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I gave this product two stars because I it is probably good on clothing. This paint did not work for the purpose I used it for. I wanted my grandchildren to make handprints on potholders as a gift for their parents.
I dipped their hands in paint and held their hands down on the pot holder. Disappointingly the paint did not adhere. I let the paint on the pot holders
dry and tried two more times. No luck and we ran out of paint. Perhaps this is not the intended use for this particular paint. I ended up buying fabric markers at Michael's and had the younger child draw on the pot holder and the older one write his name. I gave this product two stars because I it is probably good on clothing. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My favorite pencils for coloring. I live to color and I own all of the who's who of the colored pencil world and these are by far my favorite. These are soft but will hold a point they are a happy medium between Polychromos and Prismacolor in terms of softness.
They work well in smooth or toothier paper, for some who uses coloring books this is great because coloring book paper can be hit or miss. The Polychromos I have trouble getting them to look the way I want on smoother paper but three work great in all my books.
It's is so easy to get a smooth blend with these pencils without having to do to many layers. I would compare the way these mix together to Luminance or Prismacolor.
I have not had any problem sharpening them and at at the price point I don't feel like I am throwing money away when I sharpen them.
I like the range of colors, with many other sets you get sooooooooo many grays and browns but with this set you also get a wide range of reds oranges and yellows.
My complaints are that there are not enough pinks and some of the colors are pretty close together but other than that I love this set of pencils. Is the only set that I am going to buy a back up of. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good for special occasion, testing or as gift. i have a Creation Station but I wanted something little done without wasting my 9 inch or 5 inch rolls. So I decided to do this.
Works pretty well & if I don't think I'll need it again I can just recycle it. in the meantime, it takes up no room & requires no maintenance.
If I like it, I'll buy a refillable sticker maker. If I had bought a refillable sticker maker 1st & didn't like it, it would sit around for ages collecting dust & then be donated or thrown away because it got knocked off a shelf or something & had been damaged. And there would be guilt for buying "another craft machine" & never using it.
Would be good for a preparing for a special occasion or to give to a kid.
theres really no reason to buy 2 or more unless you have several children to give it. If you like move up to a refillable. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love these markers. So, I was at Michaels and tried to use my 60% off coupon to buy these markers, but the girl thought they were excluded, they werent. I was going to spend $60 after the coupon, reg price is $150!! I was so happy to find these on Amazon for $40. After the disappointment at Michaels, finding these for a much better price made me feel so much better about the whole situation. These pens are really nice. The brush tip is perfect, and the color is really rich and saturated. They work great for coloring, painting, and also for calligraphy, which I don't know how to do very well, but these make everything look great. Thank you amazon!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I also found them great for the chalkboard in his room. I got these for my grandson who is 3 years old. He loves to play with them on the sidewalk. I also found them great for the chalkboard in his room. I love it on class, I like to leave little notes for my husband and kids on the bathroom mirror.
My husband and I shop on Amazon all the time. We love the how easy it is to shop for the items we use daily as well as buying gifts for other. Whenever we are looking to buy new products we always read the reviews people leave to help us when deciding on which items to buy.
All opinions are my own and in no way influenced by the seller of this item. If my experience with this product changes over time, I will update my review. I received no compensation for this review and I am not required to leave a good review. I am also not associated with the seller in any way. Thank you for reading this review.
How I rate!
*5 stars*: This rating means the item matches the item description and is a good value for the price listed at the time I reviewed it. I recommend it feeling confident that most people who read the description and take price into consideration will be pleased with it. If it exceeds my expectations and is an exceptional value, I put that in the heading. (FYI: Some reviewing sites have told us not to take price into consideration because prices change constantly but to only consider the product as a good or bad product.)
*4 stars*: This meets the item description but there is a slight problem. I would buy it again at the right price and would recommend it to others.
*3 stars*: This item is off on the item description but is still a good product. I might purchase it again if I could not find a suitable alternative. I probably would not recommend it.
*2 stars*: Buyer Beware! There are some major flaws here. Either it is not as advertised or failed to work. I would not buy it again or recommend it others.
*1 star*: This item was falsely advertised and/or failed to perform to even the lowest of expectations. My experience with this item was unpleasant, and I recommend you avoid it at all costs. I recommend others avoid this item. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect. Great stuff.
This product arrived very quickly, and works better than I expected.
Glow is long lasting, very bright, and my star mural came out amazing.
The coolest part is that this stuff is almost invisible in daylight or even with the lights on, so much so, that I even splattered my wall tapestry, my blue walls, and my drapes. You honestly can't even tell it's there (I made a huge mess of the project and got it all over my khaki pants, can't even tell it's there after washing it, and my pants still glow where this stuff splattered on it). Anyway, my room is covered in this stuff and you wouldn't even know it until I turned the lights off, then it feels like you're floating in space.
Great product, highly recommend. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Teeny, Adorable, Perfect-- But Fragile. It was adorable. The product box (not the shipping box) was kind of worn-looking when it arrived, which made it look like it had been sitting on a shelf for a looong time. It was a little smaller than I had anticipated-- I should have measured out what a 4.5"x4" rectangle would look like-- but it was really cute and perfect. This sort of palette is very popular with some of the artists I paint with who work with egg tempera and powdered pigments--- the wells are deep enough to allow the pigment to settle and make a nice float/wash. However, I did not get the chance to actually use it, since mine arrived with a cracked lid, even though it was well-wrapped in padding within its product box. I was able to return it with no problems, and got a hassle-free refund. I look forward to buying a new one that's in perfect condition, but seeing the trouble many people have in getting one either with the advertised lid, or without a cracked lid, makes me hesitate. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Dilemma:great pad, but what is exactly synthetic paper. Synthetic paper? But what is that, thought I, when I ordered this little 5x 7 " pad. This paper is said according to Yupo, a Japanese company, that it is recyclable, waterproof and tree-free, but what it made of exactly? It seems originally it was made with synthetic resin derived from petroleum that would give it this very special texture like papier glace (white and opaque) or a kind of plastic film effect. It is said that it is very similar to paper; it is strange to work with first, but it is interesting. The only thing for me is that it might not be planet friendly and consequently I need to know a little bit about it before deciding if i will or not go on buying it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Trash. Whenever I purchase an item that has to be assembled I try and give the benefit of the doubt when something's not screwed in right or is lopsided. However, from opening the box there were problems. The instructions were on what looked like tracing paper and just as fragile and were lumped in confusing paragraphs with one illustration showing 5 or so steps at once, the only difference being numbers and letters beside them. They did tell you what tool/part in reference to the label on the bags but nothing but the screws, nuts, and stoppers had labels. Even then it would tell you the wrong letter, but that may have been because the labels were stickers that came off if you touched the bag.
Several pieces did not fit, not enough screws were given to put up the shelf support, and the two "wrenches" given didn't even do the job. Even after assembling, I attempted to raise the table in order to give it a test run and the simple action ripped four screws from their places because the area meant to hold the table to the bottom half couldn't adjust to the new height change.
For someone who doesn't have a lot of room for furniture or something of this nature, the size is perfect. This brand, however, is not. Please seek elsewhere and save your money for something that won't fall apart 5 minutes after being put together. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I was disappointed and frankly just threw it out. I was really looking forward to this item but it clogged during the first use with acrylic paints, I was not able to get it to clean out no matter what cleaner I used. I was disappointed and frankly just threw it out. These cheaper airbrushes are not bad products, I have a number of the sub $20 siphon feed air brushes and they work great and are easy to replace, but this gravity feed model was no use to me. Also the trigger is too close to the color cup and it makes it hard to operate the trigger at low flow. Will not buy again, but instead will continue to buy the similarly priced siphon feed brushes. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not the tool I was looking for and not much color. So hard to get the color down with these. The color part is hard if that makes sense. You have to press pretty hard and it's still very light. My crayolas color more smoothly than these. Also quite a few of the colors are almost identical. So it says you get 48 colors but it's probably more like 30.
**edit
After posting my original review the company has contacted me and issued a refund without my request. It's important to note that these are water color pencils. The description does say that these color like regular pencils though so I am not sure what else to say. I did try using these with water and didn't get the desired result. I gave these 3 stars for the customer service but the pencils just don't work well for me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Such a nice upgrade. I have the Silhouette SD and I love it. However, I have to admit I was a tad sad when they came out with the Cameo, it has such great features. But I can't justify buying one just yet, so I keep my SD. I recently moved and lost the pink and yellow caps for my blade with my SD and was really disappointed, but then I realized that this new blade with the number settings is compatible with the SD! I love it!!! I feel like I get much better control of my cuts! I was frustrated when the new machine came out and the updated software included the number setting in my cut settings, but now that I know the new blade works with the old machine I am so HAPPY with that feature!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
No information on using or setup of new abilities for curio. I already had the Cameo and love it, I needed a back up incase my Cameo broke down because I have had it for several years. It used my current Silhouette program just added a few new buttons and steps. I bought it because I was interested in the Deep cut tool very disappointed. There is no additional information added to manual or steps to set up cutting job. So many questions but no answers. They sent a booklet out with it that covers: Installation, Drawing Text, Drawing simple shapes, loading your material, selecting platforms and preparing them, dual,-carriage setup. Nothing about setup for stippling, etching, engraving or most importantly how to set these up for sending to Silhouette. No additional information on their site. It is just trial and error. :*( | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fluid Acrylic Paint. According to Ranger there are less fillers so the distress paint dries to a smooth matte finish.
These paints are very, very fluid and water based. It doesn't have that 'acrylic paint' feel to it when it is dry, it's nice and flexible to the touch. Even after adding a few (thin) layers of paint it still maintains that matte, soft finish. Like everything else in the Distress line (inks, markers, pads), these are reactive with water.
All of the Distress Paints are opaque/semi opaque.
They say that they are permanent on many surfaces, but I've found that this isn't the case. I can chip the paint off of different kinds of plastic with just my fingernail. Same thing with glass. On paper, when the paint is dry, you can spray water or try to wipe the paper with a baby wipe, and the paint is permanent.
Pro Tip:
- Putting paint on a <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ranger-15-Inch-by-18-Inch-Inkssentials-Craft-Sheet/dp/B000S17ZAY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ranger 15-Inch-by-18-Inch Inkssentials Craft Sheet</a> and then dipping a piece of Blending Foam <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ranger-Inkssentials-Ink-Blending-Tool-with-2-Blending-Foams/dp/B001685FR8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool-with 2 Blending Foams</a> in it (with the applicator) carefully tap it through a stencil for a really awesome effect. It's a great way to add layers to your project.
-Distress paint doesn't stain fingers, I use a baby wipe to wipe off the paint from my fingers.
You know how sometimes colors across different mediums will vary in hue? With this Chipped Sapphire color, it is the absolute same as the markers, distress ink, and re-inker.
Put different colors down on a non-stick craft sheet, spray a little water on it, and then drag your paper through it to get a really cool marbleized/mixing effect. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This is the sharpener you are looking for. I thought it was a bit ridiculous to pay this much for a pencil sharpener, but it came in a bundle with pencils and blending pencils, so I figured I'd give it a try to see if it was any better than the $1 sharpener I got at the grocery store. Turns out, it is better. I had a couple pencils that had a flaw in the wood that made them hard to sharpen - I'd get a crack in the wood, then the lead would crack. Really frustrating. This one managed to smoothly sharpen those pencils so I can actually use them for more than ten seconds. I guess the difference is the sharpness of the cutting edge? In any case, it will be interesting to see how long this stays as sharp, but if it does dull, I'll buy another one rather than wasting money on one that doesn't work from the start. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good size to buy if you want to experiment. I wanted to try this on coloring pages to prevent bleedthough from alcohol-based markers (such as Sharpies) and for watercolor (I don't get bleedthrough with watercolor, but ordinary paper tends to warp and wrinkle a lot. It DOES work for that purpose--the marker did not bleed through. However, the gesso did make the pages warp even more since I neglected trying to tape down the coloring book before applying the gesso. I also dislike the gritty texture that was added to the page, but gesso is SUPPPOSED to add a bit of texture to the surface to which it is applied. The texture helps paints and other media adhere better in many cases. I know this from my use of gesso for preparation of canvas, artboards, and even paper mache and wood surfaces for crafting (where I usually used traditional white gesso). This is the first time I used any clear gesso, and it does indeed dry transparent. I don't intend to use this for coloring books, but there is an old doll I bought at a thrift shop whose head needs to be repainted, and I want to see the old paint underneath (basically I SHOULD completely remove all the old finish and repaint, but I'm lazy).
One tip, for a smooth application, I recommend a foam brush, because a regular brush will leave marks from the bristles and leave the surface even bumpier than it would be. If you are going to apply a drier media like colored pencil over the dried gesso, it will go on rather unevenly and "catch" on the tiny ridges caused by brush bristles.
Whether or not I would buy this product again really depends on whether or not I need gesso for more traditional purposes. A little tend to go a LONG way. Gesso will keep a long time providing you screw on the lid tightly as I have a mostly full jar from YEARS ago of white gesso in my supply closet (I haven't done any traditional oil or acrylic painting in years). | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice colored Pencils with awesome case you can personalize. These colored pencils are great for both me and my kids. I have an adult coloring book that I like to color in while my kids do their homework or do their own coloring, so I thought it would be nice to have more colored pencils. This set is great because there are different shades of each color, so you can make really beautiful gradients! See my photos to see some that I did with these.
The pencils feel less like a dry pencil, they feel a little more waxy to me, which is fine but just feels different. I like the pigment, its bright and covers the paper well. The shape of the pencils is great because they are ridges so they don't roll off the table when you set them down.
I absolutely LOVE the case that these come with! It holds all the pencils perfectly and snugly, but the best part is that you can take the paper out of the case and color it, or use it as a template to cut out your own paper and draw on it. So you can personalize it. It's great!
This also comes with 5 regular pencils that work really well! They come unsharpened so you have to sharpen those. The colored pencils are already sharpened though.
I received this product at a discount or free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. My rating is based on my experience with the product. I never promise a positive review in exchange for a product/discount. I hoped I helped you make a decision about this product and thank you for reading! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beautiful strong canvas great for watercolor or acrylic. I absolutely love these little canvases. They are great for my watercolor and acrylic paints. These are thick and have no problem painting then dry then painting over several times. I have noticed especially with watercolor that can warp a lot of canvases and haven't had that problem with these. I will definitely be back for more and am wanting to get even larger ones. I was lucky enough to get a discounted price to try this item out and let people know how it worked out for me. In no way am I obligated to rate one way or another. I rate in relevance to how the product does or does not suit me and my needs. My opinions are just that and what I feel may not be the same as someone else's views. If I am not happy with the product that will be definitely noted in my , and I hope it helps buyers make an informed decision before spending their hard earned money . I know that when buying online ,reviews are the only thing that us as customers can rely on and I really hope that I can help .Reading reviews is what helps me make decisions when I am purchasing something online .Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my review and p feel free to ask me any questions you might have . I hope that this review has helped inform you of this product and helped you make a decision whether this uproduct would be what you are looking for. Have a wonderful day and Happy Hunting on your Amazon adventures | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The Best Airbrush in This Price-Range. First off, to rebut the reviewers who claimed to receive a used brush at a discount price and were unhappy - I purchased a brush here at Amazon for $56 Prime, and although it arrived unwrapped in an open case, it was in what I deem to be "new" condition. The entire brush was clean and unused and after a full inspection of all parts I can easily say that this may possibly be the BEST value for the money when it comes to dual-action airbrushes. If it were a used brush, I can't tell, and getting a quality piece of equipment at this price is more important to me than having to make sure the item was unused previously.
Now the brush - I haven't used the one I ordered specifically, but I've used a borrowed Badger Patriot 105 several times previously and let me say that there is not a finer piece of equipment on the market for under $200-$250. It is the easiest to clean and is extremely versatile. It gives you the freedom to work on just about any project that would require an airbrush. I don't believe I've ever dealt with a brush that is just as adept at commercial art/artist use as it is for use with cake decorating, model painting, minatures, t-shirts, etc., etc. This is definitely a do-it-all brush and at under $60, there isn't a better value to be had anywhere. It has sturdy, made in the USA construction and can be completely unassembled in less than a minute. It's gravity fed of course and comes with a very generous cup and the needle removal is a cinch.
The only negatives I may say are that the brush struggles with extremely fine detail. This is not really a problem however unless you're into airbrushing with a magnifying glass, lol. The major flaw in the design, however, is that the needle protrudes from the nozzle slightly, leaving the needle exposed and making it susceptible to damage. Not much to complain about, but it is a reasonable complaint.
All in all, this is a grade A brush and whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, there isn't a better value or a better brush anywhere in this price range. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not Too Bad. I like this kit because it has everything you need in a tool kit for cutting vinyls and some. The tools seem slightly on the cheaper quality side because of all of the plastic and rubber used to make them, but I don't think they'll have any issue holding up in the long run. I also have a full sized 24" cutter and I have to say that the scissors and the squeegee are completely worthless for vinyls of that size, but the tools were not designed for larger vinyls. They were made for the Cricut 12" system. I looked everywhere for a tool kit and this was the ONLY complete set I could find in any craft store even online. Kudos to these people for doing something so simple that for some reason no other company could do...putting all of the tools we'd need in one kit. And at a decent $19 this kit gets 4 stars, manly because of the cheaper feel to the kit because they didn't use all metal for the tools. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Iet me start by saying that I DO like these pens. So, Iet me start by saying that I DO like these pens. They write pretty smoothly and I really do like the sparkles (adds something fun when I'm taking notes!). Just a couple drawbacks though...
1) They don't write all that easily if you store them right-side-up. All the ones I initially tested (2-3) were spotty when writing. I flipped the box up-side-down, so gravity is bringing the ink down towards the tip of the pen, and that seemed to work pretty well.
2) The neon/pastel-ish colors were incredibly hard for me to see on regular paper. I used these pens a ton when I was studying but I essentially had to throw 2 rows out (they didn't show up well on black paper) so that's something to keep in mind.
3) Some of them were dried out. This was the minority - 5 or 6 pens max - but they wrote for a couple sentences then ran out.
Hope this helps! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love. I love the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Big Brush pens! They are made with india ink, which flows smoothly without having to shake or squeeze the pens as you do with other types of pens. They are easily controlled to make lines, as well as for shading. Since they are water proof and dry quickly, you can layer the colors without worrying about messing lighter shades of pens or your work. They are also acid free and available in 48 colors. The 4 skin tones included in this set should allow you to illustrate most ethnic groups, especially in combination with the other colors that are available in the series. They are a little pricey, but well worth it for the professional artist and illustrator. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A wonderful array of colours and neat packaging. A wonderful array of colours and neat packaging! The little tray that comes with it can be positioned in
3 awesome ways (left, right, down, and if you REALLY wanted to on the top). The tray has little pegs
that fit right into the holes on the corners. There's also a cool little thumb ring on the bottom of the
container that allows you to hold it like a palette. It comes with two sponges and a medium paint brush.
The plastic is very durable, portable, and pigments are great. The only thing I would caution is that the little cakes
could potentially fall out if knocked about too much or if it were turned upside down. But thanks to the little
tray that sits on top, it kinda helps keep everything in place. :) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Poor design, poor customer service. The design of this sharpener is not good. The shavings holder must be pressed in to get it to work properly and so it must be held in both hands while sharpening a pencil. This makes it a very poor desk-top sharpener.
Also the sharpening core (the part that spins) does, for a very short time, make a nice point, but for too short a time to be considered a professional tool.
I purchased the original sharpener for $18 here, and purchased another set of core sharpeners ($5) within months. Now the item is not working at all properly. For $23, you can get a mechanical sharpener that will last several years.
Lastly, the Ohuhu customer services is very rigid. If your machine breaks after the 12 month warranty, regardless of circumstances, they are not open to replacing or repair.
Buyers, beware of this product! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I like to introduce Dbmier and they produce LED Light Tracing . This is my first time when a company have asked me to review their product. I like to introduce Dbmier and they produce LED Light Tracing Boxes for artists, illustrators, animators and even doctors.
Dbmier has kindly provided me their A4 Light Box which is their smallest size out of the three.
Dimension: 14.6 x 10.9 x 0.3 inches ; 2.5 pounds
The overall design of the product is very clean and reminds me of the Apple Ipad look.
There are 3 adjustable levels of brightness from low to high with an ease of a touch.
Sides are transparent so that the LED light can shine through which adds a bit modern touch.
The working surface is made of acrylic which I think is a nice touch because it allows a bit static to hold the paper down on the surface.
The measurement on the light box is in centimeter.
I do like the A4 light box size because its a good travel size almost close to my Wacom Intuos 4. Since it's a work related production, I do wish that Dbmier will provide a travel pack for protection of the product.
The power adapter and the connection to the light box isn't that stable. The head of the power cord does not click or firmly stay in the power port of the light box, which reduces my movement if I need to adjust.
The length of the power adapter isn't very long, some solution would be getting extension cord or a longer right size power adapter.
Overall, I do like this Dbmier A4 Light Tracing Box and I would mostly use it for my paper crafts, tracing sketches and maybe some animation!
Please check out this product http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L8F0W0E
Thank you for your time!
-Kurt Chang #lightbox #dnmier #sketch #martialartgirl | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Helps my girls to show details in their painting. My daughters love these paint brushes. They especially like to include details in their painting so the sizes in this set are just perfect for that. The pain adheres well to the brush and then distributes nicely to the media, both paper and canvas, that they have used them on. We have not noticed any fraying of the fibers after a few uses and that is great. These were easy enough to clean and will get plenty of use. We are very pleased with this brush set. I did receive them at a discount for an honest and unbiased review. I rely on reviews when making purchases, especially online, so I only provide honest feedback on items tried and tested. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Awesome Chalk Markers. I love this product! I just discovered chalk markers recently and wanted a set for my chalk board. They work beautifully. If you have an artistic flare or just want to leave notes without chalk dust, this is the way to go. This thicker set is great for making bolder lines and filling in an area with color. You have to shake them and press down several times to get them going. It takes a minute or two, so don't think they are not working. But, once you get them going, they are great. They work a lot like paint pens. Also, the clean up is easy. I just use a wet sponge and it wipes right off. But, be careful. I've been warned not to use them on any porous surface like wood or painted walls. Even older chalk board are not a good choice. But, I've heard they work great on mirrors and windows. I will be leaving some notes for my family members soon! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great gift idea. Got this as a gift for my mum. Had creases, laid it out, put a towel over it and ironed the creases out, no problem. It wasn't on a stretcher, I went to my local hobby lobby, bought a 16x20 canvas, and stretched and stapled it onto the canvas, easy as pie. Mum loved it, had no complaints about seeing numbers, she just painted over the same spot multiple times. Turned out beautiful. If you didn't know it was a paint by number, youd have thought it were professionally done. All the reviews that bash this product are from people who don't take the time to think through the little quirks. They basically want everything thought of and done for them... pure laziness plain and simple. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
save your money. The only reason I give this kit one star is that it did arrive. The case is impressive until you open it up. None of the contents fit and or stay in their assigned custom fitted slot. Several of the paint assortments are duplicated, eliminating several major colours as red, for one. The paint and brushes are of the poorest quality. I had to tape the contents down in order to close the case, and the top of the case separated from its other section after its third use, leaving 2 useless sections and contents. The case ended up in the garbage, paint and brushes were donated, and I salvaged the palett and knife. Needless to say I was not a happy painter. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works Great when you Read the Directions First. This is the greatest tool. I've been playing around with it since it arrived. At first I thought something was wrong, because I couldn't get it to work at two speeds and one time it wouldn't turn off. It always helps to read directions which I hate to do. This morning, I finally read them and realized that the pen works great. I learned that you don't press it against the paper when drawing, and to change speed from standard to fast, you quickly press the on/off button twice, and to shut it down from fast speed, click twice to standard speed again and once more to shut down completely. The questions posted here reflect that I'm not the only one that doesn't like to read directions. The small insert that is included tells everything you need to know to operate the pen. Read it first. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Package is a hot mess. Not nice enough to give as a gift. I bought this for a Christmas gift but don't know whether to ding the seller or amazon. The plastic package is split and the clear plastic looks like it had been slid across a road. All scuffed up. The brushes were still in the package, but not in the neat little row in the holder. They were just tossed in the plastic package. Makes me question if it was a return. How am I supposed to give this as a present?
15 brushes are accounted for but brushes do not match the description on the back of the product. Says I should have 4 fans. I have one. I will have to come up with a clever way to package and present this mess.
After Christmas, I will come back and change stars and give information about the actual functionality of the product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
4.5. Four and a half stars because I feel like the set could perhaps have been better curated. I was really looking for an intro set that contained the CMY primaries, but they don't seem to sell one that way. It's been ages since I used artist acrylic, and these were a good deal, and I thought I'd try out the RYB(G) set until I could lay hands on other colors. Also, the product description up there is lacking some punctuation. This set includes six paints:
1 - Naphthol Red Light
2 - Hansa Yellow Medium
3 - Ultramarine Blue
4 - Permanent Green Light
5 - Mars Black
6 - Titanium White
All of these paints are transparent except the black (naphthol red is about halfway on the number scale, but it still appears quite transparent to me).
Well. I like the paint. The paint is great. It's just that the palette you get from these colors is ... a little dull. They are all pretty, vibrant colors on their own, but I painted a color wheel to test out the mixing, and anything that mixed with the ultramarine (so shades of green and violet) just didn't do it for me, even though the blue itself is lovely. The greens have an olivey tone, and the violets are a bit heavy. I suppose that's why the perm. green was included, but doesn't explain the lack of violet.
I'll use them for sure, anyway, I'll just be looking to sooner pick up the CMY palette than if I'd been happier with the mixes I got with this set. I'm not sure what other manufacturers use as their "accepted" set of RYB primaries -- if this is a common one or if there is variance between them. I know Golden has put out a few different sets for different aims: a landscape set, a traditional set, etc. I hoped this one would be well-rounded enough to give me a wide range.
TLDR: Great paints. Good deal to try out artist acrylic. Not the greatest gamut by itself. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
ATARI 2600 RESTORATIONS 'R' US. I fix up old Ataris, such as completely refurbishing inside and out then selling them. I've been looking for some time now for a good burnt orange paint to fix up the switch bordering trim and the joystick directional markers.
I too, like the reviewer before myself, found this product through an AtariAge forum and decided to give it a try, especially after seeing the 5 star review.
Well it arrived and it is VERY orange, much brighter than the original and definitely much more on the orange side as well. The original is more of a burnt orange, almost a couple shades away from brown.
Anyhow ...after application it does indeed look nice and breathes new life back into the system and joysticks.
However the paint, being oil based, does take a length of time to dry.
The "problem" that I have found ...is that it rubs off very easily and just the action of wrapping the consoles up in bubble wrap takes the paint off the trim. So you can only imagine how easily and quickly it will rub off of the joysticks which are handled so frequently. I find this to be a real shame because it really does look nice, if only it would stay that way.
I've thought of maybe covering the paint with some kind of a clear sealant or epoxy to keep the paint from rubbing off, but haven't tried it yet.
UPDATE: I bought some polycrylic and gave the paint jobs two coats of it. It dried hard as plastic and seems to be the perfect solution to my problem. I have coated my own joysticks and use them daily. So far its been two weeks and no sign of wearing whatsoever. The paint earns another star for letting the poly coat stick. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Kids Love Them! And So Do Their Parents. These are just wonderful! I gave them, along with repositionable black chalkboard contact paper, to twin 9-year-old boys for their birthday. They were thrilled! Everyone wanted to get some. They are like paint markers (without any of the hazards of paint), making bold lines in bright colors that stand out brilliantly against the black chalkboard contact paper. They can draw and draw and draw anywhere then wipe it clean and draw some more. I love these things! I want them for myself! They make a great gift for kids, for teachers, for crafty teens or adults, for anyone with a shop or restaurant (the markers come with lots of beautiful die-cut chalkboard labels), they could be useful for organizations for titling changing bulletin board displays or temporarily (or permanently) numbering or labeling rooms or boxes of supplies, for making easily legible signs or menus, for making large wall calendars the uses are unlimited. I highly recommend these. Just make sure to read the simple instructions sent by the company via email (or found online) about the 30-second priming each marker requires when used for the first time. After that, just shake each marker briefly before each use. You will love them. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Surprise. I bought this product on a deal and a whim. I didn't expect to think it was SO COOL!!! I've looked at many "scrapbooking" gadgets and hate the commercialism that goes with a craft that started as a leftover way to archive. I've been "papercrafting" for decades, way before the modern "scrapbook" and "papercraft" fads. But the more I saw online about this machine, the more I was intrigued. So, once it arrived I unpacked it and within a half hour I was turning out letters. There is a tiny learning curve that amounts to calibrating the machine for what you want it to do, but the machine is intuitive, useful, versatile and fast. I can't believe how quickly it turns out phrases that would have taken me days to cut out by hand.
I love it, I'm hooked, my only complaint is that the supplies and cartridges are so expensive that the expendable and disposable nature makes me have to be extremely cautious about what I choose to purchase. As an artist I do not have the disposable income to make mistakes. But I love this Cricut... chirp! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
pretty solid, fairly easy setup. I had read in other reviews that this table was a real pain to set up, but I found it to be pretty simple. The directions had some misleading images in which the parts were switched inexplicably, but it only took a little bit of analysis to figure out what was going on. If you've ever put anything from IKEA together, you shouldn't have too hard a time with this. The plastic trays on the sides of the table that are supposed to hold pencils, etc, are kind of crappy and are not attached very securely, but the sliding drawers are sturdy enough and it seems to have plenty of storage space, at least for my purposes. The table is, generally speaking, more attractive than most drafting tables that I've seen and I'm looking forward to working on it. Glass is definitely a better surface than the crappy particle board that most drafting tables (in fact, most inexpensive furniture in general) rely on. Overall, I would say that you could find a usable, less expensive table on amazon, but this seems like an excellent value for what it costs. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Iwata external MAC valve. I operate my airbrush anywhere from 5-19 lb.s under load and when cleaning between color changes around 40 lb.s. Although my regulator is conveniently located on the edge of my work desk, it take's 5-6 turns of the knob to get from 5 to 40 lb.s of air pressure. With the MAC valve it only takes one full turn to do the job(with the regulator set at 45 psi). Additionally I mounted my MAC valve between the coupling on the air hose and the quick change adapter I use so I can change airbrushes and need only the one valve. Now changing air pressure is a snap whereas I used to hate having to twist and twist the regulator knob to do the same thing. I love it! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not Perfect but does the job. This is the mount only. Make sure this'll fit your needs.
You will also need:
Mason Row scripts/kits - for the center and/or border designs
Optional- A smaller script, 6pt (for placing letters on the perimeter)- sold separately, separate of many of the Mason Row kits.
It's a great accessory/add-on if you already own Mason Row Kits (I did not). Those look like nice inclusive kits, but I had enough scripts for other stamp kits and didn't want to accumulate more. As noted earlier, you have to have two different sets of scripts because the ridges for perimeter, and horiz. "inside" areas are different widths.
Why I bought it:
I purchased this to make "Save the Date" image on a handmade magnet for my upcoming wedding (in 2015). Overall I wanted to stamp words on a circular perimeter and words in the center. I was going to use a cricular mount from the Martha Stewart Create-your-own-stamp case/kit I had owned (similar but clear acrylic block with large letters only) I found that the letters would not go on the perimeter on the mount.
I did some research and came across the Mason Row kits, then this product. I assumed the reccomended script (6pt) for the stamp's perimeter I already owned (from a Cosco branded DIY address stamp kit). I also assumed this same script would work on the entire stamp, but it does not. Thankfully, the script from the Martha Stewart kit fitted, but very losely. I rolled the tinyiest bit of blue tack (poster putty) up and placed it behind the letters so they stay with multiple impressions.
On using...
-Put a little tape on the logo because It did not line up, and I kept stamping at that angle.
-I reccomend to have something on the perimeter and inside, it is easier to get a clean image and stamp evenly with more surface area to disribute weight.
-If you do have individual letters on the perimeter, be careful not to "roll" the stamp on it's sides when cleaning the stamp. Your little script is only holding on one ridge and will be displaced or fall out.
After all the "using as not instructed" I was able to get a clear custom image stamp without as much cost, I knew I'd have to pay a bit for such a specialised tool. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Useful Dies for all sorts of greeting cards. The Spellbinders A-2 Fancy Ribbon die set is useful for all sorts of greeting cards. This particular set consists of four dies: the largest is just the right size for an A2 (5.5" x 4.25") greeting card. I used it to cut 80 lb. card stock. It takes awhile to clean the dies after they've been used, but the two larger dies are designed so that you can thread ribbon through the slots and twine through the smaller holes.
Please see customer image for an example of a baby card that was made with the largest die. I threaded twine around the outer edge, and ribbon through the slots at the bottom of the die-cut. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fountain pen ink lovers on the go, this one's for you. Fountain pen enthusiasts rejoice! Don't think of these as ink bottles, think of them as little tiny, traveling inkwells that actually seal completely shut!
I have used these to take some inks camping so I could journal without fear of running out of ink.. when filled to the first ridge the ink is deep enough to easily fill a pen several times, but it is narrow enough that you're not wasting ink like you would making a glass inkwell deep enough to fill a pen from.
I use this to keep my troublesome Baystate Blue in, because I'm afraid of spills from the huge bottle I have (that has a cracked lid). I leave a little in one of these bottles and use it as a well for my glass dipping pen when I want to use that ink...
The depth of the bottle is PERFECT for getting a good dip on a J. Herbin glass dipping pen's full clear tip!
I just ordered, no lie, 15 of these so I could have some handy for using with dipping pens without worrying about dipping into (and potentially knocking over) a full sized bottle) and so I could tuck a few into a compartment in my backpack-purse when I go out, for emergency pen fills. More of them are for sharing some of my inks with a friend in a bottle that's a little more generous than offering him a filled sample vial. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wishing for more vivid color and a way to distinguish between the colors. am new to colored pencils, especially watercolor. So perhaps this opinion would not carry as much weight as someone with more experience. I was excited to get these. Great price, fast shipping. However, as I sit here coloring in my adult coloring book, I find myself wishing for more vibrancy. The color I am able to put down with these pencils in dry form is quite lackluster. I realize these are watercolor pencils so I tried going over the colored area with a lightly damp brush, but that made the color more faded; I though water is supposed to make the color pop! I did get better results when I took some color off of the pencil with a damp brush and applied that to the paper. The most colorful result I found is wetting the tip of the pencil, then coloring with that. So that is the way I will get some use out of this set. Also I do wish I had a way to identify the colors more easily. All the pencils are marked the same, there is no color name or number. SAEK did send me a color chart with code numbers and names, but since the pencils themselves have no corresponding code, the chart is useless to me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect for Yudu. This product is great! I can't believe how easy it is to use. I don't understand why the Yudu system uses the plastic-backed emulsion sheets--which are very difficult to attach to the screen--when liquid emulsion is much easier and forgiving.
I purchased this specifically for use on my Yudu mesh screen. I've tried it on both 110 and 220 screens and both were very easy to apply. You don't need anything else if you have a Yudu--just the squeegee, screen, and emulsion. Oh, and make sure you wear gloves! The additive you put into the emulsion WILL stain your hands and tends to get on everything very easily.
It takes 30 seconds to coat both sides of a screen evenly after you get the hang of it. I've only done a few but I still have a lot left in the bottle. I can't really estimate how many screens this will cover, but it's a whole lot more economical than the Yudu branded sheets. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I have two of these and love them. It's nice having a total of 24 . I have two of these and love them. It's nice having a total of 24 half pans for travel. They fit perfectly, along with extra supplies, inside a small mini notebook case. I take it to doctor appointments, and anytime I anticipate a wait. I replaced all of the colors with artist grade WN paints, since I already have tubes. The half pans hold plenty paint for travel, and I can refill as needed. I use one with my basic pallet and the other with my favorite colors. I set up an empty tin, just an old craft tin, with the Cotman half pans for my granddaughter. Having two sable brushes are a great bonus too. While I'm thinking of brushes, my Father gave me all of his sable brushes before he passed. They're over 40 years old and still going strong. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
They bleed a lot, but are decent. Maybe it's because I'm inexperienced with these markers, but I find that they bleed way too much. Any time I use these, it's really hard to blend them even with the colorless blender. They are very rich in color, but some of the caps can be misleading. I picked out a pink and it was more orange. I just wish the stickers matched better, but it's pretty easy to check the color on a scrap paper.
Honestly I don't find the final result that appealing...my drawings just looked like a slightly more artistic coloring page..with shading and highlights.
Oh well. I'll definitely keep trying with them for the price that they were! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This is a Great machine! I am very happy. So I bought this machine because I have a Sizzix Bigkick and a Sizzix Big Shot Pro but that weighs 45 pounds and I do not move it from my work area(a.k.a. my enclosed porch) So when I need to cut out a lot of the same thing for my small business in the middle of winter I normally cannot be out in the porch for hours because it is essentially like being outside. I need that extra room inside the sides of a machine for the fabric to over lay. This machine DOES cut Sizzix bigz dies great, I wanted to mention that because these other reviews on here were extremely unhelpful in that respect (as to what the machine can actually do)in my personal opinion! It is so much smoother than my Bigkick and I love how it folds up into a neat little boxy thing instead of the Bigkick which is always just open, and it works but it is a small cutting mouth and an odd shape- especially compared to this. I honestly had no need for this machine but I had really wanted a Sizzix big shot Plus and it was double the price of this Spellbinders Platinum. This company makes a great product and I had actually called Spellbinders just prior to buying this machine to ask them personally if this machine will take the Bigz dies from Sizzix, the lady told me yes, although they encourage buyers to buy the Spellbinders dies. Let me just say I DO like their dies but I am a fabric crafter and I make products in volume, I need the quilters dies Spellbinders! Please! I want to buy them from you guys as well but I need those particular dies. A 6.5 inch square would be great since this machine has 8.5 inch capability. But there are NO square contoured steel rule dies of Spellbinders available as of yet.
I also must include that since I do have a Big Shot Pro Sizzix machine, I have Plus dies for big shot plus... Those of you who are wondering if those Plus dies work in this machine, they do fit but it is tight. Like Spellbinders Large Contour steel rule dies must be just ever so slightly smaller, I am talking like 1/8 inch less in width. Because my plus die did fit but I do not think I will run them through again because it was so tight to fit it in through there. I Did honestly get this machine in hopes that it would work with those Sizzix Plus dies because I am in desperate need of a new 6.5 inch square die but I am just very impressed with how perfectly it rolls the bigz dies through that I have and I really like some of their styles. I am hoping they will release a nice array of quilting/fabric dies for us fabric crafters because it opens up a whole new group of customers for them and it is just very useful to be able to cut out basic shapes, that is all I use.
I was a tad disappointed by the small 6 inch plates being included but not enough to be complaining about it as others did and giving bad reviews. My approach is to call the company and see if they can help me with that because I think they fix that issue with these machines now, they are to send you a new set of the larger plates that fit the machine correctly. My big shot pro came with the 14 inch x 26 inch plates or whatever so every machine should come with the right width in my opinion but hey what are you going to do... From my research Spellbinders is practically brand new to the steel rule dies-2015 was the first time they released these dies and machines so I am happy with what I got and I think the machine is great. Like I said it is easy to crank and rolls so smoothly and cuts out those like a dream. I am very happy with my purchase and definitely keeping it and waiting for more stuff to come out to go with it. It certainly is quite a lot heavier than my Bigkick Sizzix machine, not anywhere close to the huge Big shot Pro I have but it has a nice weight to it so it doesn't slip all around during working with it and you know it is all metal parts in there.
Not that it matters but it is one of the prettiest machines I own... I mean I own a lot of them, 2 embroidery machines, 2 sergers, 2 sewing machines and Cricut Maker and the 2 Sizzix machines and more and this Spellbinders machine is just very pretty to look at and I am definitely just as excited and impressed by the cutting as I ever was with my Sizzix machines. They are machines, they have a job to do that is what is important and that I why I buy machines, they make my work go faster, they help me to make perfect cuts every time so I have constant consistency and they are not typically pretty, they are typically plain and I am fine with that- but this machine really is like a breath of fresh air with its look. It just looks rich, pretty, shiny and IT DOES ITS JOB! I really have enjoyed using it the little I have so far! This is a great price on a machine like this I got it for $74 for an 8.5 inch mouth die cut machine, that's a fantastic price! I normally save for quite some time for a machine I have had my eye on that will help me in my work as my little business slowly grows but this was just so cheap (less $ than the Sizzix Bigkick) I had to buy it and I am happy I did. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Ranger Color Wash Spray is Awesome. Delivery from Scrapbooking Alley was very fast. Their prices compared to a number of retailers is also very good and shipping is free with at least $50 in purchases or a very reasonable $5.95 up to $50.
A big note for those who purchased the 4oz Color Wash spray in the last year: Ranger discontinued several colors like Pesto, Mushroom, Terra Cotta etc. and also discontinued the 4oz size. Now there is only a 2oz size but it costs the same as the 4oz size so that works out to a 100% price increase. Thanks a lot Ranger.
The 2oz size does however spray a finer mist than the 4oz size. The 4oz sprayed lots of large drops regardless of the angle it was used at but was easy to transfer to a bottle with a finer spray.
All the color wash sprays work incredibly well on a number of materials. I've used it mainly on paper, card-stock and grass-cloth and the color on those has become permanent when dry. After spraying with the color wash sprays you can spray a fine mist of water to blend the colors further. The colors are really rich but they are less intense than the matching alcohol inks. When purchasing note that even the 2oz goes really far as you use relatively small amounts for great effect.
A quick tip is to use a cardboard box layered with paper or card-stock when spraying. This prevents the spray from getting on other objects or furniture and also gives a two for one as you get some interesting looking paper in addition to the item you are spraying. Another tip is that the large drops normally emerge within the first three sprays so if you are trying to avoid a splotchy look use the spray on paper first before spraying your object. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Like the brand, but Amazon might be storing them incorrectly. Nearly all my pigment inks are Colorbox however, the chalk versions aren't really my faves. Maybe I'm more a fan of deeper, richer color (as the chalk colors are muted & washed out versions).
I do like the chalk colors for inking the edges of paper (creating a worn, antique look).
Unfortunately, I had to return the cat's eye chalk pads to Amazon because they were dried out. These aren't recommended for storage in hot warehouses (plus the smaller ink pad area tends to dry out anyway).
I would by these again depending on how badly I need a color (along with the refill/re-inking bottles), but I likely won't buy these from Amazon. Instead, I may buy from a scrapbooking store. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great Set, Winning Gold Colors. This is one of the best paint sets I have ever bought. I originally bought the Yasutomo Sumi-E-Ink Reddish Gold ceramic dish paint, but I wanted something that was a little more compact to travel with me. And this was just perfect!
First off, the two gold paints in here are fantastic! They paint completely opaque! I have tried gold watercolor, gouache, ink, and acrylic paints... and nothing is as opaque as these two golds here! And after you paint them on, they become pretty water-resistant, which I absolutely love.
As for the other colors, they're not too bad themselves. I haven't used the white yet, so I can't be certain how well that works. The silver is great, but its unfortunately not opaque like the gold. Instead, the silver color gives off a silver shimmer.. which isn't too bad if you wanted a shimmery effect to a painting. The red is a bit more on the cooler side, but it is a pretty well saturated color. And the black, it doesn't paint as opaque as I would like it to, but it's not TOO bad. It does dry with a matte look to it, so be careful to not smudge the surface after you paint! Any little touch could make a shiny mark on it.
Overall, its not a bad set. The main winners here though are the two gold colors (Reddish Gold, Pale Gold)... and I think that makes this set absolutely worth it! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
how chefs do their plating- they always look so beautiful and really add to the desire to eat what's . I always wondered how chefs do their plating- they always look so beautiful and really add to the desire to eat what's on the plate. So, after I received this product for free in exchange for my unbiased review, I tried it out as often as possible. Chocolate syrup, pudding, ketchup... lol. It was a lot of fun to use and added a nice touch to the plates that didn't take more than 10 seconds. The utensil is firm, yet flexible, so the sauce/syrup/ketchup is dragged in a very steady, clean line- and there definitely is blank space between the tines. Very easy to hold and keep steady. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A definate "go to" company for any artist. The brush set is absolutely beautiful. I bought it for my husband who is a fabulous artist but has been to busy to do oils, now that he is retired he has started to paint again. He was just finishing a painting and did not have the right brushes to do the final detail work and was thrilled to receive these high quality brushes. His mother was an art teacher and he only uses the best equiptment and he was quite impressed with the stroke when he utilized these brushes for different detail work. We will use this company when ordering different sizes again. You cannot beat the price and knowing that they are handmade is just another plus. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Warpped too tight, unusable when cut. Extremely disappointed. This was my first run with Oracal 631 all I can say is it's a waste of money. I've only used 651 before and it appears that I will be only using 651 from here on out. The 631 that was sent was wrapped way too tight, it curls horribly. There was also an awful sticker used to keep the vinyl rolled, it doesn't peel off and is right in the middle, essentially wasted 4-5 inches of vinyl off the bat. This vinyl also doesn't secure to its backing properly and separates and creates bubbles when you adhere it for cutting. Once its cut air bubbles form where the cut lines are. I purchased this for as a less expensive means for stenciling, but this was just a waste of time and money. I've tried to salvage the pieces I've cut, but it's hardly worth the time spent when you can use something that comes out the way it should. Not sure if the problem is manufacturer or distributor based, but I lean towards distributor as this doesn't seem to be a common problem. If anyone had a remedy I would LOVE to make this mess of vinyl usable. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
No neon blue, but these are very nice pens. I'm very happy with these pens. I appreciate that the neon pens are on one end. The user is free to order them as desired, but it's nice to know which pens are which upon arrival. The ink is opaque and the glitter is a micro gold fleck. It's very nice for coloring, and really catches the light. I've had no issues with skipping or runny ink, and not a single dry pen. I haven't used all of the pens yet, maybe 15 of the 24, and every single pen was juicy and flowed well from the time the nib touched the paper. Quantity of ink in the pens is good overall, slightly less in the yellow pens, but not significantly so. I haven't colored a large project, but the ink doesn't seem to be disappearing as I've heard described by reviewers of some pens. I'm quite happy with the quality and would recommend these to those who enjoy glitter pens. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great plein air product, very cleverly designed. A tad small for my needs. Brilliantly designed easel. Easy and fast to set up. I wish they had a larger palette / storage area. I'm used to a much larger glass palette that I would take plein air painting, but I was using a hokey, clumsy home-made palette holder. This palette holder is by far a better design, even has the folding-out trays on the side to put brushes and a jar of mineral spirits. But the palette is so tiny compared to what I like, I found it a bit restrictive. My normal palette is like a 14x18", and I tend to paint around that size in plein air, so it was tricky using this smaller size. But if that's not a problem, then this should be fine. The small size does make it quite portable.
Also the storage under the palette was a tad shorter than my longest brushes, so I still had to bring my brushes in a separate brush holder. I think if they made a second version of this product as a larger one, I think it would be perfect. I put all my plein air stuff into a larger bag anyway, so the super portability isn't as much of a concern. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good for Elderly as well as kids. Boy! Have Paint by Numbers changed since I was a kid! I bought this Paint by Number for my 96 year old Mother in Law and after carefully retyping and laminating the directions to be VERY easy to read and understand on how to mix the colors (she has dementia and confuses easily), she is having a wonderful time with completing her little painting. She enjoys it so much that she told me to order others, which I did. The brush is much better quality than I expected and the little pots of paint hold enough to get the job done, although the lighter colors tend to be a little see-through and require a 2nd coat. Overall, I would recommend it for the price. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
so worth the splurge- beautiful, luscious, and SO vivid. I am absolutely and completely in love with these watercolors. I've used different brands of watercolors for years and I can honestly say that I've never had any paints that are as vivid and "full" as these colors. I am really just blown away.
Besides these Mijello watercolors, I have a palette full of colors from other brands (Sennelier, DaVinci, Shin Han, etc.) and figured that I was done. But when I saw the Mijello Mission Gold paints demo'd, I had to get a starter set to try for myself. These are my new favorite paints.
You get 36 mini-tubes (enough to fill a half pan, or the wells in the included palette, which is very nice) of a wide range of colors in the line. And most of the colors included are shades of ROY G BIV- not a ton of browns. Sometimes when you get starter sets, half the colors are shades of brown (which I feel can easily be mixed...), so it's nice to get a set where most of the colors are bright.
The colors offered in this set are so lovely that when I went to the art supply store to fill out the collection, I could only find 12 of the range of 105 total colors that I felt were different enough from the 36 colors in this set that I felt were a good addition to the set (normally, I have "full set syndrome").
I just can't recommend these enough. Just use a GOOD quality watercolor paper- they work well on scratch paper, but to see the true vibrance and intensity of these paints, only a decent watercolor paper does them justice. But even on Strathmore 300 (used for a little experimental color blending) the colors were insanely beautiful, and the paint literally danced around the page.
These watercolors truly make me a happy, happy artist. Splurge on them- you won't regret it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Color me unimpressed. I'm an art teacher, so I often pick up new and interesting art products to try out. I snagged these for $3 the other day, and almost regret spending the money. Here's why:
Pros:
1. The colors are nice and intese (the blue is a little too intense, almost navy blue.)
2. You can get a nice fine line, or a decent wide one.
3. Good for developing hand control and proper hand position for holding the brush.
Cons:
1. Awkward. These are more like markers or fountain pens than paintbrushes. But you need to squeeze the body of the brush to get the paint to come out of the brush, and it takes a lot of hand strength. Little ones definitely struggle.
2. The package says "No Mess" but my son definitely managed to make a big one. All you have to do is squeeze out a puddle of paint on the paper and you've got a mess. He also pulled the pens apart into component pieces, which also makes a mess.
3. The package also says "INSTANT Drying Paint!" but it's just standard watercolor. I managed to do some simple wet-on-wet painting without having to hurry.
4. The package reads "Not for children under 3," but I'd say not until at least 5, and probably more like 10 to actually appreciate them. At which point why not just use regular watercolors?
5. Washable? Yeah, but make sure you read the fine print on the back: "Launders from most clothing with warm water in one or two washes. For best results on fabrics wash immediately in warm water and detergent. Air dry."
6. Caps are small, roll around and get lost easily.
7. Capping a wet paintbrush does not teach proper brush care.
8. Since when are classic rainbow colors red, yellow, green, blue and black? Last rainbow I saw had red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.
In summary, these are ok for teens or adults to use, but I would definitely not recommend them for kids. Better to just give them a set of magic markers or brush tip pens for the same effect with less mess. For teens/adults, you can get a decent set of watercolor paints (like these <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Reeves-Watercolor-Paint-Tubes-12-Color-Set/dp/B00251CPIM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Reeves Watercolor Paint Tubes - 12 Color Set</a>) and brushes (like these: <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Loew-Cornell-1018-Brush-Set-AP-15-Piece-Wood-Handle/dp/B004185GGK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Loew Cornell 1018 Brush Set, AP 15-Piece Wood Handle</a>)at AC Moore or any other arts/crafts store for under $10, so why waste your money on this gimmicky junk? | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Chilly is so cute...and friendly. This die cuts so cleanly that no wax paper or dryer sheets are needed. I am going to say this though. There are a lot of little pieces that cut from this die that you may or may not need depending on your design. I have been having a little trouble with my hands, I guess Mr Arthur Ritis is trying to catch me. So when I lay my bits of colored card stock on the die (orange for feet & beak, red for scarf, etc) I use a piece of not too sticky washi tape or my new love, Post-It Tape. I have 2 ways not to lose the little pieces.
1 - Place your dies on your cutting pad, lay the card stock on top of your dies, place a piece of washi or Post-it tape over the cardstock, use enough to tape the cardstock and die to the cutting pad. Run it through your machine. When done you can pull the tape off of the dies with the cut out pieces stuck to your tape. I then lay the tape pieces (with cut pieces attached) onto an old cutting pad that I no longer use turning it up so I can see the cut pieces but they are stuck to the pad.
2 - After cutting your dies out, dump them into a plastic box. I use an old Stampin Up wood mount box that has the lid attached. You can then just pick up the die, poke the die cuts out if needed, right into the box. No more hunting for those tiny bits on the floor!
Chilly is only one of the character dies I have from Karen Burniston and ECD. Remember that the Props 1 & 2 are sized to fit on these characters. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
All 30 Colors. I love these paints, they're the most favorable when it comes to transporting. I've had my paints for a long time now and dirtied the inside but it's to be expected with a painter like me. The only thing that you have to purchase again for this item is a new sponge and a new paint brush, because they tend to get dirty after a period of time and the paint brush barrior starts to break. To me this isn't a real big problem, it's normal since I've used others of paintbrushes like this but the koi is the one that has lasted the most time.
It's 4 1/2 inches in hight 6 inches in length and about an inch wide
It comes with a clean pallet (mines a bit dirty because of my niece) Pegs on the bottom of the pallet to place in the top or the sides of the watercolors.
Removable sponge that might need to be replaced at some time (you can choose to place it on the left or right of the watercolors)
Koi watercolor brush with plug and Med brush tip
Ring on the bottom of the set to hold with the index finger
(Last picture is artwork done by me using the koi 30ct watercolor set) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Needs a comprehensive user's manual. I've got the compressor and it looked quite solid. I couldn't use it up to now, I just ran a test without an airbrush.
As GiantHomunculus wrote, the pressure regulator dial is a problem. It didn't snap off, but was bent. I could fix that.
The "Users Manual" is totally useless and not only for the gibberish English. It has no explanation at all about the pressure valve, and the different devices on and around the cylinders, e.g. what is the red ring on the valve for? A screw in device at one of the cylinders was loose, what are they for, etc. etc... The "users manual" gets not even a single star!
The noise is not too much disturbing, but a lot more than the refrigerator-compressor driven expensive (700.00) machine I had and gave to my son (how stupid!).
From Europe's tallest midget... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This set of paint is better than what I thought it would be. This set of paint is better than what I thought it would be. I wanted to get the pure pigment set, but didn't want to spend that much having not used the brand before so I went with the 36 palette set for now. It's really a great deal when you include the value of the palette in your decision as well.
Color mixing can be a little tricky with all the mixed pigments, but I'm sure as I get used to the set that won't be an issue. The paints aren't nearly as tacky when dried in the palette as my Sennelier paint, but that's not a bad thing. These still do stay sticky and easily rewet. I've included two paintings I did immediately after getting this set, done with just the mission gold paint.
In the future, I will probably use my other palette as well when I need my paint to mix a little more as expected. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Better than Moleskine. I love these sketchbooks. I would urge all who use a Moleskine sketchbook to try one of these. Especially if you use any kind of watercolor in your sketches. The paper is not quite as heavy as watercolor paper but it is thick enough to handle some pretty juicy washes. My complaint with Moleskines is the "file folder" quality of the paper. The paper in the Hand Book brand is textured. It handles fountain pen, dip pen and fiber tip pens without bleeding.
Each journal has an elastic band to keep it closed and a mylar envelope on the inside back cover, which comes in handy for anything you might want to glue into your journal later.
And the price is great! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cricut basic tool set vs. Silhouette basic tool set. I have a silhouette cameo...and it's always nice to have other tools. I love the scissors, very sharp nicely made with a cover..,.and the tweeter tool is good for those small bits and it's a nice size. The little hook is just a little thick to be of any real use. And I much prefer to use the silhouette scraper and lifter over these cricut pieces. Plus side they are a little more ergonomic and fit well in your hands.... Minus the lifter is not as agile as the silhouette lifter and the scraper isn't as good as the silhouette collection.
I do like the colors and the holes at the ends so I can hang these above my work station for easy access.
I seem to be reviewing two products at once....the silhouette kit has a little semi glue picker-upper tool that is quite useless.....
So cricut wins on scissors, tweezers and color and design.
Silhouette wins on scraper and lifter.
Tie on cricut hook and silhouettes pick up tool......basically both are not well designed.
Caitie xox | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works for this professional. I'm a fine art painter, being an airbrush artist I go thru a lot of frisked film and xacto knives. In fact I buy blades by the hundreds being that I go thru 4-5 a day. I have every cutting implement you can think of. I had my reservations about this one since I have tried swivel knives in the past and own 3 other kinds. For those reviewing and saying they couldn't use this item must not have the 1000's of hours of experience I do with cutting implements cause this thing rocks. It has cut down the time I spend on complex shapes by over half (pun intended, lol). It is a little tricky setting pressure at first cause it could have a finer adjustment, but once you get the spots dialed in for different surfaces it is a breeze. Also being an instructor I can use this to teach younger children frisketing techniques without worry of them cutting their finger off like with a traditional #11 Xacto blade. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not for me. I was excited to get my casein paints in the mail. I was less excited when I opened them up and put them on my new white palette. Not only was the smell a little overpowering to me (it smelled like a cleaning solution), but when I painted, the phthalo's were absolutely overpowering and difficult to wash out.
I'm very familiar with using phthalo colors, and I realize that it is a very intense and strong concentrated color typically. I regularly use gouache, and often I use oil paints. This one was different though. I could not, for the life of me, wash out the pthalo. All of my colors proceeded to have the blue in it, and my brushes were dyed a dark blue and my palette is forever stained. I spent a good 5-10 minutes on each brush with brush cleaner trying to get rid of the blue, and it's STILL coming out a week later. I had given a new palette to my friend to try out the paints and she had similar complaints. I'll attach the photo of the palette she used for one single session. Keep in mind, that we DO regularly use other phthalo blues in other mediums and I never had an issue like this before.
Other than that, I think the paints are decent to use. They are a little thicker than gouache, and they look very similar to me and act almost the same. The feel of the paint is a step closer to oils, which I like, but I am going to stick with gouache, unless the phthalo blue was just a bad batch. It's just not worth the time and energy going into scrubbing everything afterward, and I feel a little uncomfortable painting with them in a closed environment since they are so strong smelling. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
GREAT price on GREAT quality gel pens, perfect for grown-up coloring books. There's a good reason for there being absolutely no negative (1 and 2 star) reviews on these gel pens as of today; they are GREAT! Even the nay-sayers can't think of anything negative to say about them! Except maybe that there are doubles of some of the colors, so there aren't actually 72 different colors. But I'm actually happy about that, because it means I have TWICE as much of the ones I love (the glitter and metallic ones) and won't have to buy another set just to get more of them! When these are used up, I will definitely buy another pack. Once the gel gets flowing, it is a steady stream. The colors are vibrant and perfect for grown-up coloring books. They don't bleed through to the other side like my Crayola markers do. I still use the markers for larger areas on the coloring page, but use these for the smaller areas and for detailing. I got my coloring buddy to try them and now she's going to buy a pack, too. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
a stressful press. I have had this product for about 2 years. It took me quite awhile to figure out how to program it for time & temp. There are no operating instructions with it and it is not easy to figure out. A few months ago the bolts on the handle clamping it down broke and I had to take it to a machine shop to be fixed ($40) then last month the cord burned out and I was able to replace that at Radio Shack (12.) and now the bolts have broken again and I am off to the machine shop, again! That will be another $40. Also you have to make sure you cover everything with parchment paper because I don't know where the black grease is coming from but I've ruined several things.
I need a heat press but wouldn't buy this one again! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Can't beat it, and seems improved compared to older reviews. It's my first compressor so I figured since I was buying a bargain import that it'd be less than stellar. Also, several other reviewers said that assembly was difficult and required lots of plumbing tape to get the water trap to sit vertical. Well...
Mine came assembled, with all parts in their correct orientation. It worked right out of the box (although I required an adapter to attach my Badger hose, but that was expected).
Performance: Some reviewers have said that the pressurestat settings weren't appropriate so it turned on too often. I've not found that at all. Maybe that was an older version (before they were preassembled?). Consider that the tank isn't huge, and you're running your brush between 15 and 25 lbs., it's going to come on once in a while, but I would say mine is definitely mostly-off, not mostly-on. It gets warm, but I've not had problems yet and I've had it on for 4 hours at a time several times. Oh, and yes, it's pretty quiet -- I can use it while watching TV with the TV volume up enough to hear over the compressor, and neither the sound of the compressor or the TV bothers my girlfriend sleeping in the next room (she does wear earplugs though since we live downtown in an urban area with traffic and streetcars).
I think it's a great entry-level compressor. If I ever wanted something "better" I would probably just put a bigger tank on this compressor, and add a valve where the hose attaches so I can switch brushes without emptying the tank. Other than that, I will run this into the ground before considering buying anything more expensive. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Can Do So Much With These Oil Markers. The Silver is my absolute favorite! (Just wanted to get that out there ;) I use these markers all the time; love how quickly the 4Artist oil paint markers dry, and there is soooo much paint in each marker. My favorite way to use the paint is to drip and spatter from the larger marker tips on my mixed media artwork...and I use the small tips to sign my artworks + outline my other shapes. Super cool that I can use the markers on canvas, glass, metal, acrylic and other non-porous surfaces (like resin and shiny ceramic pots, too). This is liquid oil paint and is rewettable with the 4Artist Odorless Medium (same as odorless mineral spirits I use for oil painting), so I use brushes with the Medium to blend the paints together to get the colors I want. I can even use the Odorless Medium to REMOVE the paint from glass, etc., even after it's dry. Caution: use the special Pebeo acrylic based liquid 4Artist varnishes to seal artwork that uses these markers and make them permanent! Other varnishes that contain any solvents - especially the spray varnishes - could rewet the paint and ruin your artwork. Also, the shiny finish is cool. :D <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pebeo-4Artist-Marker/dp/B07CFRDD3Z/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pebeo 4Artist Marker</a> | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great promotion / reenlistment / retirement gift. I made this purchase for a friend's recent promotion. I chose this because 10 years ago when I received my promotion to E6, a friend bought one for me. It makes a great personal gift that beats the heck out of a coffee mug or some other crap gifts that I have seen given. My wife has done mine up very nicely, and after I retire, this is something I will be able to look back at and remember the "good ole days." The only recommendation that I will make is to buy the page inserts in addition to this. The one that was bought for me came with them, but I found out after the fact that this one does not. The inserts definitely make it stand out more, but that is a personal opinion.
I will purchase more of these in the future as gifts for other promotions and retirement ceremonies that come up for other friends. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Just like the ones I grew up with. I love this toy!! I got it for my then 2 year old for Christmas and she took to it immediately. I showed her what to do once and she was able to do it on her own after that. This is very much like the set I grew up with as a kid.
It comes with 3 sets of interchangeable plates, tracing crayon, and colored pencils. I have found that if you use a paper folded in half, it is the perfect size to fit inside the drawing compartment.
There's a storage compartment built in so nothing gets lost. My daughter continues to enjoy this a year later and is one of the toys her friends and cousins all love to use when they come over to play. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
MS brushes are good quality: made well, clean well & hold up well. After using a set of Martha Stewart brushes I had to get this set. I use these brushes for Gesso, Mod Podge, acrylics, and glitter paint. They clean well and the nylon bristles are very durable. They can and do hold on to some color if they aren't cleaned promptly but I believe that color is seen because they are white.
These brushes are recommended for applying a basecoat. The 3 piece set includes: The first brush is inch utility brush, second brush is 1 inch utility brush, and the third brush is 1 inch utility brush. The handles are solid wood, coated in a soft paint that is easy to hold in your hand. When I'm done using my brushes I clean them with soap, usually whatever I have on hand next to my bathroom sink and they all work well, then I use a brush cleaning jar with a sponge in the bottom of it to clean the brushes in a solution made for cleaning brushes. I know Martha Stewart makes a Brush cleaner, I just haven't tried it yet.
How I would like to see these brushes improve: The metal part the holds the bristles to the wood handle is nailed in with tiny nails. Many times I notice those little nails coming out or not completely hammered in or hammered in at an angle. I wish they were always set flush because they usually have one side higher than another and if I use these brushes at strange angles those nails can get caught on mixed media projects. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great introduction to oil pastels. I couldn't believe how good these oil pastels are for the price. Sure, they're not as soft, pigmented, or crumb-free as the artist-grade brands, but they feel closer to the real thing than any of the other scholastic-grade brands I've tried, like Crayola or Cray-Pas Junior. Like, nobody as far as I know has ever been turned on to oil pastels by children's Cray-Pas, but if you draw with these you will "get the idea" of oil pastels.
The color selection is also nice and nuanced, and they're forward-thinking enough to provide two white sticks.
Unfortunately, my set has a strong gasoline-ish smell. The box says it conforms to ASTM safety standards, but it doesn't particularly tout itself as being non-toxic like other children's art mediums do. That with the funny smell makes me hesitate to recommend these for small children. Which is a shame, because I think these are a much better, more expressive introduction to making art than the standard frustrating kids' art tools.
The first picture is of my standard warmup/test: a colored sphere. The second is a color study for an ocean shore landscape. Both are on toned paper. I actually prefer a less-toothy substrate because then I find it easier to blend by smudging. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
very pleased with this. after reading a ton of frisket reviews I ordered a big bottle of this feeling I would be using this brand the most. I did (prior to this order) pick up the Windsor newton brand which is very nice also, has a bit more elasticity to it than pebeo and therefore will allow you to pick up a very thin line of the stuff and pull it away all in one piece, the Windsor newton brand is quite striking in that manner, sort of mind boggling as to how it stays so elastic w/o breaking. BUT I like the blue color better than yellow (WN is yellow) and the pebeo seems to go on a little thinner and dry a tad slower allowing me to get more of it in place b4 I have to clean off my applicator.
im new to using these so I may not have much to offer in the way of a review, but so far I am really happy with this frisket. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Low 4/High 3 stars. First the positive.
If you are a homeschooler looking to add to your curriculum in art appreciation or in art; this is a great resource. This is particularly true if you are not an artist yourself and need some extra help trying to explain color, perspective, and so on.
There are a lot of art lessons and a lot of sample drawings from other students with a wide range of abilities and ages included in this book. The students' artwork is very encouraging because my children can look at it and get an idea of where they fall in ability.
It also comes with postcards so that you can show students art and examples of what you are talking about easily. They are in color and are a great suppliment to the text.
Second, the not so positive.
It does not come with enough postcards. I have supplimented this with my own art postcards I have had from "Mommy, It's a Renoir" program. You can easily get books of postcards displaying art. I would plan on supplimenting.
I say this because all of the drawings and examples in this book are in black and white and oftentimes very small. Much of the detail and much of the impact from great art is lost in the shrinking it and turning it to black and white.
Overall, this is a great program. It just needs some extra help in the examples you show your kids every so often.
Enjoy. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
5 Stars for customer service, 2 or 3 stars for the set. An updated review.
I initially ordered a set and was highly disappointed in it. The glass pen connector broke on the first use. I'm new to calligraphy but this set felt cheap to me. I could not remove the nib from the brown pen to change it. I wrote a negative review.
Shortly after posting, I was contacted by the company who offered me a replacement. They were concerned that possibly I had received a used set that was damaged. They may be correct, as it seems the nib was jammed into the brown pen incorrectly.
Their customer service was truly 5 stars. I was very surprised, and appreciative, of their offer to replace the set since I had not even tried to return it. They were very nice and I could tell they really wanted to make things right.
Now that I have a second set, I would like to give a more detailed review. The packaging is very nice, and obviously the set offers a lot for the money. The glass pen is beautiful, and my favorite. It is easy to remove the nib from the wooden pen in the new set. As a beginner, I have really enjoyed trying different nibs and different color inks. I had also purchased an instructional book/workbook and am starting to get good results.
With that said, I still think there are some issues with the quality of the set. The glass pen on my new set again has issues with the connector. The nib is so loose in it that I haven't even bothered trying to use it, as it wiggles like a loose tooth and slides in and out way too easily. I think I can repair this myself though, and plan on trying, because the glass pen is truly a beautiful pen and feels so good in the hand. The black ink is great, the others seem a bit watery. Little things like that.
Overall, I think it is a good set for someone who wants to experiment with calligraphy and try everything at once. It's beautifully packaged, and offers a lot for the money. For myself, since I really want to master pointed pen calligraphy, I wish I would have done more research beforehand and purchased a few top quality pieces instead of this kit.
Again, 5 stars for customer service though. They really went above and beyond. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works on cotton blends and 100% Kevlar. I dyed My 98% cotton 2%spandex white jacket to a gorgeous chocolate brown. I followed instructiones carefully got a 8 liter tall pot, a candy thermometer and some quality metal tongs. Dont underestimate this last item as you must lift and turn garment in 75-90 F water for 40 minutes. These worked perfectly form me http://www.amazon.com/Good-Cook-9-inch-Angled-Tongs/dp/B000BQKDD2/ . The threads dyed to a much lighter shade of brown, almost sand-colored, and love the look. Its said to dye about a kilo of fabric but I then tossed an old decolored to light gray 100% kevlar motorcycle shirt in the supposedly exhausted bath and got it nice darkish gunmetal gray, just dark enough to hide some oil stains, thought definitely not brown. I washed both garments for 40 min. in a solution 1/4 vinegar 3/4 water to fix the dye. Then gave them 40 min. more in a salt saturated bath to remove any excess dye. Cotton released a lot of dye in these baths, Kevlar almost none. Very labor intensive but definitely worth it. Wish other Dye More colors work as dark as this one. Guess other people are dyeing really wierd materials. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The best. People used to advice me not to spend money on cheap watercolor sets and invest a little more in a high quality one. Well, they were sooooo right. These are the most pigmented watercolor Ive ever tried! The set is really comfortable to use and convenient to carry in your purse or bag, which is awesome for taking it to a trip.
Also, the small brush that comes in is really good, high quality with soft bristles and a round point, perfect for sketching, lettering or making a final art.
It also has a small water container which I haven't used but I think is really convenient when taking the set outside.
The colors included are just the perfect selection. A very simple range of colors to have a versatile palette | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect for my Wedding Pictures. This scrapbook was perfect for my wedding pictures. I've been looking for an affordable album for my wedding pictures off and on for over a year. I couldn't find one that could accommodate a variety of picture sizes, so I finally decided to go with a scrapbook.
The scrapbook is ivory/off-white and the sides are closed, so it's basically a box that you tie closed with the ribbons. The "leatherette" cover is decent, and the album itself is sturdy. It has 20 plastic pages with white paper inserts. You could replace these, but I used them. I used black picture corners to mount the pictures. You can easily use both sides of each page. Each page held one 8x10. I put from one to four 4x6's on a page. To put four, you need a mixture of portrait and landscape orientations.
It is great to finally have the wedding pictures mounted and easy to show off. I am considering using the leftover pages for a little scrapbooking: mounting an invitation, engraved napkin, program, etc. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I love this drawing board. I love this drawing board, it can really put a person in a relaxing place. The one complaint follows what others have said about the paint brush not letting out enough water to actually paint with. The reason I gave the board 4 stars instead of 5 is I had to modify the brush to get the results that I wanted but it's super easy and I recommend you do it yourself as it made a big difference. First you unscrew the water reservoir from the bristle portion of the brush. Then firmly grip all the bristles, pinching them together in a way you won't damage them and push them upwards so they and the plastic piece they're within slide towards where the water reservoir was. Next unclick the black plastic piece that kind of acts as a cap of that piece. Once that piece is removed you'll see the non painting end of the bristles, it'll look like melted plastic. I took a safety pin and poked 12 or so holes through that end. Do it carefully so your holes don't overlap weakening the end of the bristles and if you'd like just poke maybe 6 to start and add more after testing. This will make a huge difference and will make the paint brush work excellent from now on. Enjoy your board, again I absolutely love it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It was fine, but the wrong color. I originally purchased the light blue Serene color because it was one of the very few available at my local hardware store. It was fine, but the wrong color. So I ran onto Amazon and Prime-ed myself some of this Rouge color paint. This little 8 oz jar covered a 4 drawer dresser - two coats, and plenty left for a smaller project. The color is gorgeous!!! I distressed it a bit so the light blue shows through. With the clear cream wax, it is perfectly nice. With an additional coat of the dark brown cream wax, it is amazing. Rich and multi-textured. There were no odors while painting or waxing. After waxing and curing, the finish is not at all sticky or easy to scratch. I let it cure several days before bringing it up where my son could gallop toys on it in his room. And I'm not at all worried. It turned a grungy thrift store dresser that had lived in someone's garage for who knows how long, into a piece of furniture that looks like a well-loved antique. I will now be painting ALL THE THINGS with this brand of paint!
I did ignore the instructions about there being no need to sand. Sanding smoothed out the lumps and bumps in previous owners' sloppy painting. Sanding never hurts! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A delight. I am a Zentagle artist and started out using Moleskine notebooks for slightly larger ZIAs. To be honest, I wasn't that happy with the quality of the paper, so started looking round for alternatives. S&B offered samples of their sketchbook paper, and I chose three different note books on the basis of these samples and clear descriptions. The notebooks are a little pricey, but Amazon has good prices. I've found that it was worth the extra dollars. These notebooks are a joy to use. I have only used Micron pens in them - haven't tried water colours or even coloured pencil yet, but I have no doubt they will perform well. The notebooks themselves are extremely well made, and as an added bonus they are made in America! Would highly recommend getting samples, deciding what would suit your needs and giving yourself a treat! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love this desk. Sturdy, well made desk. I love the glass surface - it give a modern clean appearance to this desk and doesn't make a small home office space feel smaller. Fairly easy to assemble, clear instructions, and all tools required are included in the kit. Packing is exceptional. So far, I'm impressed. The mechanism that lifts and lowers the desk works smoothly and feels very secure in the raised positions. Six different positions/angles for this, which is great for artwork, craft projects, or architecture design. The only complaint I have is that the drawer sticks out a little more than expected in the front. Not a huge problem, only about 3/4" beyond the edge of the desktop, but I expected it to be closer to flush. All in all, a great value and a great product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Very handy. Repeat purchase. This is my third or fourth time purchasing these. I buy them to use when I'm too lazy to clean a brush, or to apply stain to my smaller wood projects like bowls and small boxes or whatever.
The thing I like is that the foam stays adhered to the handle, even if I've used it so much the foam is starting to fall apart. I've used them for some latex and oil-based paint and they're not too bad for that either. No brush marks, no bristles left in the finish (which will happen, even with my expensive badger brushes). Also, they're good for laying down polyurethane with no brush lines.
I am finishing (today) a wood serving table for my church and it's reclaimed pine with just a poly finish. At 7' long by 30 inches wide, it's a lot of poly to apply and I decided against wiping varnish and am brushing it on. I used these for the first two coats and will use them for the final top coat also.
A couple of suggestions: don't try to squeeze the last bit of finish out of them or you'll end up with bits of foam in your work piece. That's not the brushes fault; it's the result of too much pressure. Also, it's a good idea to treat it like a brush; put a little spirits or thinned finish in it before you dip for you first application. Also, tip it off like you would a brush. There's a temptation (don't ask me how I know) to use these as a sort of endless reservoir of finish so you never have to go back to the can but it ain't so. Use these like a brush and they'll do a good job.
As for lacquer, I have no idea. I have used these with shellac with mixed results (the brushes will fall apart quickly) but not brushing lacquer. For that I use my trusty old badger brush. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I found the elusive hidden end zipper. I just bought this bag for a second time as I had given away my first bag. THIS bag DOES have the hidden zipper!! If you have the logo facing you, the hidden zipper is found on the end to the right. You have to unzip the expansion zipper and then little black zipper is there. I swear my first bag didn't have that!! (But I might not have been looking in the right spot.) I certainly wouldn't have known to even look for it without the other person's review saying their bag has this. I added photos of the zipper and showing how it unzips to provide an end flap for sliding in an Expression machine. The photos are added to the "Customer Photos" for this item. Note: The packaging does NOT mention anything about this zipper being there. (Which seems kind of odd to me.) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice craft to use for an afternoon of creativity. As part of my participation in the Amazon Vines program, I received this product for review.
I have two daughters (4 going on 5 and 11). This product was a good way to spend a couple of quality hours together making magic markers. It would also work well at birthday parties as a way to let the kids make something they can take home in their goody bag. The youngest of my daughters just enjoyed the process of making a marker and then just drawing on it. She had problems squeezing the colors into the measuring cylinders and I had to help her. The product is intended for 8+ years old, but I will say that my 11 year old also had difficulties getting the colors out of the hard plastic squeeze bottles.
The 11 year old is fascinated by chemistry, so this product was a real hit with her and allowed her to see how the different combinations of red, yellow, and blue produced different colored markers. Is it worth the price? I think it depends on if you believe your children or birthday guests will enjoy the educational experience. Mine did and I would buy this product for the next birthday party we schedule. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I really love them. I used them to write all of . I really love them. I used them to write all of my wedding signs/boards. Love that I can switch the point out. I have had some problems with a couple of colors though. They don't have a constant flow of the color and dry as Im writing. Its frustrating while Im trying to do big projects, so I decided to not use those colors (One being red which is super frustrating with it being February ). The others are great though.
**Update**
Since first purchasing them I have purchases two more sets. I haven't had the same problem of inconsistency as the first set. Have used them for many graduation/holiday/event signs. Love them! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Rough. I was very pleased that these markers arrived in a nice sturdy case, that they were well-designed and that there really were 120 colors. I understand why they have such a high rating. However, when I started to use them in my heavy-stock paper adult coloring book, they did not perform well at all. They turned the paper into pulp. It was very disappointing and odd, because I've used sharpy permanent markers in this book, and they did not even bleed, much less tear up the paper. Returning for a refund. Update: I am very wary of these products either given to or deeply discounted to certain people for their honest review. This is an unsettling trend throughout Amazon, and I think it is a slippery slope for fair and balanced reviews to count on. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Vibrant, Sleek and Dandy. I had received this as a gift for my birthday from my art teacher, therefore I cannot comment on shipping quality!
However, the item was given to me in perfect condition. As I had been eyeing this product for a very long time, I was so excited. I had the intent to use this set during classes when I finish my work, and in the future while at college during breaks and the like!
So getting this was already putting a smile on my face. When I saw the inside however, I felt a little... Disappointed? The colors looked dull. The brush confused me just a little. It looked like it might be cheap.
However, as soon as I used it I changed my mind completely! It's amazing for a travel set, and the little ring finger holder under the tray is so perfect for when you don't have a desk to bear down on! I love the water brush, so convenient!! It's very durable too, and has a good grip.
Color Quality: Wonderful. The blues are bright and vibrant, the greens are rich and earthy, the reds are warm and all of the colors blend easily on palette, and on my papers. (I use a mixed media sketch book which tends to hold watercolors very well.)
Functionality: Wonderful. It's organized, everything the kit comes with tucks neatly away in a simple white box. The material seems durable enough, especially if you're only carrying it around via knapsack/tote. The only thing I didn't take into mind was the fact that the colors inside the set (on the mixing palette) will run even if you shut it. (However this is something I should have expected, silly me.) This can be solved simply by wiping off excess water with a small napkin, which I would assume you carry with your art supplies anyways.
Wear: I feel like I can use this about 3-4 months before I completely use it up, and at the price, and all you get, it's really not that bad. The kit itself could be used for future paints if you'd choose to put more in, like an extra sketching kit to tote around... Just a thought.
Over all, I love it. It's wonderful and I know I'll get a lot of use out of this during my free hours. I recommend to anyone needing something handy to sketch with.
(I'll be testing for lightfastness soon, hopefully it lives up to my expectations!) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not your ordinary colored pencils, these watercolor pencils let me do much more with my artwork. As a child I loved to color. As a mother I would sit down and color with my children. Now, as a grandmother, I color with my grandchildren. There is something very soothing about creating a beautiful picture with different colors. I was just recently introduced to watercolor colored pencils. I purchased the Lilys Studio Aquarino 48 Watercolor Pencils set so I could experiment with it and see how well they blend together. Unlike my grandmother I am not an artist but I do like to color printed pictures. I wasn't sure just how it would look when I got the pencil marks wet after coloring but the colors spread out as if I had painted it with watercolors. One of the things that I really liked was that when I combined two colors (I happened to color first with a green and then over it with yellow) and then got it wet it blended the two colors together. The beauty of it is that I didn't have to cover the area completely with the pencil marks. I just kind of scribbled it in the space and then got a bit of water on the included paint brush and painted over the coloring and it filled in just like watercolor paints! The set also includes a pencil sharpener to keep a good point on the pencils. These are not your ordinary colored pencils but several steps up from that by allowing me to create a more artistic look to my pictures than just coloring them in with regular colored pencils.
I received this at a reduced cost in return for my honest review. My opinions are always 100% honest and reflect my own experience with this product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice Company/ product needs a better description. Beware this is not Blue/green during the day. It is off white. I have another company's green powder and blue powder and it is the same color during the day and makes a beautiful glow in the dark product too (same color). We were extremely disappointed when we opened this and it was not colored (which you can't tell from this photo). We thought maybe the color would show when mixed with resin. It did not. This is not described! The company was nice enough to refund my money. We only used a tiny amount to test it. A better description would have helped avoid our time wasted purchasing this product and then having to buy another product to meet our needs. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent Machine. Waited for the Cameo to come out for quite a while. Prefer the Silhouette over other brands mainly because of two features:
1) Do not have to buy cartridges!
2) Can import your own images to cut.
I purchased the additional software Silhouette Studio Designer Edition which allows the ability to import your own images. There are several tutorials online that show the tricks and shortcuts of the software that have been extremely helpful.
Did discover early on that the blade number the software says to use is not the correct number. Use the number given in the manual for the type of media you are cutting, otherwise it may not cut all the way through.
Overall it is an excellent machine and I have not been disappointed. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love it, but had to figure out some tricks. Had a LOT of frustration at first, but have figured out some tricks to make it work, and the machine's limitations - things the company doesn't tell you. Big reason for loving is that now that I have the hang of it, I've been able to make some amazing things, like bouquets of 3d paper roses and vases, 3d hot air balloons, and dozens of cards. Here are my tips and some limitations of the machine.
First the tips:
1) Always use a piece of spare cardstock under whatever you're cutting. I buy the 12 x 12 pads of scrapbook paper, and there are always a few sheets I don't like, plus the covers, so I use those as a mat. If your cardstock mat is thin, glue two pieces together.
2) A repositionable glue stick is your best friend with this machine. I go around the edges of my cardstock mat, and make a few swipes across the middle. I've reused the glued mat up to a dozen times without adding more glue. Buying the glue stick sounds bad until you check out the price of sticky mats for other machines.
3) The smaller your elements, the more repositionable glue you need. I've cut script words for cards with good results doing this.
4) Stiff cardstock is better. Some of the cardstock that has a softer feel to it can be a problem. I've used the softer cardstock, but it takes more experimentation with blade pressure.
5) I started using Make the Cut software, not the software that comes with it. I noticed the machine cuts much better with this software than when I was using what it comes with, which surprised me as I never guessed the software would change how the machine cuts. Bought the software for the design features, but it was worth it just for the improved cutting. The machine is slower, but more accurate and with less tearing.
6) Turn your cutting file in the software so that any long cuts are horizontal rather than vertical as you're looking at the machine. The machine pulls the paper fast when making long straight vertical cuts, and basically never pulls it evenly.
Limitations:
1) Haven't been able to get it to cut anything thicker than cardstock. Tried thin chipboard with no luck.
2) If you use cardstock with glitter, the blade sometimes jumps over the glitter. May well be a problem with other machines.
3) The cardstock mat means the tray for multiple sheets is useless. Supposed ability to cut anything long is limited by the length of your cardstock.
4) Uneven pulling of cardstock - see tip 6. This is absolutely the biggest downfall, and the one thing that really bugs me about the machine.
5) The uneven pulling makes the multiple pass cut for thick materials useless.
The ultimate question: If this one dies, would I buy another or a different brand? Honestly don't know. The uneven pulling is a big negative, but users of machines with mats complain about them being so sticky you can't get the paper off. Also, the e-craft can cut SVG files, which is basically the standard in electronic die cutting. Some other machines either can't at all (forcing you to buy all your files from them), or make you jump through hoops to do it, and I wouldn't even consider a machine that can't cut SVGs. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great quality, Color may not be accurate, Packaging sub-par. I bought this to refinish an old glass front cabinet. I love how the paint went on very easily, I didn't sand anything but a couple scratches before I started. I used mostly foam brushes on the larger areas and small paint brushes for the small areas. Both worked well and clean up was very easy - just rinse with water. I'm giving 4 stars because the color was not at all what I was hoping for. I purchased Nautical hoping for a deep, rich navy - based on the color chart, and question and answer asked by another customer looking for a deep navy and they were recommended Nautical. It came out as more of a slightly dark royal blue. The color is very pretty, but not what I was after. Overall, I would definitely buy this brand of chalk paint again, but maybe after I test the color with a smaller bottle to be sure the color is what I want. On to the packaging - in short it was a bit of a disaster. When I opened the Amazon box everything was covered in blue paint. Thank goodness none of my other items were damaged and I had enough to finish my project. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Large, Thin, Bright, Transportable. I was looking for a medium to large light table type device that would not take up alot of space when not in use. Preferably LED based for durability and low operating costs.
My Desires
o LED
o Compact. In relation to the large usable workspace.
Pros
+ LED Lighting, even enough for sketch/drafting work. May not be bright enough for someone looking to use it with slides.
+ Compact. The 17" x24" usable area has a border of 1 3/8" on all sides to the edge of the 5/8" thick aluminum frame. This is a good amount of usable space to tape your work down if desired.
+ Frame. The frame is smooth and squared/true making it function quite well as a strait/parallel border if you want to use it with a T-Square to draft with.
+ Cool running. The LED lights don't heat up like some old fashioned light tables.
+ Bright. I had to lay down 7 sheets of 98lb bond (160g) Canson Mix Media paper to completely block out the light from the table getting through. Of course it is unusable before seven sheets but how many depends on your needs. Because the light is diffused through the plastic work surface, using it with velum over 26lb printer paper was bright and usable without being overpowering to stare at for extended periods in a moderately lit room.
Cons
- For consistency (at least with American page sizes), I'd prefer an 18" x 24" usable workspace. Never the less I usually have just enough margins that I can position my work to accomodate all the important details without having to shift around. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Social Security money wasted. I'm a 68 yr old beginner but found that I love coloring! I bought this set because it has so many colors but I'm terribly disappointed that I wasted my money. The case sucks. Finally got it open and all the pencils spilled out. So much for pencil order. All the colors mixed up and since there are no names on them, I can't reorganize them. I can live with that but not with the breaking. (See photo) The "purple" was used one time during which the point broke down inside the pencil. I was not pressing hard! Using the sharpener they sent, I tried and tried to sharpen it so I could use it but it kept breaking. I was being as gentle as I could be. So here I am having wasted some of the little money I have being on Social Security and miserable about this. If these pencils can't be sharpened what good are they? | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love this product and cheapest on Amazon. This product is not just for the aspiring artist. Its great for amateur and beginning painters too! My five year old is really getting into art. The problem is that she uses lots of water and paint globs with her painting. Standard paper isn't cutting it any more. I decided to find some inexpensive paper to try. She had so much fun with it. We also loved that when she spilled half a Dixie cup of clean water it could easily be absorbed by the paper. After ordering this, my mother in law who is really into water coloring started asking all these questions about the paper. I didn't realize that cold pressed meant something and wetting paper in advance was standard. We used this paper right out of the pack. It worked well for our purposes. I even did a picture using really cheap kids watercolors and paint brushes. It turned out really well and I am really happy with the materials used. My paper did not bow, but my daughters did slightly. I even let my three year old give it a try. He enjoyed it too and seriously, it absorbs so much of the paint without bowing. The paper dried quickly and we even used colored pencils and marker on top. As an amateur I would definitely recommend this product. The price is right and if you have amazon prime it ships free! The company shipped the item fast and it came wrapped in plastic. This review was traded for reduced or free product. All opinions are my own. If you liked my review please click, helpful. Thanks for reading! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Enjoyable. Die Walkure is an enjoyable opera. There are four discs and full libretto in this box from the Mariinsky. There are many strong musical themes from Wagner. Some in the 4th act seemed to have been borrowed by Mahler for his own Second Symphony. The themes of Ride of the Valkyries play a prominent part in the opera.
This is my first listen to the complete work. There are some mundane segments on disc one and the soprano hits a few shrieks here and there, but overall, the main voices sound quite expressive. The musical accompaniment has a good volume. There is much passion from the performers in bringing this epic to new listeners and fans of the conductor.
The sound is spectacular. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent product for unique results. I've used both white Yupo and translucent for alcohol ink painting and plan to try them with acrylic next. I find that the white heavy-weight Yupo stains much easier than the translucent, which can be good (either way) depending on the techniques you're using. I can lift pigment from the translucent with a bit of alcohol on a tissue or q-tip, leaving an almost pristine base. In testing these surfaces, I found some colors stain more than others. (For example, blue stains more than yellow.) Layering color, lifting off and washes are all techniques that work with Yupo - but much differently than with absorbent papers or a gesso ground. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Overall great pencils. I new to coloring & not an accomplished "colorist" but wanted to get as many colors & shades of pencils as possible. I was leaning toward Prismacolor but was impressed by the reviews for the Platinum. I can't compare to other pencils so here goes.
Pros:
Lots of colors & shades...good assortment
good quality, have experienced no breakage
colors nicely, do not have to bear down
Like the storage tin
Cons:
Pencils not named or numbered. I used a fine sharpie to number them myself.
No "true red". One is close but not quite.
Colors don't quite match the colored tips. I grouped my pencils in colors & shades, then made a color chart designating the colors by the numbers I marked on the pencils.
Would like it if the storage tin allowed the pencils to be stored in top & bottom so that when opened, all 72 pencils are displayed instead of the plastic trays you have to lift one off the top. Also, the trays are a bit flimsy. I supposed that would make the set more expensive, though.
Overall, the cons are minor. These pencils are great at a reasonable price, especially for a beginner. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works well and relatively mess-free for a 4 year old. Bought this for my 4 year old son who enjoys painting with watercolors (we bought Crayola Washable 24ct pan) as an alternative to the dip cup of water (which usually ends up spilled on the floor). I did have to show him how to squeeze the pen gently to let out only a few drops of water (if you squeeze hard and don't release, the water will keep coming) but he got the hang right away and now prefers it. Be aware, you will need something (paper towel, old cloth, etc.) to wipe off the old colour first if you don't want them mixing but it's pretty easy to clean too- just squeeze a few more drops and wipe. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
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