just pick this single pen and use crayons. The colors are more vibrant,especially after burnishing, and the wax is more responsive. Crayola seems to work the best.
My issue is that the tips have broken. I have cobbled one back together, but the smaller detail tip won't cobble. I would buy another set of tips, but there are no tele numbers, addresses or information on the package to get any information.
So, Surebonder, Who Do I talk to to buy a new set of tips?
Edited: I was able to contact a sales rep for Surebonder, and was sent replacements within a week. I have adjusted my review to a 5 star product because their customer service was so great. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
better color than expected. i agree with the other reviewer, this album is a much more beautiful color in person. it's more of a jewel toned teal color - like the deep colors of the carribean. this worked out great because i used the album for our wedding pictures and we were married in mexico with the sea in the backdrop. I had to add additional pages to this album (using pages purchased at my local Michael's craft store). These pages weren't as good of quality as the pages that came with the album, but still work well with the overall design.
IF YOU INTEND TO EXPAND THIS ALBUM - keep in mind that it is difficult to get the pages in and screws in place to complete the expansion. Oh - and it's easier to add the plastic pages before you fill them with the completed scrapbook page since they will be thinner. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Superior sketchbook for all artistic abilities. This item was purchased for my 11 year old son who is a budding artist. The paper is very high quality, thick enough to use with copic type markers (alcohol markers), pencils, gel pens, watercolor pencils and paint. Both of my artistic children prefer sketch books that are not spiral bound, but more of a tablet type of book, however this Canson sketch book has a fine perforation near the spiral binding so the sketches/paintings can be removed from the sketch book with a beautiful clean edge. I was so impressed by the quality of this book I brought it to share with a professional artist friend of mine, she was also impressed. This is a great purchase for ages 0 to 110, from budding artist to professional. The price is quite inexpensive for the quality and quantity of pages. I recommend this above all other sketch pads I have purchased in recent years. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Scratch-prone but affordable, sizable, and effective. This art palette had some faults, but overall I'm glad I got it. First, for the not-so-good parts:
The thumb-hole is designed to be held in the right hand, and as it so happens, I paint with my right. It wasn't a big deal; the plastic is just angled to accommodate a right thumb, so I sanded it down a little bit so it would fit more comfortably on my left hand.
The paint does have a tendency to really stick onto the palette once it dries, but I think that holds true for just about anything, since acrylic paint does in fact harden into plastic. I'm able to get it off if I use an SOS pad and really scrub, although the consequences are that my palette is left looking very scratched-up. It became more translucent rather than perfectly transparent, but it still functions fine, and the added opaqueness from the scratches may even help me see the exact hues of the colors a bit better.
I looked at a lot of art palettes before selecting this one, and I'm generally happy with my choice. It's affordable and it's a decent size, since I had plenty of room to mix around a bunch of paint. I've read that the wooden palettes tend to soak up the moisture in acrylic paint, whereas this plastic one doesn't. Although it scratches when you try to remove the paint, I'd still recommend it over smaller palettes, cheap unvarnished wooden palettes, and overpriced palettes. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Stopped working in the first 2 weeks but customer support solved the problem. REVISED REVIEW: Although I did experience problems with the machine for the first 2 months and it completely died at one point. Customer Support was excellent. They worked with me to figure out the problem, sent the part and the machine is now running great.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I've had this machine for 2 months. In the first two weeks, it stopped working. The manufacturer was able to provide troubleshooting instructions via email and it worked on and off until now. Now it has stopped working altogether. I've tried all the troubleshooting tips with no luck. This heat press should really last more than 2 months. Very disappointed, now I have to rush out and buy a new one, it will not be another Gecko. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good Enough Sharpener.....EXTREMELY POOR design IMO. The first thing to go was the cap that fits around the unit that says PRISMACOLOR on it. It's just decorative and sports the name of the company with no use to sharpening that I can figure out. It snaps on and off....and is so difficult to put on again I just left it off after getting frustrated with it. Next issue was emptying the shavings! You have to take the top off which incorporates the two sharpeners and the shavings cover. It is extremely difficult. The shaving cover that goes over the sharpeners kept popping up while I was attempting removal of the unit to empty shavings. Eventually that cover broke off. So that went in the garbage to keep the decorative cover company. Now if some shavings escape oh well, that i find less frustrating then having to mess around with putting that broken off cap back on. Now for the guts of it all....the sharpeners. You have two sharpeners in this unit to choose from. One sharpens to a wide angle, the other a narrow angle. To me the difference is not dramatic but it is interesting to play around with. The sharpeners work very nice...way better than the cheaper sharpeners you can buy or the old fashion sharpeners. I have had one pencil that the sharpener seems to eat up. But I think there may be something wrong with the pencil - which is a prismacolor pencil! The sharpeners are good but the design of the unit makes it one of the worse sharpeners out there. I could have went cheaper and got less frustration and a better designed unit. I expected better for the price! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great alcohol markers; WARNING - they will bleed thru paper. I have a couple of these that I bought open stock and I really like them. I am ordering this set today. I do prefer markers that have the actual brush tips with the silicone bristles, like those on waterbrushes, and on Prismacolor water-based sketch markers, but these are ok. The colors are pretty bright jjand I like the range available. I've been trying several brands of alcohol markers for card-making, sketching & coloring, and other paper crafting. Be advised that most alcohol markers WILL bleed thru even heavier paper. (At least in my experience! Others may know of brand & paper for which no bleed thru.) I have had best results with alcohol markers on heavy weight cardstock (at least 90 lb). But they still bleed through lighly in the back. I have some 110lb cardstock to try next. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
For someone's idea of an artist, not real artists. It's a cheap set but good enough to start with, or really, we have 3 painters in this house and it's just always glad to have more paint and medium.
The brushes just suck, they always do when it comes to any cheap set. We still usually find uses for them, if nothing else we use them to wrap paper towels around to remove paint with. When they get too dirty or whatever, we just toss them- we just consider them expendable anyway.
i don't know who uses a wooden palette like that. I guess it might be good for kids that want to look like a romantic artist. We always just use styrofoam plates. Covered with wax paper they will keep fresh and it's a really smooth way to mix paint. Other people I know use plastic, but to each their own. Maybe you can find a use for it!
It was nice that they included larger tubes of black and white. All the paints were fresh and the colors true, though they seemed fairly cheap looking in the tubes.
Personally I think it would be better to get just a set of paints, some linseed oil and turpentine and decent brushes and skip this kit. You'd come out spending less on better quality, and the artist would find it more useful. As for a box, most my favorite art professor taught me that there is nothing that comes close to a good tackle box. The presentation is nice enough, but it's catering to, IMO, what people might think an artist might want, and not what they really might use. It's not complete because there are no canvases anyway, not even cheap practice ones. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Worst Impasto Ever. I've been creating art with Impasto medium for quite some time and in the process of trying to make the best artwork I like to try various brands and types of a medium. When I saw this Impasto, here on Amazon, I thought it'd be good to try as I hadn't tried this brand and the price was about 25% below the cost of others. There were no reviews to go by either, so I took a chance. I guess the cost alone should have been a warning.
It's nothing like the other brands I've used. It's so thin that it won't do it's job of thickening paint or sculpting before painting. It also has quite a strong toxic smell. None of the others have had a strong scent and they all did their job of thickening and sculpting. I would never buy this brand again. Terrible.
I only hope that this review will save some other artists money on an unusable product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Some are great- Others, not so much. We bought these chalk markers for one purpose, which was to write on black latex balloons for a birthday party. They worked great for this purpose and we were glad to have made the purchase. After using them for the party, we tested out each color on a blackboard. The "ordinary" colors worked great and erased with the use of a simple damp rag. The metallic colors, however, were not so great. They didn't show up well on the black surface and would not easily erase with the wet rag. After applying window cleaner and forced pressure, we were able to rub the "chalk" off the blackboard. We won't be using the metallic markers in the future on the blackboard in our homeschooling classroom. The others, however, are proving quite useful in place of chalk. I have rated this box of markers 4 stars out of 5 because of the nuisance in using the metallic markers. I would rate the remaining markers a 5 out of 5. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
nothing compares. I would give this 5 stars just based on the excellent price for the perfect compressor and the hose, regulator, and sprayer all in nicely put together and ready out of the box. Problem is, I've hooked it all up, turned it on, achieved perfect recommended psi,which it held steady at despite my goofing around with it. I just haven't painted anything yet. But sure have had rave compliments from all who saw it. I expect that a few friends will be ordering the same kit, just for the compressor alone...to use with their existing sprayers. I looked at Harbor Freight, Home Depot... no one beat this perfect compressor and all that came with it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Very vibrant colors and blends very smoothly. First I must say, the attached image was taken under dark lighting conditions. I am EXTREMELY impressed with the quality of these pencils. The colors are VERY bright and vibrant and glide smoothly on the paper. In addition the colors blend quite nicely in contrast to the crayola pencils I'm used to using. These pencils have officially spoiled me and now I will never go back to crayola! The only thing I would suggest is perhaps purchasing a set with more colors if you are an advanced artist or are looking to start working on portrait drawing and realism. For beginners however, this set in particular is perfect!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Pens not completely filled with ink. These just arrived, and I'm disappointed. Lots of colors, and compared to the cost of other pens, the price seems like a good deal. However, the ink doesn't fill the pen...stops a good inch from the end. So there's your price savings, I'm thinking. The set might be cheaper than others, but it's because you get less ink. Unless all gel pens are like this? This is the first set I've bought. But it feels like a ripoff to see how little ink is actually in these. The one I tried does color smoothly, though, and there is a nice selection of colors, and these are cheap compared to other sets. So I'm giving them three stars on the "you get what you pay for" principle. Just be aware, so you're making an informed decision. Update: The seller commented that this is how all gel pens are, so the pen doesn't explode and leak ink. Sure enough, I've now noticed that space at the end in pictures of many brands. So I bumped my rating up to a four. I still find gel pens too expensive to use regularly, but this is a cheaper set than most, with lots of colors. I'm just bummed by how little ink is in gel pens, so that's the reason for the four. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
No problems yet. Fun way to create art at home. I tried this 3d pen tonight with my 12 year old son, 3 year old daughter, and 2 adults. We all enjoyed using it.
We used it for about 30 minutes, and didn't have any trouble with the pen itself. We tried to draw on wax paper, and that was way too slippery. On a napkin, the paper stuck a little to the plastic but at least the plastic stayed where the pen put it. I'll be doing some research on the best surface to draw with.
I would recommend more filament if you are going to create anything serious. We all created our names, a flower, heart, etc. We went through about 1/3 of the filament included in 30 minutes. We had pink, grey, and transparent filament included. I tried to draw something vertical, but the filament didn't cool before it fell down. I'll have to play with different filaments and temperatures to see how I can draw up instead of just 2d. I received this pen at a discount in exchange for my honest review. I'll update this review if I encounter issues. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not for professionals great for beginners cant beat the price. I have been an airbrush artist for 16years now. I have always used iwata. I decided to buy this as a backup of my custom micron. First off, the needle is very ruff causing constant tip dry and difficulty cleaning. 2 of the 3 main o rings leak causing inconsistent paint flow. I had to thread tape EVERY peace to stop leaking. The nozzle threads are off making it un centered from the tip. Meaning air only flows on one side of the needle making lines and dots flat on one side. The Mac value is useless, it cuts the air from 100% to 40% on its highest setting. They're is no in between air control. Needle packing is very rough as is the rest of the internals making trigger control difficult. I'm finding more and more issues as I test this airbrush. BUT. for the price, compared to the $800 iwata, for someone that dose not do professional work. And for someone trying to get into airbrushing with a low budget, it would make a good starter brush. You can do nice work with it but it will fight you the whole way and will never be as good of quality as a higher end airbrush such as an iwata. If not for the price I would give it a 1star. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Low Quality...be warned. I usually love royal langnickel products and hav bought many of them in the past, including sets for painting and drawing. Usually I find the sets to be high quality and contain nice materials, paints, brushes, markers, etc. However, I was incredibly disappointed with this item...It is NOTworth the price that paid for it, and that says something because I bought it while it was on lightning deal. Details:
Pros:
The box that everything comes in seems to be pf a decent quality, it is wood. It's nicely colored, and latches well.
The paints seem to be of good quality. I haven't had any issues with them.
Cons:
The brushes it came with seem to be low quality. They don't snap back when you test them, and are rather disappointing to use. They leave fibers everywhere.
The paint tray that the item comes with is an incredibly flimsy, cheap, breakable tray. This is the most disappointing item of all as it was one of the main reasons I bought the set. The tray looked useful from the pictures.... It's not at all. It's horrible.
For the price, I would definitely NOT recommend this product. The quality is just sub par compared to other similar products of this type. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Don't use for wine glasses. I bought these pens to use for my sister's bridal shower. The idea was that guests would be able to decorate their own wine glass with these markers and then I could wash the ink off at the end of the party. The guests were thrilled about the idea and went to town decorating their glasses. Unfortunately, the ink came off on everyone's hands whenever they touched their glass. This was obviously a huge issue and very embarrassing for me as the host. Guests had to wash all the ink off their hands, some of which didn't come off easily and I had to quickly wipe all the glasses clean with paper towels. What a fiasco in an otherwise beautiful and elegant party.
I gave two stars because the colors are awesome and the glasses looked great before people touched them. I think they would work great for other uses. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I bought a good set of frame keys at the same time to . I'm always skeptical of "magic" products performing miracles. I was so skeptical this stuff wasn't going to work, I bought a good set of frame keys at the same time to do it the mechanical way when it failed. Well, now I have an unused set of frame keys down on my workbench. I followed the directions, and put on two coats, the first in small sections, and the second, a lighter misting when the first coat was completely dry. When I started, the canvas was saggy and ripple-y and had sort of "waves" in it. Now it's tight as a snare drum head. This stuff does exactly what it says it does. Amazing. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My New Favorite Pencil for Coloring. I LOVE these pencils. I have tried every other name brand colored pencil out there. This is the first I have found that doesn't break into little chunks when you sharpen it. Such a waste! With just a few turns these pencils get a nice fine, hard point perfect for coloring the tiniest of details. The color lays down smoothly and unlike some others, the you can really get shaddinig and highlighting based on the amount of pressure you use. I got these as an Amazon Black Friday flash deal but they are a good value at the regular Amazon price. Try them! I assure you they will soon become your go-to tools of creativity. Oh, and I also love the sheer number of colors available. Not just one or two reds, but about 12 in graduating hues. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
still needs lots of "fussing. This cutter is not my favorite, but still helps. The cutter edges are NOT laid out like the picture here, it's laid out as long strips. The instructions from Accuquilt suggest labeling the insides of the die pieces with address labels. I marked mine with a p-touch label. Was a lot of work for something I paid that much money for.
The other downside is the waste. You waste a lot of fabric if you're making a log cabin with different fabrics. This picture, for instance, uses 10 of the same blue, 5 of the pink, and 6 of the orange. I made mine with one red in the middle and different white/grays and blues for the two sides. I had to lay each fabric over the correct area of the die. When I realized how much fabric I was wasting, I ran my fabrics though my 2" strip die first, then on this one (the pieces here come out 1.5" wide and anywhere from 1.5 to 12.5 long). A lot of work.
Another tip with any die cutter is make sure your fabric is ironed flat and even starched before cutting it. Any wrinkles or bubbles will through off your cuts.
I'll probably give it one more go because I want to like it so much, and I spent so much time labeling it! but for what you pay for it that kind of thing should be in place when you buy it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Crayons for School Children. On the positive side, because of problems with the order, the seller offered to make matters right by replacing the merchandise and paying for postage each way. When I wrote back that this would be difficult because we had already given the crayons to our local school, the seller replied that he would refund us a 10% discount on the purchase.
I did not rate the product four stars because both my wife and I were also under the impression that we would receive individual boxes of crayons, each box containing the 16 various colors. This would have made distribution to the students easy. Instead, the large box we received was divided into sections, each section containing crayons of the same color. To distribute the crayons, the teacher would have to take one color from each section and insert it into his/her own container before distributing the containers to the individual students. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
LOOOOVE this. I had one of these brushes from Sakura Koi but lost a piece of it, and needed to replace it. I'd heard that these ones were among the better waterbrushes so I bought one. I chose medium tipped because I figured it would be large enough for bigger strokes but would be thin-tipped enough for more detailed areas. I was correct.
These brushes are highly useful - fill with water, throw in a bag with a sketchbook and some water activated media (water soluble graphite, watercolor, etc. My personal choice is a set of mini Winsor & Newton pan watercolors with a Moleskine :) ) and go. It doesn't leak, it doesn't have a problem with too much or too little flow, and it does all that I need it to do. I still like the Sakura Koi one, but I prefer this. The brushtip has more of a 'bounce' and survives a beating a bit better. I find I get more control with it for this reason, as well. I recommend this to anyone that uses water-based media and is look for the easiest way possible to use it on the go.
Update, 2/15/14: I have since bought more of these I love them so much. The original one I wrote the review about is still going pretty strong! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Ready-To-Use, Individually Wrapped Canvas. These are nice canvas's and decently priced for a multi-pack(as of now).
They are sturdy, pretty well made, and acid free.
The canvas is stretched well and is already coated with Gesso so it saves a step to have it already prepared to paint. It says that they are triple coated. They are made of pine and seem like they will hold up over time. I like that they are each wrapped individually and have the wood chips for each canvas. They wood chips or keys are used to slip into the corners if the canvas material begins to sag or become loose.
I only use them with acrylic and other multi-media art supplies/glue, etc. and they have worked well. I have not tried them with oils but they are made for it.
This canvas is good for any crafty person to mess around with, for someone who is taking lessons, for a group of people or painting party, or even kids. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Worth the price. Lots of good colors. For the price, these pencils are very good. The only thing is at times you need to press harder to get the pigment you want. Some colors show up really light with one coat of application. This can be distressing on your hand if you have arthritis or joint sensitivity. I have since purchased prismacolor pencils, they are expensive, but very much worth it. I still use these when I want a certain color that I may not have, or when coloring in a not so great coloring book. I will keep them and use them up. If you do not want to invest in more expensive pencils, these will work great and give you a good amount of variety in colors. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cool but 2 crayons broken. These are pretty cool - they write like oil pastels and glide across the page nicely.
Two of the crayons, however, will not twist and rise out of the plastic casing, rendering them kind of useless. I've tried twisting while also pressing the underside of the crayon with a narrow chopstick, but nada. It's like a lipstick stuck in its tube. Bummer bc *of course* they were the colors kiddo absolutely NEEDED to use.
I'll try a different product next time, or buy them again if I see them on sale.
Useful to know that the color can get pretty much every that paint can. It's very easy to draw on to skin (*ahem* parents with young toddlers), and smears readily - especially when applied to paper vigorously. If you're looking for mess reduced painting, this stuff is good. Mess free it isn't. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Upholstery Spray works, BUT. This stuff does work, but is very hard to use. First coat is not even, no matter how careful you are.
One bottle will cover a lot of area, I did several small items and a leather Halloween costume. So I had practice! But none of them were great one the first coat, so a second coat must be applied to get a dark, even color, but the can's nozzle may only work occasionally for the second coat. This stuff dries like glue on the nozzle and paint thinner did not clear the nozzle.
I would say if you buy this, buy two cans.
Drys nicely.
Does not work well on vinyl. It puddles and runs.
On leather it worked much better.
3 Stars out of 5. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A great money-saving starter set of ceramic clay tools. After looking at a ridiculously pricey set of similar clay tools at my local ceramic shop, I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to review this straightforward, inexpensive set. This has exactly what I wanted and needed to get started working with ceramic clay, without the high price tag. I like the variety of shapes and sizes, and while the unfinished wooden handles feel a little rough, they were certainly going to feel that way anyway after getting covered in clay residue.
Overall, if you are looking for a simple and straightforward set of clay manipulating tools, this is a great starter kit that will get you off and running. Though I received a sample for review, the positive opinion is my own. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
NOT for wood-backed chalkboards. These pens are super awesome. Easy to write with, great pigmentation, no run-off drippys. I even like the label on the marker itself. Black with white and blue writing. This is a minor detail, but I wanted to keep these in a high traffic area of the house and didn't want some neon monstrosity I had to look at day in and day out.
HOWEVER, these do not clean off of porous chalkboard. 90% of the chalkboard stuff in your home is most likely porous. Anything with a wood backing doesn't work. It goes on beautifully, but stays on as well. This could be a bonus if you want to write something permanently and have it look like chalk...Write it, let it dry then wipe off with water. It'll look like really old chalk writing. For example, my brand new french country chalkboard shows pork-fried rice for dinner on Tuesdays indefinitely. I even took a scrub brush to it. No bueno. The packaging warns you of this, but I thought chalkboard would be non-porous. My bad.
These will be great for writing messages on mirrors and such though! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect for adult coloring books. I became addicted to adult coloring books several months ago. When I first started I bought a large set of inexpensive pencils in a big canvas case with lots of colors and different types of pencils. Unfortunately, that set broke under the least bit of pressure and would also splinter while I was trying to sharpen them. This set of pencils does not break and shred constantly during sharpening like my previous set of pencils. These are excellent quality pencils that sharpen well and will last a long time. There are 72 pencils in this set and the color palette is extensive and contains some very pretty shades of all the colors. The pencils come in a tube type package that protects them from damage and breaking. I would absolutely recommend them! A wonderful set of pencils for a spectacular price point. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love it! Very Large & Sturdy Plus Easy to put together. Awesome Easel! I bought it for my super artistic 5 year old & it will well suit her endeavors for at least until college & maybe well beyond. I was not expecting the boards to be so big but am pleasantly surprised. Very, very pleased with it.
Assembly: I put this together in about 15 minutes & I'm a novice builder to say the least. It was so easy & they provided a Philips head screwdriver which is the only tool needed for assembly. Upon completion, I find it to be extremely sturdy and well designed!
As a professional artist myself, I would recommend this to any age group and not just marketed to kids, then again I am only 5'3 lol...but seriously this easel will come in handy for many years to come. Much more than I ever expected for the price.
Oh & as a former preschool director & teacher I would give this an A+++++++ for classroom use. This thing can definitely take daily beatings from little artists of many ages!
So happy!!!!
***Edited to add a safety suggestion:
This by no means deserves any deduction in stars so my 5 star review still stands; HOWEVER, I'd like to add that the corners of the trays at the bottom of the easel (not the storage bins) ie what holds the markers & paint cups was pretty sharp on our Easel. It was an easy fix with a regular nail file I used to simply sand the sharpness down to more rounded edges. No big deal, took 5 minutes but definitely worth a note in the review. My daughter got SLIGHTLY scratched by it but we rarely wear very many clothes inside our home (obviously within reason so don't go all crazy reporting me bc we're AL hippies lol) so it maybe would snag someone's clothing instead of scratching skin. Either way, it was a simple fix & something that will fix itself over time & use as well but I felt worth a note bc some parents might get up in arms over something like that. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My New Favorite Tool - Highly Recommended. I did so much research on which die cutting machine I should purchase, even asking friends who own different brands and came to the conclusion that this was the die cutter for me. Here's why... hope this helps others who are looking.
1. The smaller size allows me to run materials through with less cranking of the handle.
2. The handle is built to reduce the number of cranks you need to do to run the material through.
3. It turned out that I work better by running through a couple of dies at a time (if they are thinlets, shapelets etc.) and although I was concerned the 6" base would be too small, it holds all the dies I want to run through for that color and then some.
4. The side fold up making storage easy. This also makes it easy to transport. Sometimes I want to craft in my studio, other times in front of the TV, so it's super easy to pickup (via the handle) and place wherever I want.
5. The brand is Spellbinder which is very high quality, so I know it will probably last me forever.
6. The die cutter comes with everything you need to get started. Just purchase the dies you want to use for cutting and you're good to go.
6. They sell the plastic replacement cutting plates in a set and as of the writing of this review, they are affordably priced.
7. It came with a super easy to understand instruction booklet about how to setup the plates and the base plate even has assembly instructions for how to make the sandwich of plates for whatever you are trying to cut with. I am a total newbie at this and didn't know what people were talking about with the sandwich of plates and this manual got me from newbie to expert in a matter of minutes.
8. It is heavy which is good! This helps to keep it in place while running the dies around. That way it's not sliding around all over the table.
Yeah, I can't say enough good things about this little cutting machine. I own a Silhouette Curio and a Silhouette Cameo, (which I LOVE!) but nothing cuts felt like this machine. It's a work horse and handles well. This is my new favorite tool in the studio. Very Highly Recommended! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Portable Phone Photography. Hello, I'm reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S5 Camera Lens Kit by CamKix. A little background first on my photography needs: I'm a sports mom so action shots are frequent, my children range in age from 3 to 15, besides action candid's of my kids I really enjoy taking macro photos of everyday items. Now that you are aware of my personal photography needs I will get on with my review ;)
My Cons List:
*I would much prefer to have a lens kit that fits onto my existing hard case(Adapter kit???) or the option of purchasing a case that is as protective as the one I am currently using (my current case being waterproof, drop proof, dust proof).
*I found that action shots are difficult with the lenses (but also with just the Galaxy S5 itself, honestly my S4 took better pictures than the S5 does)
My Pros List:
*The Lens set fits in a nice carry bag that is about 2/3 the size of my phone, which makes it incredibly portable.
* The lenses (12X, Macro, Fish Eye, Wide Angle) and tripod are well-built and sturdy. I like the universal phone holder which makes the tripod usable by other size phones.
*My Macro photos and Fish Eye photos came out really well and I'm super happy with them
*The supplied case fits snugly to the phone, the lenses screw in securely and easily to the case and changing them out is a simple process
To Finalize:
I really like the idea of this lens kit. I think that it is portable, well built. It's something that I wouldn't necessarily use every day but I would absolutely use frequently, particularly to take macro shots. I always have my cell phone on me, and rather than having to worry about carrying a second camera(and lenses and case and and and.....) it is really nice to have the option just to grab my lenses and go. The entire kit fits into my small size shoulder bag *also into the mesh water bottle side pocket of a book bag*. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great so far. I have had a great experience so far. As the other reviewer said, the product did come in a cardboard box however the box fits the paint set nearly perfectly without much 'headroom' and the way it closes makes it easy to keep the box in good condition to store the paints permanently. None of my paints had leaked, and all were nicely sealed/full to the top. I am using them for nail art, and some of the colors can be a little transparent if I am using them on top of a dark polish. Nothing that a second coat or mixing it with a little of the white paint doesn't fix. I highly recommend the set and will order another with different color variations soon. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great as cigar glue. As far as I know there are 2 ways to make cigar glue that will not affect the taste of your cigar, one is pectin and the other is Arabic Gum. It's hard to find pure pectin without any citric acid which I found to ruin the taste of my cigars. I bought this product to repair cracked wrappers which is something every cigar smoker deals with sooner or later. When it comes to mixing ratio, just mix a couple of batches together and see how it works. I usually add a small amount of powder to a bottle cap and add distilled water to it as I mix the two together. After mixing the product I find it best to wait 5-10 mins for the glue to settle and thicken up. After applying the glue it usually dries up in less than 5 mins. It burns clean without changing the taste in any way. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Kinda junky. if I lived in the States I would have retuned this item. But since I paid for overseas delivery plus customs I decided to live with the problems that this item has. First There are issues with how this turns on it has a touch sensor and not an "on-off" button. When it's in battery mode it can sense my finger unless I actually pick it up off the table and press on the icon. Also in battery mode it does not reach full brightness. When it is plugged into the USB it does become full brightness but when dimmed it flickers which is obviously beyond annoying! I have even had a couple of times where I had to mess with it to get it to turn on at all and wonder what the life expectancy is going to be. I paid well over $100 for this after all was said and done and am disappointed to say the least. When it works it does the job though and I guess thats why I didn't bother returning the product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
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