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High Quality Colored Pencils. These are some of the best colored Pencils I've ever owned! I love how well they shade and blend on different mediums. They work will with the baby oil and petroleum jelly techniques. I love the vibrancy of the colors and the ability to control how light or dark they color. They layer well on each other to give each piece a pop!. With 72 colors you have many varying shades of color to choose from and with there ability to blen with each other you can always come up with the exact color you need. I was allowed to review this product at a discount in return for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and the rating given is a reflection based off of my personal interaction with the product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great Markers, Love the Colors. I am always looking for new toys and products when it comes to education. I love seeing kids having fun while learning. When I first heard about Liquid Chalk, I was intrigued. I had tried a few sets before and was not happy with them. My main concern was the strong odor. I have to say I am really impressed with this set.
The chalk markers work really well on my white boards. When dry is is really easy to rub off. If a child accidentally rubs off when wet, I just take a tissue and my board remains white. Very easy to use and child friendly.
I also like how the diameter is like an average marker. Many white board markers are little on the tick side making it difficult for children to hold. These markers are easy to hold and write with.
The last thing the children love is the color variety. These markers are really bold and leave some nice striking work on the board.
Weather you are using it for education or for fun, these markers are great. They are virtually odor free and some in 8 amazing colors. As an added bonus, if you wait a few seconds for the ink to dry, you can layer the colors adding to the educational value.
I received these markers to help facilitate this review. All opinions are mine and was in no way influenced by outside sources. I am a professional blogger at [...] | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
No solvent but seals like urethane. I recently sealed the seams on a Eureka Tetragon 1210 tent. I had a bottle each of McNett and Kenyon sealer so I ended up doing a comparison. The McNett was easier to apply because it was thinner, but also because of that it tended to bead up on coated nylon. It doesn't leave much of a visible layer when it is dry. I also noticed that when it got wet during a rainstorm, it turned sort of milky color. I did seal the seams, but it was not very confidence inspiring. The Kenyon is thicker and spreads nicely along the seams and into crevices. When dry, which takes 24 hours, it leaves a shiny clear plastic like film that is tough and really makes you believe that seam is sealed. It was oblivious to the rain that fell on it. I think the solvent based sealers like Seam Grip leave this kind of film, but they are pretty smelly and are sort of like applying airplane cement. My only gripe about the Kenyon is the applicator, which is sort of a sponge built into the top. It is fine for seams out in the open, but for corners a brush would be better. The bottle is also kind of stiff to squeeze. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beautifully crafted. I bought the size 50 locally for about a buck less, and I believe I bought the stiff synthetic. But this product review is valid for the soft synthetic. I think anyone buying this on-line would have a difficult time determining whether or not they needed the soft synthetic or stiff synthetic filament, unless you have access to samples of each and know the difference in terms of feel and bristle stiffness and texture. This is a high quality brush; filament(bristle), ferrule, and wood handle (with a fantastic pearlized finish) are all very beautifully crafted. I use it to apply water-based polyurethane to furniture, but it can be used with any water-based or oil-based stain or paint. Applies the finish as smooth as silk. I also have 4 other brushes like this in 1" size, they last a long time and are just as well made. Excellent brush, I have never used sable but I'm sure this synthetic is just as good and much cheaper. Perhaps if you're a professional picture painter, like Rembrandt or something, these brushes are inferior, but for a DIYer like me, they are top of the line. Especially compared to what you can buy in a house painting store for even twice the money. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I love love love them. These pencils are fabulous! I love love love them. They are soft, but not to soft. They sharpen wonderfully and layer and blend perfect. The colors are vibrant. They are an oil based pencil and I just love how creamy they are. They were packaged well, no issues.
I couldn't be happier with these Marco Renoir. I use these for coloring for therapy. I am a disabled who suffers from Lupus,chronic pain and coloring helps in more ways than I could imagine. I also have a set of Marco Raffine and they work together great. They have approx. 3.4mm lead like the more expensive brands. Do hesitate to buy these. You won't be disappointed! Also the seller communication was excellent. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A nice basic set. For someone just starting out with or getting back into colored pencil artwork, or if you want a smaller, basic set to add to your collection, this is a fantastic buy. There are a nice variety of colors, such as several shades of blue, pink, green, and yellow, in addition to the basic colors like brown, white, black, grey, and orange. While they're a bit shorter than most colored pencils, I haven't found that a drawback so far. The pigment lays down very well, even if the leads aren't as soft as other brands, and it feels so smooth on the paper.
However, the packaging leaves a bit to be desired. Whenever I want to take the entire set with me, as opposed to only a few pencils, I have to slide the two trays back into the paper encasing. It's not difficult, but it's not as convenient and simple as something like a tin box which opens up. I've also found that I'm not the only one who finds these pencils perhaps not so ideal for a left-handed artist. They don't hold their points as long as other pencils, whereas I've heard right-handed artists don't have as many issues with the points wearing down so quickly.
Still, they're a very nice budget set, and every artist should have at least one basic colored pencil set. This company makes very nice products, even if they're not as well-known as the big names in the colored pencil business. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good for the price and come with 1 year warranty. <div id="video-block-RM1LBP8298ECR" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/E1eCQsjp2ES.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/01B6cyMhGrS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> This set comes with good variety of brushes. You will find a shape for most of the work like detailing or painting larger areas.
Although synthetic, they are really soft and good to work with.
Box content of 15 brushes:
- rigger brush size 1
- pointed brush size 2
- pointed brush size 4
- pointed brush size 5
- pointed brush size 6
- filbert brush size 8
- filbert brush size 15
- angle brush size 12
- angle brush size 13
- flat brush size 9
- flat brush size 10
- flat brush size 11
- flat brush size 14
- fan brush size 3
- comb brush size 7
What's good:
- soft and especially easy to work with watercolours
- very easy to clean with warm water and soap
- bristles are not coming off
- they stay in same shape even after being cleaned and dried
- 1 year guarantee
- good for face painting
- 24.5cm wooden handle
Cons:
- 1 of the brushes came with the tip being loose on the handle and it finally fell off after one session, others are intact
Overall these are good for the price but since 1 came apart in the first day I am not sure how long they will last. After using them a few times, other brushes are still intact. They do come with a 1 year warranty and the manufacturer promises a replacement if something goes wrong. Still, for that reason I am only able to rate at 4 stars.
I hope you found this review informative and helpful. Thanks for reading.
Visit my YouTube channel for HD quality video - you will find the link in my Amazon profile.
Supplier provided me with a sample for the purpose of expressing my honest opinion about this product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good table. Read the instructions before assembly. I like the table. I have only had it for a day, but it is sturdy and durable, at least for my use, which is as a puzzle table. The only weakness I can see is that the adjuster brackets are plastic and could break in short time. I think a sturdier material should be used. The height of the table is perfect for pulling it up to the couch and working on a puzzle. The table top size is great for some larger puzzles.
Now the bad....The assembly instructions are some of the worst I have ever read. They are written in such a way that if you follow them, you are just as likely to put the table together the wrong way as you are the right way. Definitely read the directions all the way through and then start work. This will not ensure success, but will certainly help you towards it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Favorite Sketchbook! I adore the smooth. Favorite Sketchbook! I adore the smooth, bright white paper of this sketchbook. I typically like hot press finish better than cold press, so if you are a "smooth watercolor paper" person as well, you would probably love this sketchbook. I really like the way the watercolor moves on the page and how pretty it looks when it dries, but it is a different experience than painting on cold press. The paint tends to move across the paper quicker (rather than soak right in immediately). It might have a tiny learning curve and I'll admit it might be a personal preference. I love it--but if you don't, the Beta version of this sketchbook is also top notch, but with more traditional feeling watercolor paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A great selection of very good inks. I have this set of memento dye inks and they are great. The colors are true, clear colors.
Many other inks puddle up on a stamp and will stamp splotchy images - the ink on these pads adhere well to stamps and stamp crisp, clean images.
Memento tuxedo black is ideal for stamping when you want to color the image afterwards as it doesn't bleed.
My favorite green is pear tart included in this set.
The shape of the ink pad is helpful when you wish to use two colors on one stamp as the pointed area can get into smaller parts of a stamp without smearing a nearby color.
If you like these colors but want pigment inks try the Memento Luxe inks. Many of the colors are repeated in the Luxe series but the pigment ink is even better then the dye inks in this set for solid stamps. Just be sure to let them dry or heat set the ink. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
All page protectors are alike-NOT. I got spoiled by these page protectors because they were the first ones I got when I started scrapping. I thought they were all like, as did other reviewers. Then, I bought three different brands on clearance at the same place I bought my first American Crafts protectors. One was too tight and had scratches on the surface, one was rubbery thick, and one has a powdery residue inside (maybe from the page inserts) that is so staticky that I can't get it all out. It leaves smears. So, all those get trashed. I didn't bother to look at the brand of the first ones, so I was really glad that the name was stamped on the edge of the tab.
These are clear, clean, and perfectly sized. Pages slip into them like they were greased. Large 12x12 pages do not stick out the top. They have three holes and the end ones are slightly ellipictal to allow for variations in post placement. They are top loading and others tell me they work with binders. And, the price is fine for having them delivered to my home so I don't have to leave my scrapping and run to a store.
Great product I'll bet was designed by a crafter. The only improvement I can think of would be to reinforce the holes, though I've never had a problem with stretching or tearing.
Off to buy more for my husband's Italy scrapbook. We're up to 80 pages and only a third of the way through the country! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I had so much fun using the cinch. I had so much fun using the cinch.
Packaging: it was very well protected. It was shipped to me internationally through amazon and arrived in great condition and i paid half of what I usually would pay using a second forwarder company.
I was a little annoyed when i first used this tool cause I noticed like black oil around the punched edges. I wouldn't blame the company or amazon ot the carrier cause i live in a very hot country i would assume that it was caused by the heat and also i used it immediately as soon as it arrived and it was still hot. I tried to clean it before i use it on my project. So if you live in a hot place you might experience the same problem however it is easy to clean. Try to wipe it and punch few times before you start your project.
The functionality of the prodect itself is great. It was very easy to use especially if you watch YouTube videos before you try it.
The instruction book that comes with it is not very helpful cause it is very huge and u need a lot of space to open it and read it. So I didn't really benefit from it.
The cinch punches square holes. And on the cinch itself you can see what peg to pull depending on the size of paper you will use. And you should not exceed 20 sheets of light weight paper at one time. I would also prefer to punch each chipboard individually.
it was hard for me to figure out what is the size of the binding wire that i was using since the wire i bought didn't have the instructions on the box ( I used the heidi swapp cinch insta album kit) so i had to visually figure out when to stop pressing over the binding wire.
I used the heidi swapp cinch insta album kit with the cinch and this is my first project using such a tool. I definitely don't regret buying it even though it cost me a lot since i live in UAE and the shipping costs are very high especially for heavyweight products.
Things you will definitely need to have fun with this tool are:
Wire clippers
Binding wires
Chipboards
Papers
Stickers
If you have any question i will be more than glad to help. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for students. <div id="video-block-R19J3WSLAVLAJ6" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D118K8WoFLS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91bsCkrLeuS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> My niece will be attending a specialized any high school next year,, so when I had the opportunity to get this kit, I jumped at it. This set contains every thing you could possibly need for black and white sketching is included. This set includes 12 sketching pencils made of granite in the following hardness levels- 5H. 4H, 3H, 2H, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 8B. It also includes 3 charcoal pencils that come in small, medium and hard, 1 soft graphite sketching pencil, 3 graphite sticks in small, medium and hard, and 3 charcoal sticks in soft, medium and hard, a sharpener and plastic eraser for the graphite things and a sharpener and kneaded eraser for the charcoal stuff.
The pencils are very good quality. It has a smooth, gliding feel when writing on the paper. The variety of pencils enables you to produce a wide array of line weights and texture with this kit, as well as producing various tones, with lights and darks. The pencils do not break easily, and sharpen easily as well. The sharpeners worked well, and produced a sharp point without wasting half of the pencil. I also appreciated how they included specific sharpeners and erasers for both the graphite and charcoal materials. The erasers worked well, and erased any marks made cleanly- no crumbs or pink streaks from the erasers. This set is excellent for anyone looking for an all in one sketching set at a reasonable price with a great value.
I have received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
CUTTLEBUG PADS LAST LOTS LONGER! I HAVE MY ORIGINALS FROM 5 YEARS AGO AND THEY STILL DO THE JOB. I just purchased a Big Shot. It came with new cutting pads. I also have a Cuttlebug. The Big Shot has superior stability, but the Cuttlebug has superior cutting pads. I have had my Cuttlebug for five years and I do TONS of die cutting regularly. I am still using my original pair of cutting pads on my Cuttlebug -- hard to believe, BUT TRUE. I've been using my Sizzix cutting plates/pads for two months, and not only are they bowed in the center, but I have a 1" crack on one side and a 3" crack farther down on the other side. Unbelievable!
These pads will need to be replaced regularly -- NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!!! Does the extra stability offset the cost of continually replacing these pads? Only you can decide that. These pads aren't cheap. I happen to have a shoulder disability, so I will stick with Sizzix and shell out $8+ every two months. But I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that the Cuttlebug cutting plates are SUPERIOR, IMO! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Be Aware: Full "Designer" Software costs $50 Extra. The device itself is pretty alright. I wouldn't say that it is quiet because it certainly is not, and while the blade does cut cleanly do be careful with tight corners on designs--the blade, when turning, can accidentally destroy delicate corners on thinner paper.
As a Mac user, this was a snap to set up: take off the paint, remove the foam, install the cutting blade and drag the software from the disk to my Applications folder. Once the software had set itself up it was ready to go, but I was surprised by how basic it is. Everything I'd ever heard about the Cameo suggested that you could make your own designs so I was expecting something far more robust and was very disappointed when I learnt that I couldn't immediately import .svg or .ai files. To do that I have to upgrade to the "Designer" edition for $50 and guess what? That $10 gift card only works for the image downloads, so all of that cash has to come out of your pocket.
Or worse, out of the pocket of the person you give this to as a gift. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A Dream to Use. I am new to lettering/calligraphy and I find that when I practice with brush pens I always get really frustrated and give up and just go to my dip pen.
Not anymore. This pen came in the mail today and upon first use I was hooked. It's fabulous! I wish the company made these exact pens in colors, because this pen is just right and I will always want to do all my lettering in black, from now on. I have been using a Pentel Sign Pen, a
Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen twin tip, Black & Gray, and a Faber-Castell brush pen. None of them even come close.
I highly recommend this pen for clean, crisp lines and gorgeous lettering.
*****Edited to Add*****
The ink cartridges do no last long, order extra! You are putting a lot of ink on the page with each stroke. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
and I enjoy drawing. I purchased this for my 11 year . It is going back. What they only tell you after a lot of searching in the Neo-Lucida website is that this tool is for making miniatures.
Also, I got a headache trying to glean at an incredibly small sliver of glass through which I saw only the narrowest band of the picture. if I moved my head (Try not to for a while) I could not match the lines I made with the ones I had done before.
I am in my fifties, and I enjoy drawing. I purchased this for my 11 year old daughter and thought that since she has much younger eyes, she'd fare better. Nope. she also developed a headache and did not want it.
It is a great idea in principle, but I believe the future of this will be electronic. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for little artistic minds. We purchased this product this product after my 6 y/o son continually wanted to use my graphic design computer programs and would get frustrated after a few minutes of use. The "paint" program on our computer was too simple for him, and he wanted something more like what he uses in school. Voila! This program was everything we were looking for for him. It's perfect for school-aged kids, but I do think younger ones (3-5) would like it, too, with parental assistance. It allows him to free-hand draw in great detail with a variety of media and has a great color palette. He also likes the stamp function and the fact that you can color in the pictures. I like the fact that you can save the images as jpegs and transfer them to other print programs to create cards, posters, t-shirts, etc. with your child's artwork. The only two drawbacks that I have found so far are that the preloaded graphics are somewhat limited. For example, there is a section with "girl" related items but my son was dis... Read more | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nearly perfect . The easel is beautiful. However, it was delivered with a slight but worrisome defect. The left uppermost screw hole is closer to the edge than the right side and even more concerning is that the screw hole is slightly stripped so that the original manufacturer provided screw would not keep a tight grip, which is important for the product's integrity and overall longevity. Luckily, we had a slightly wider screw to tighten it...
I'm being cautiously optimistic. The recipient of this gift says it's the nicest easel he's ever owned, and it really truly is a beautiful piece of equipment. Alas, if over time it should become loose due to this defect, it can be fixed with wood glue and still function as intended. Overall, beautiful and will hopefully last a lifetime. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Bought on recommendation of other reviews. Put together an art bag for my trip to Hawaii and was either going to lug along multiple tubes of paint, risk the ooze factor or purchase a travel kit.
This set offered everything thing I needed in a compact size. Color section is very good, functionality very good, clean up easy. I had three water brushes so the one included didn't get used. Portions of The solid cake type pigments were easily distributed to the provided mixing tray which attaches to the travel case edge while in use. The economy of space this product has allowed painting on the jet ride over!
Would recommend whole heartedly for traveling and field work!
James | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Even my tween thinks it's cool. Creative fun. I have a hard time getting my boys to do anything aside from read and play video games. When they were young they loved to do crafty things but seemed to outgrow it. This Graphic Skinz Design Studio got them excited to try it out. They enjoyed setting up the machine and seeing how it worked. It got them on the hunt to find things they could skin and kept them engaged.
Although the models left something to be desired they enjoyed Skinning things around the house. We had many vehicles that came as toy prizes in meals, that worked great for them. Also, beware of highly creviced items because it is easier to skin a flat surface than a curved or bumpy one.
The three small issues I had with this toy are 1) it is hard to see the design before it is applied. If you go to the graphic Skinz website and watch the videos on how to skin, you will see that the sheets look mostly white. 2) Refills aren't cheap and a kid can go through these quick. 3) I would like a better variety of sheet sizes with maybe one or two 8-10 sheets in case you want to cover a larger item in one skin.
Overall, my kids enjoyed it and I am looking forward to getting the chance to skin my cell phone case. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Favorite Cricut Cartridge. I LOVE this cartidge! I bought myself a Cricut personal machine (the basic one) at a Black Friday sale this year, and have been looking for cartidges on sale (didn't make sense to me to spend more on the cartridge than I did the machine!) I saw this one, and kept my eye on it till it went down in price. After getting this, I realize I would have paid full list price for this item! I love it!
I am a Disney fan, and I played with the cartidge for nearly 3 hours the day it came in - just making different characters. I like to scrapbook our trips to Disney World, but the Disney stickers and papers can be so expensive! This will help out immensely! Not only can I create as many of a certain design as I want, but I can make it any color, and nearly any size! The characters outfits can be any color you choose. There are also all kinds of neat little designs other than the characters themselves. Within minutes of starting to use this cartridge, thousands of ideas and possibilties were floating through my mind.
I did read a few reviews that said the characters are difficult to put together. I made my first two (Mickey and Minnie) at the largest size my machine would cut (2"). I had absolutely no trouble putting them together, even my first time. I do recommend putting them together one layer (color) at a time, though, so you don't lose all the little pieces. I also recommend reading the book (or at least looking through it) first, so you don't waste time and paper figuring things out.
Long story short: I absolutely love this product. If you are a Disney fan, or papercraft for someone who is, then this product is for you! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent Kit for Beginners. I had never used an airbrush before buying this kit. I purchased it with the hope of using it on Warhammer 40k figures for base coating and large scale model painting. After practicing for a few hours I tried it on a handful of figures to great success. The layer of paint is very thin and doesn't obscure any of the detail. I am sure that I will be able to do more than just basecoating once I get better control through practice.
Pros:
- There are a dozen colors in the kit which are great for practicing with. They last a very long time.
- The compressor and air hose will give you about 8 to 10 feet of reach total from plug to the end of the hose for the airbrush.
- The airbrush itself is very clean and simple to use, and comes with a small bottle of oil and a wrench for use in cleaning it
Cons:
- You are given a quick connect for attaching the airbrush, but mine leaked due to a small o-ring that gets pinched when attaching it.
- The paint cleaning pot(yellow topped bottle in the picture) doesn't do much other than give you a place to blow the cleaning solution and paint into. It gets dirty very quickly and would need cleaning multiple times during a prolonged painting session. A milk jug would work equally well, though it's still a nice addition.
- The compressor's instructions are very limited, and I could not find any way to increase the pressure. Because of this it would shut off at around 20 PSI and then cut back on after only a few blasts from the brush. The compressor itself is quiet, but I fear that repeatedly turning on and off is bad for it.
Overall I really like this kit. There are a ton of extras that are great to help beginners like me become more familiar with air brushing. My suggestion is to use this kit to set up a nice workstation. The brush stand included in the set can hold 4 brushes easily, and has a mounting point for an air regulator. I used it to loop the air hose through to keep it from getting in the way. There are also a ton of small plastic cups for mixing colors, and popsicle sticks to help mix them up.
The only thing I found a bit troubling was how fast I went through the cleaning solution. I did change colors often, and you can apparently use windex and water mixed together. Still, it would be nice if the kit included a larger bottle. Also, cleaning out the very inside of the brush required using q-tips due to how small the area is. Beyond that, cleanup is easy. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Misleading Product. Although many reviewers may clearly have understood that this product is paint, not an etching cream, I too was one that purchased this product under the assumption it was an etching cream. I too read and re-read the bottle, went to the Martha Stewart website for troubleshooting, and re-tried my method with many alterations of time to cure and varying thickness of product. After much frustration, I began the search to find where I was erring in the process. I suppose the product, being understood that this is paint.....works for that purpose. If you are looking for an etching cream which you wipe away then have etched glass, then you will want to find an acid etching cream. This product does not produce the same results- it is merely a frosty paint, but provides a chemical-free approach to achieving an etched look. It would be helpful though, had there been clearer instructions and a disclaimer on this product stating that it is paint. This is not stated anywhere on the bottle- and leads the consumer to believe they have found the typical etching cream. Not so. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A Functional Tool for Any Occasion. This is an invaluable tool for anyone who wants to create gift boxes for any occasion. It helps to be a crafter, but there are many videos on YouTube to show you how to use it and it isn't difficult. You don't have to stock up on multiple boxes and take up space in your house. This nifty tool creates many sizes and they turn out beautifully. The best part is that you can choose your own designer paper in your own colors by going to your craft store. The heavy paper is on sale often in all the stores. I made a bunch for my big cupcakes and everyone thought I bought them at a Cupcake specialty store. I love all of the We R Memory Keepers punch boards, but this and the Envelope Punch are the most useful and versatile. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cathie's Cutter. I saw the Craft Lite Cutter demonstrated on TV. I don't do as much crafting as I used to so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a cutter. It was reasonably priced so I ordered one. It's actually pretty sturdy. It has a backlight which, if you ask me, doesn't do a thing. It also has an attached ruler that could be somewhat helpful. The problem I'm having is getting used to installing the different blades - there are 6 included. In addition to the straight, there's a zig zag, wavy and one for making perforations, one for folding and one marked 'stamp' - which I haven't tried yet. It does a great job on decorative edges - I would certainly recommend it to a friend. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
be aware. ***added 1/10/13*** the warehouse store these items come from does not do replacements, only refunds. I contacted customer service and learned this and we came to a deal. I ail keep the product and hope when I open that second drawer all the pencils are in tact and amazon is issuing a partial refund. It's actually been requested already. That is good customer service as I usually get with amazon.
I have raised my two stars to three.
*Easel box was a bit worn.
*First drawer broken upon opening the box but it was able to slide out.
*Second drawer was broken and wouldn't even open.
**By broken I mean the first had a piece broken off the panel and on both drawers the panel was loose. not much yanking would have been needed to just rip it off totally.
*The small bag used to hold the nuts, bolts, and washers was sliced through the middle and all the contents scattered across the inside. So now I know where the washer that was inside the shipping box came from! No really, one was outside of the easel's box!
With so many easel flaws i have to wonder what quality of work the materials would have produced?
I was looking forward to receiving this product but for the craftsmanship received I really could have bought the materials and made my own. I'm not beyond Googling for some plans and doing so myself. It may cost more but at least I'll know what I'm getting. I didn't expect to get something so cheaply put together for what I paid, but I guess this was too good a deal to be true
I'm currently awaiting a reply to my complaint from Amazon. This is the first (maybe 2nd) product problem I have had with Amazon EVER in the at least 10 years I have purchased from them or through the marketplace. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Dyed old bridesmaids dress. I used iDye Poly to dye one of my old bridesmaids dresses I had no use for. I figured it would make a great little black dress. It turned out great! I
followed the directions exactly as they stated on the package. I had a hard time finding a stove top container that would fit the dress, so I ended up using an aluminum ice bin I found at the store and used it as my tub on the stove.
Initially once I submerged the dress, I set my clock for 1 hour, but decided to add time and start my clock once it the dye started boiling. So in total it was probably in the tub for 1.75hrs. Once it was done, I rinsed it with cold water and put it in the wash with a little detergent on the delicate cycle. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Paint Brush ~ Angled # 12 Synthetic Hair. The paint brush is sturdy, feels good in my hand when I am painting and hold watercolor paint to make even strokes. I especially like it for making leaves and flower petals with the slanted tip. My favorite type of paint is water colors and so far I have only tried the brush using them. At times I paint with acrylic paint, but for almost a year I have been not used acrylics, so I have not tested the brush with them and I never paint with oil paint.
I like the angle on the brush, it cleans easily and is easy to use. I like the size because I can make large strokes that look better than short ones dabbing at a large area. I am happy with the performance of this brush.
The manufacture supplied me with a sample of this brush to use and comment on my experience. The views in this review reflect my honest opinions. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Greay For Decorating Your Planner or Notebook. These have been great to use in planner and my meal planning notebook. They add a nice pop of color that makes things look more colorful and not so boring. I don't know why, but I was expecting these to be more like washi tape, which they are not. The stickers come in a cute little pocket with jupe string that wraps around the back to keep the pocket closed. There are 27 sheets, each a different color/style. The stickers come pre-cut in either wide or narrow strips and also small dots. Aside from maybe the sheets with the darker colored dots or stripes, they are great to write on and it can be easily seen. Since these are in fact stickers, they aren't removable and reusable. They can be used for a number of things, but I'm really enjoying using them decorating my planner/notebook.
Product was supplied at a discount to use for the purpose of this review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Conserning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. I am not affiliated with the seller or company and make no promise of a good rating while reviewing the product. I test thoroughly and do my best to provide detailed reviews to other costumers so they may make informed decisions. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Look closely at the pen tip point on the packaging--is that the size tip that you need. These markers aren't what I was expecting. Over the years I've purchased numerous brush markers from various companies, and all of them have had delicate, brush-type tips. The tiny point of the tip is important to me because I do tiny, delicate art. These guys, though, these Uchida Brush Markers, have great big broad round tips. Looking carefully at the product photo now I can see that the tip is large--actually the whole pen feels a little chubby in my hand--but I don't see an obvious written description of the size of the marker.
These markers would be perfect for coloring rubber stamps but they won't work for teeny tiny delicate drawings.
I'll post two photos showing the comparative size of these pens with the pens I usually use. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Watch out textures....here I come. I recieved these paint brushes at a reduced price in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
These brushes are a little on the cheaper side. They are not of high quality but if you are just learning how to paint then it might be the right decision for you. Back when I was a sculptor I would purposely use the cheaper clays and tools. Which paid off for me. once I mastered those then I went on to use the more expensive clay and tools and everything just seemed to fall into place for me. Everything was so much easier to work with too because of it. Anyhow, I do all sorts of art .and craft projects now and I know I would use these brushes when I want to get a stiff texture in gesso for say my art journal. Same with the acrylic paint. I never really use oils so I can't add anything there.
I will say I love the canvas roll-up. Even if I didn't use it for these brushes...I could certainly use it for other tools that I work with. It's a nice little addition to the set...as is the plastic container!
I got these brushes for texture. They work very well for that. I will have to try them with other mediums like gels and molding pastes and see how they work with it too. But all in all...they are fun! A good buy at a great price for someone that either wishes to use them like I am or for a beginner! Just be sure to clean them out really well!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great quality paint. I've used other acrylic paints and these are great quality. There's no funny chemical smell unlike with other acrylic paint that comes in a tube. It's thick and has to be diluted a little with water but you don't have to if you'd rather use it thick. I did find that I had to paint a few coats to get an opaque coat so it may be worth your while to prime your canvas or whatever you're painting to paint fewer coats. The other thing I noticed is that I had hairline cracks in the paint after my painting was exposed to heat (90+ degrees Fahrenheit). This was a result of me moving this past May and it was in a storage unit that was not temperature regulated. You would never notice unless you had a light source behind the painting. I held my painting up to the light and noticed them but with it hanging on the wall you would never know. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Like The Concept. Drying Time Is A Issue. These FrogLily Gel Writers had been on my wish list for awhile before I saw they were part of a Lightening Deal. The reason they appealed to me ; is because Gel pen is one of my favorite media to use. When I am working on a adult coloring project.
A few of my Mandala books as well as coloring books, have very fine details in their designs. Where a typical gel pen nib is too big to use. Finding a fine line gel was something I had been trying to find. The price of them in the stores is more then I wanted to spend on a "trial run."
For the most part I like the idea FrogLilly has with these pens. However, there are a few improvements that I really would like to see.
Pros
- First I really like the hard shell case that holds each pen securely in place. I wish all gel pens came this way.
- Second I like that the point down by the nib is see through and it makes it easier to see where you are placing your ink. In fine detail areas this can be tricky.
- Third I like that the pens are a bit longer than a typical gel pen, I find this more comfortable to use when you are using a more slender style pen.
- Fourth I like the vibrancy of the ink colors. They don't fade to a different shade when drying.
Cons
- First thing I noticed that I don't care for is the dry time on these pens are much longer then most of the gel inks I have used. Which makes "fouling" or "smearing" of ink and issue.
-Second for some reason the Milky Pastels have a solid color barrel. While thr Glitter, Neon color barrels are see through so you can tell how much ink is left in the pen.
Overall
I think these pens are a nice idea but the drying time is a big drawback in my opinion. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It's a pretty good size/height and I could see him using it . My 16 month old LOVES this studio, it's one of the few toys that'll keep him occupied for over 5 minutes. We saw it in a kids playpen at one of those stone/slab galleries and he immediately went up to it and started trying to "color" the board. I was surprised since he's never seen an easle before but the bright colors must have attracted him (although a bit of an eyesore for me, but hey, it's for the kid). It's a pretty good size/height and I could see him using it for a while. Although the material is a cheaper plastic, I appreciate that there are no hard corners, that the board doesn't slam down when converted to a table top, and that it is lightweight and easy to move. I do wish the chair was better or a little weighted at the legs; it's so light and slides around super easily. Maybe I'll have to try some stickies on the bottom. Overall, would recommend. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great solution for organizing scrapbooking embellishments. If you've been scrapbooking for very long, you know how easy it is to acquire a variety of different shapes and sizes of scrapbooking embellishments and how hard it is to organize them effectively so you can find them. There is nothing more frustrating than completing a scrapbook and then rediscovering materials you wish you'd used in it. This organizer can help solve that problem. It is essentially a flip book of clear sleeves that you can put varied sizes of embellishments in, and since you can see through both the front and back of each page, you get a lot of mileage out of the pages included. The entire flip-file can be zipped up and carried around with its handle, making it easy to transport it to scrap gatherings or just to your scrapbooking table, and it also protects your items from dampness and pets. I liked the fact that I could just flip through the file quickly and find just what I needed and that my items would not get dog-eared from excessive handling before they were ever even used. The flexible construction allowed me to fit it into a tight space in my scrapbooking closet where it would not have fit if it had been rigid, like a box. My only issue with it was that it was a little tricky to zip around the corners, and I would recommend just keeping it closed but only partially zipped when you don't have to transport it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not impressed. First, my specific need was the variety of sizes, mainly the detail brushes. I paint for hours at a time on a daily basis and for the most part I paint what most would consider excruciatingly small areas. This is my opinion based on my needs. Great price. However I'm not impressed with these at all. I have better brushes that came with paint by numbers that I saved and still use. The bristles are uneven making them impractical for precise or flexible line work. Stray bristles drag and spring out of place. Ultimately I trimmed them with nail scissors. Even the larger flat brushes are so thin painting a large area looks like it would be a pain. These are not designed for heavy use or frequent cleaning and won't last long. The bristles will fray quickly. Overall I'm disappointed, but I didn't spend that much on them so no huge loss and you can't ever really have too many paint brushes. I personally feel these are good for kid's projects or a classroom or something to get you by. Also good for what I like to call "loaners". These are decent, and will definitely get the job done, however for my specific needs these weren't a great purchase. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
She's Crafty. I was stalking my mailbox for these! Im a teacher and I have a set of chalk markers in my classroom and now Ill have a set here for home. I did some free hand labeling in my classroom on some book buckets but I did my first real chalk project tonight and it was super simple with these markers. I love how you can change the nib to chisel or bullet. That makes them so versatile. Use the chisel to get detail and thinner lines and use the bullet for filling in those larger areas.
These were very easy to prime and get going. I used a paper plate while priming in case you have a small amount of pooling from priming. If you have a large area to cover or if you want a more opaque look, you will need to gently press to prime again.
I love the vibrant colors and LOVE that I can use any non-porous surfaces like the popular chalk labels, mirrors, glass, ceramic, whiteboards and metal. Always test surface before going all in! These are water based so water should take majority of color off BUT like all chalk markers, you will see faint lettering left behind so my tip is to have a magic eraser on hand and it will make your surface like new ready for more creativity!
I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest review. I personally used this product and all opinions and photos are my own. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My Personal Favorite Pad. Canson's Mixed Media is easily one of my favorites for all-around good paper. I use it for watercolor, inks, pencil, coloring pencils, etc. It holds very well, paper doesn't yellow after a couple years, and the paper doesn't lose all stability when water is added. For its price, this is probably the best sketch pad if you're looking for one for a lot of mediums. Watercolor isn't perfect however. The colors aren't absorbed and smoothed as well as some of the higher quality watercolor papers, but will hold far better than other cheaper pads or just straight up printing paper. It also tends to stiffen up and get a little wrinkled, but if you leave it closed and let the rest of the papers flatten it, they usually tend to flatten out properly.
Note that the size of the sketchpad is kind of unique, I enjoy it for some really big and striking art, but the tear lines near the spiral are too weak for the weight of the much larger paper, and tend to tear themselves out. I solved this by reinforcing the tear lines with tap along the back, but this is only necessary if you plan of keeping the paper inside of the sketchbook permanently. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It is clear/transparent and easy to break. usable if one is careful. definitely you have to handle this carefully or you could crack or break it,
it's fragile and a bit brittle. for the money i guess it's fine. i won't send it back
as it's a bit too much trouble, so i'll carefully use it, but it can't be my primary palette,
and "Large" is not VERY large. Also it says it is "Clear" but my mind thought it was
White. It is definitely transparent, clear. For me, that is not a positive, i like white
plastic palettes, as i can use the white of the palette to help discern the hue of the colors
i mix, by taking the palette knife and spreading some of the paint out thinly so the white
of the palette reveals the hue of the color. It might only deserve 2 Stars, not sure, but gave
it three, as it is usable and for someone needing a transparent palette for some reason, this
is transparent. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Ohuhu. I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and try this "Adult Coloring" thing. To do that, I wanted some really nice colored pencils with which to do it. These are all that I hoped they would be. Two trays, neatly stacked in a tin box. It just screams, "I'm not a kid, but I like coloring!"
I haven't had any breakage with these, though I have had a couple of little bits of color come off the stick while coloring. Nothing major, though. The ends are colored the same as the tips, so you can easily see what you want. One thing that is really nice is that there are several colors that are just a bit lighter or darker than others, so you can really do something beautiful with the shading. These also sharpen up very easily. The lead is soft, so don't over-sharpen, or you'll waste precious color!
*I was provided a set for review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
a great buy! i'm happy with this product. a great buy! however i'm suprised that their aren't more companies to chose from making aluminum paint tubes.
but anyhow--!
if you mix your own paint, these aluminum tubes work great! there are some vids on youtube on how you get the paint into the tubes. i do a fast method by 1.) placing the estimated amount of mixed paint onto a sheet of wax paper, 2.) roll the wax paper with the paint on it, into a roll, small enough to insert into back of tube. 3.) squeeze paint into tube with fingers on wax paper as you pull out roll of wax paper. 4) pinch end, a little pair of pliers works great!
So what is the benefit of aluminum tubes vs. just putting mixed paint in say glass or plastic jars. For me I use both. With jars you can put a lot more paint in them, only thing I noticed over time, is that if I leave oil paint in glass jars for longer periods of time, if there is air/space in the jar, there is some drying that will happen on top of the paint -or- in other words a skin develops on top of paint. Honestly though, you just take of that part of the skin and the paint underneath is just as wonderful! So, with that said, aluminum tubes prevent air from drying out paint sitting for long periods of time. Also, tubes are great for travel, and they look clean and cool after you write the color/ or description on them with a sharpie! Although I make my own paint from time to time, I will always buy pre- made paint and tubes of paint from art companies as well, as I have my fav colors. -but Ive also been making my own oil paint for 18 years, because it is a way to save some money. If you are looking for a good place to order raw pigment, Ive always loved Kremer Pigment Inc. on-line. Note: if you buy the cheaper oil paint from art stores, esp the large tubes, keep in mind that they put a large amount of filler I believe its chalk or some other cheap pigment to reduce coast, that is why the colors looks dull when they dry. I often use these cheaper large tubes of paint for under- coats. With oil paint, you get what you pay for. The great thing about mixing your own paint, is that its a pure color and for me its also about the Zen process as well. Enjoy! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
YOU WILL LOVE THIS. This is the most amazing storage ever as it is designed for crafters in mind. Now this is not your cheap particle board at all. It is made of real wood. The drawers are completely removable which I like. I can put a project and all the supplies on one tray and just pull it out when I have time to work on it. Makes your studio look organized when it really isn't. The casters lock if you need them too. I purchased 5 and would have purchased more if they would have fit. I have three in my closet, one is a permanent dedicated cutting table , has my Cutterpillar on top of it and the 5th one is not yet together. Yes they are more expensive, however these will literally last you a lifetime. My only complaint, you have to put together. I also ordered the corner desk, the straight desk, the corner storage unit for the top of the corner storage desk, and other organizational pieces of the line,You will not regret going with this line. I started getting mine a while back and what I like was I was able to get the same pieces so I could buy it in stages due to it's expensive nature but it was worth it spending the extra money to get a quality product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Ruined a few prints. I was attempting to use this to mount two 40 x 50" prints as well as seal the face, however, this product should come with some caveat that it should not be used on certain substrates- I wish there was some more extensive documentation.
I get the sense that this is a useful product for canvas or heavier stock, but it absolutely ruined my enhanced matte prints. I tried coating the surface first and it rippled and distorted. The surface finish was nice, but it was too ripply to use. I tried mounting the print first using this product onto masonite, but it became too rippled and eventually creased. Absolutely useless prints for exhibition, even following the instructions of the product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Eh... so so. Certainly not worth the $10 plus dollars that (crooked) sellers are trying to charge, but worth the $5 I spent. They don't stick. Gluesticks are worthless when adhering (use brand name double sided tape or a hot glue gun.) 50% of the pieces are barely 1cm big (stars, hearts) and they fall through the hole punched at the top to hang on a stores display peg... I lost quite a few before I realized. Otherwise you get 1 crown and 1 shoe about 1.5-2 inches big. 3 trees ranging in medium sizes and 1 castle (1.5in wide by 3in tall) and 1 carriage (3in wide 2in tall). Seriously thats the whooole chebang, so not worth more than $5 total. I wouldn't recommend for scrapbooking unless you have a serious heavy duty one because these bend and make scrapbooks bulge unattractively. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The brushes are amazing. For the price I paid per brush. The brushes are amazing. For the price I paid per brush, I can't imagine a better deal out there. But this case is an absolute piece of garbage. Don't trust the picture, Its literally just super crappy stiff nylon with a velcro strap on the side with the brushes, and two female strips of velcro (one to keep it down in storage and one to put it into "upright" position, as shown in the photograph). I'm not sure what magical surface they have it set on in this photograph but its physically impossible to get it like that on any surface here on earth.
This review sounds very critical. I didn't buy this set of brushes for the purple carrying case, I bought it for the brushes. It has every size and shape you can possibly hope for for just over $2 a brush (at the moment I bought this). So I consider the case just a pointless bonus, and oh how pointless it is. For any amateur painter, this is a no-brainer, buy this set | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Delivers as promised. I'm quite happy with this purchase. I've used it for a couple months and I find it is surpassing my expectations. I like how I can easily raise and lower the canvas so that I can bring the area I'm working on to a convenient position. It moves easily on wheels. It handled a 4 ft x 5 ft canvas that I recently painted with no problems.
There is however a little room for improvement. The assembly instructions are a little sketchy. I stripped the heads on the small wooden screws which I easily replaced with high quality ones from the hardware store. Finally, the lip at the top and bottom cover the canvas in those spots so you have to re-position the canvas to work on the bottom area and raise the top block to paint the top part.
I must challenge the notion that there is an $89 easel equivalent at Utrecht. I've bought an $89 easel from Utrecht a couple years ago with which I was not happy at all and ended up giving it away. Furthermore, before purchasing this one, I checked out easels there. Yes, there are cheaper ones than this, but flimsier too, so I passed. I'm glad I took the chance and ordered this one.
On the whole this falls a tad short of 5 stars, but closer to 5 than 4 so I rounded up. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Used it only once so far but I love it. I've looked at all of the We R Memory Keepers boards and they all look fun and easy to use, but I didn't see the use of having a large tool for just one function. I have a Cricut electronic die cutting machine. I have a Cuttlebug. I have two score boards. My sister gave me an older Scor Pal and I didn't like the lack of increments on it so I bought the Martha Stewart board that came with the envelope template. I had been using that to make my envelopes and while it works well, I hated cutting out the little triangles after I scored it. Doesn't seem like a big deal but I was always messing them up.
So, I broke down and got the Envelope Punch Board. I made just one envelope to test it out and it was so fast, easy and neat that I'm wishing I had bought it sooner. My only quibble is that I have a little trouble getting the scoring tool into the groove but I'm sure as I get used to the board it will be easier. It would also be nice if the platform was bigger, making it easier to work with larger pieces of paper. I really don't need another huge tool in my small craft area but I'd be willing to give up my Scor Pal for a bigger envelope board. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Mediocre and Very difficult to Assemble. I had high hopes for this item, but am disappointed. The table does not feel "secure" in that the surface moves around a bit when using it to draw/write. More important (to me) was the assembly. An inexpensive consumer product should not, in my opinion, take 3+ hours to assemble. The directions were difficult to follow and not illustrated well. Finally, a couple of small parts (screws/bolts) appear to have been missing (it is also possible that I dropped them and cannot find them, to be fair). The material that comes with the packaging encourages the consumer to call their "friendly" service department number, which, it turns out, is disconnected. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great so far. While I haven't had it long enough to say how it holds up to time, I can say that I'm very happy with the purchase so far. I placed the order Saturday, and received it the following Wednesday without special shipping, which I couldn't be happier about.
Once I unwrapped all the pieces it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as I expected, I finished it very quickly, my drill turned out to be broken, but it's perfectly sturdy on my rug after tightly hand-tightening everything. It's a little wobbly when I purposefully try to wobble it, which I thought would drive me insane as it shifts every time I move, but it doesn't move at all when I'm acutally using it. The casters are easily adjustable which should compensate for any basic wiggling, however the table top also wiggles individually, and I get the impression that fixing my drill won't do me any good, but again, there's no wiggle when I'm actually trying to draw or hem.
I should mention why I bought this table. I wanted a drafting table that I could do art and sketches on, but I needed a multipurpose table that I could use my ancient (and super heavy) sewing machine on, and could hold up to any various fix-it projects. I was worried this table wouldn't be strong enough, or big enough, however I'm very happy with the purchase.
The only issue I had was with the drawers. They were badly warped, possibly due to heat during shipping, which made snapping them together a real challenge, but once I managed to get them to snap in place they held, and the finished product doesn't look warped, one or two of the drawers close a little finicky but nothing major.
Overall, I'd recommend it. I also left a picture of my finished product | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Lots of product for a low price. I use this paint to finish my scale models. I bought this to replace the military/medium green color that came with my "<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Enamel-Kit-Military-Flats/dp/B0006MZOS0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Enamel Kit: Military Flats</a>". Since the average Testor 1/4oz paint costs $1.65, it would cost $13.20 to buy the amount contained here, not to mention needing 8 orders of the 1/4oz jars.
So on top of this being a bargain with quantity, it has performed well on scale model plastic. Additionally, it works in my airbrush like a champ. I only wish the manufacturer would produce more varied colors so I could replace all my Testor colors with these bulk sizes. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Revelatory catharsis - Hukaiwen quality. This particular ink stick was a revelatory catharsis for me, because it provided the basis for me to make a connection between high quality and Hukaiwen ink sticks.
During the forty years that I collected Chinese ink sticks, I had always regarded this particular ink stick - the subject of this customer review - as one of just a few ink sticks as my very best ink sticks.
Then - lo and behold! - I spot this ink stick on Amazon! However, it took me some time for the Hukaiwen name, and this name's significance, to enter into my consciousness. When tha happened was a cathartic moment, because it confirmed to me not only the quality of this particular ink stick, but also - vice versa - the quality of Hukaiwen ink sticks.
This ink stick was also revelatory to me in another way. For those forty years I collected Chinese ink sticks, I always believed this ink stick was made of pine soot, only to discover on Amazon that this ink stick is actually made of lacquer soot.
Hukaiwen also designates this ink stick as "hand made," and only a few Hukaiwen ink sticks are so designated.
Most of the Chinese ink stick offered on Amazon are from the Hukaiwen ink factory. For articles with background information on the historic and highly regarded Hukaiwen ink factory, Goggle "hukaiwen,"
This particular ink stick is one of a few offerings on Amazon of Hukaiwen ink sticks made of lacquer soot; it's also 50% more expensive than some of Hukaiwen's other lacquer soot ink sticks
Lacquer soot ink sticks are made of burnt raw lacquer soot, which may contain a variety of different main ingredients, depending on how the lacquer is made. To add to this mystery, an article on Google states that Hukaimen ink sticks are made of "secret ingredients (highly confidential)."
To conclude, the surface of this particular ink stick has a ""sheen" of either "flat" or "matte,'" which makes the surface of this ink stick look very similar to an ink stick made from pine soot. However, I do not know if this surface matte appearance is only "skin deep," and the ink actually produced has a different sheen, e.g., of higher gloss. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
PIECE OF JUNK. I bought this kit from this seller I originally wrote an awesome review. I used this compressor for a few days. I drained the air and everything on it and the moisture builds up in the moisture trap even if you release the air in there no water comes out. But the water does come out of your airbrush gun ruining your art. The compressor is starting to get extrememly HOT. I even tried putting a different water trap on the compressor and it still shoots water out of it. I contacted the seller but they do not feel they need to answer me. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SELLER THEY ARE A SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am extremely pissed off right now that I paid almost 100 dollars for JUNK!!!!!!!!!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Sometimes my extra cash for art supplies is limited and I still need a good watercolor paper. Sometimes my extra cash for art supplies is limited and I still need a good watercolor paper. Let's face it not all of my works of art are good enough for 30-100.00 packs of paper, I wish they were! This paper has worked out well for me many times! I like that the paper is fixed on two sides so that I do not have to stretch it to use it, I just paint right on the block of papers! I enjoy the results that I have gotten with the Fluid Easy Block papers. I love these watercolor blocks for keeping with my travel paints. I can sketch on them then do a wash. Perfect for having available on the go! I even have them in a couple sizes depending on what I want to carry. The 4x6 is perfect for keeping in the Field kit that I made for myself out of an old marker tin! I have everything I need for art on the go!
If you found my review helpful, please click the Yes button below. Thank you for taking the time to read my feedback. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Totally feeds my additction. If you have an insatiable love affair of pens like I do, it's really, really hard to get this set out of your head. Can you hear it whispering your name?
After I purchased my first set of Pigma Microns, <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sakura-30062-6-Piece-Pigma-Micron-Ink-Pen-Set-Black/dp/B0008G8G8Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sakura 30062 6-Piece Pigma Micron Ink Pen Set, Black</a> I fell in love with them and wanted more. So I purchased <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sakura-30063-6-Piece-Pigma-Micron-Assorted-Colors-01-Ink-Pen-Set/dp/B001CRIGZQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sakura 30063 6-Piece Pigma Micron Assorted Colors 01 Ink Pen Set</a>. Then <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sakura-38062-8-Piece-Pigma-Assorted-Colors-Brush-Pen-Set/dp/B002PNP9L0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sakura 38062 8-Piece Pigma Assorted Colors Brush Pen Set</a>. When I came across this 59 piece set, I viewed it as Pigma Micron nirvana. These pens are great. They all came brand new, none of the pens were dry (I tested each one). In this set, all of the pens are the same quality that you would get in a blister package. They write smooth, don't skip, enough ink flow to the tip, but not so much that it pools and gets all yuckie and stuff, and doesn't get dry while you're writing or drawing. The colored pens are the same awesome quality of it's black ink pens. Quick Pro Tip: Don't press hard on the tip while you're writing or drawing. You don't need to. These aren't too delicate, but if you put too much pressure at the right angle, that is the angle your tip is going to go to and might fray just a tiny bit. The pen may not produce the same tip size as it originally did. I've always been a bit heavy handed, and I learned this lesson the hard way.
It is a big chunk of change to spend on a set of pens. There really isn't a concrete way of doing the math to decide how much savings you would have versus buying sets individually; sets come in different pen amounts, tip sizes, for different prices, and depending on where you get them from. I believe that there are worthwhile savings to be had getting them all at once like this. There may be pens that you can't get ahold of that are in this set. So it may look like a lot to spend on pens, but think about the savings. You are now totally justified in treating yourself to Micron heaven!
The one hinderance of getting this set is that I already have some of the pens (which I shared above),. but now I have some back-ups. It's not like I have a significant enough amount of the collection before, so the doubles are minimal.
On the back of the label you see in this picture that is inside of the case, there are circles in which you can do your own pen swatches for each color and nib size. Brilliant. The case that it comes in is alright, but I ended up putting them into my <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Leather-Panel-Style-120-Pencil-Case-Brown/dp/B002YKQEFO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Leather Panel Style 120 Pencil Case Brown</a> which I have reviewed and posted pictures of it (with my Microns in it) in that review.
To the person who answered the question about what actually came in this set and provided the ink swatch: YOU ARE AWESOME!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Bright, vibrant colors. Absolutely perfect. Go for these rather than the Expo Neon markers. These markers are phenomenal. Previously, I purchased the neon markers from Expo for a black dry erase board. They were bright for a week and then quickly became dull and very hard to read. So the board sat empty and I reverted back to using paper for notes and math. Then lo, and behold, ChalkOla came to the rescue. Bright, vibrant colors that can be seen from very far away. More pointed tips for nuances and clarity. Good amount of erasability (doesn't smudge off when touched but you don't need to scrub it off, either).
Getting the markers started is the hardest part. You've got to shake them vigorously and press the tip up and down (as the instructions indicate). Once that's done, you're good to go. I will definitely be purchasing these again! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Calibration Nightmare. I was really excited to receive this product. The reason why I gave it three stars is because the Calibration process was insanely inconvenient. My senor light couldn't read the print out, I spent a whole day doing the same process, changing the papers, closing the lights and even using markers to darken the scales and borders but to no avail. Then I decided to move the paper about 1/8" of inch away from the number line on the left and keeping the numbers on top perfectly aligned. So, guess what?!?! It worked! I was able to calibrate it after 9 hours (includes on hold with Cricut 1800 number). So if you are perplexed and frustrated as I was when calibrating, ignore the directions and move your paper 1/8" inch to the right while keeping the top aligned with the numbers on top of the cricut mat.
Another issued I had was with the Artfully Sent cartridge made for Cricut sold via Close To My Heart company. I linked the cartridge and found out that only 415 images were loaded, the package promised 700; I called 1800 number and was told that the company knows of this issue and is working to resolve, as to when it will get resolve -- they don't know! I will get all my 700 images when it is taken care of IN THE FUTURE. Wow. I am upset because they are selling this cartridge and the customers do not know of this and paying full price for it! Maybe I got a faulty cartridge, but I doubt that since the representative knows it isn't an isolated problem.
So as for the machine performance, it cuts nicely but for smaller images, the blade snagged. I still have a lot to learn on this machine, maybe when I know how to use it, it will work better for me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not Pastels - Very BRIGHT. Was looking for a light pastel glitter and according to what I read this would be perfect; just enough glitter to highlight a card. I was especially excited because the 3 colors available from Spectrum were just what I wanted. I used it yesterday for the first time - it completely ruined the project I was working on. Instead of a light pastel blue it was a full on bold, LOUD blue. Not at all subtle in any way. I didn't try the other two colors because I figured if the blue was that bold and loud most likely the others would be too. And, rather than come out in small amounts it sort of burst out and got bright blue all over everything. From now on I will stick to Wink of Stella. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My washing machine experience. I got a big fluffy robe as a gift, but it was pure white. I knew I'd have to dye it to feel comfortable, but it would take a 5 gallon pot. No tengo, so I used the washer and am happy with the results. Even if I had a pot that large, 30 minutes of stirring over a hot stove in rubber gloves wasn't that appealing to me, to be honest.
Started off with very hot water supplemented with a few quarts of boiling from the stove, and a few quarts more about half-way. Kept the lid closed and it stayed pretty hot. Just in case I gave it extra time, about 45 minutes in the dye bath. The machine did all the agitating with nice even coverage.
I think it came out great, considering it's 100% polyester, and I only used one bottle. It's been washed 2 or 3 times since and retains the color, so now I'm looking around for other items to dye.
Update:
I did it again in the washer, this time dying a queen sheet and two pillow cases Peacock Green. They were originally green & white striped, now they're green with darker green stripes, which is what I was going for. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great travel brush -- even if poor packaging proves it's durable. I've wanted to try da Vinci's travel brushes for years and finally bought a size 5. It arrived very poorly packed -- the capped brush was loose in a box with no protective packaging or filler and was wedged up under one of the bottom box flaps. If it had been a regular brush it would have been damaged. Thankfully, it was fine in no small part to the travel style's protective ruggedness. I'd take one star off for poor packaging except the error proved the brush was durable. I want to try the regular Cosmotops but will look elsewhere for a retailer who knows how to properly pack brushes.
Off the bat I'm impressed with the spring of the brush. It holds a good amount of water though nowhere close to natural sable, squirrel, etc. Comparing it to my Cheap Joe's Legend Kolinsky the bristles are stiffer (they are synthetic, after all) but in a pleasantly responsive way. I like the durable black plastic handle setup better than the shiny brass the Legend and Versatil's have. I hope it holds it's point for a good while as it seems ideal to pair with my mini watercolor sketching kit.
In reading reviews about problems with the points being splayed: for what it's worth, when quality brush manufacturers like da Vinci (i.e. W&N, Escoda, Princeton, etc.) ship brushes to retailers watercolor rounds are *always* starched to a crisp point and most non travel brushes are capped with protective plastic sleeve to protect the bristles. I see them fresh out of the box from those companies at our store. If out of the box your brush looks splayed and fails the water snap test something is definitely not right! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Read and watch Youtube clips and learn what to do so you know what items you'll need to buy separately. Wanted to learn to screen print. Mostly I watched youtube vids and read pages id googled since the stuff in this kit was only minimally helpful. I used the screen, squeegee and the photo emulsion. and the popsicle stick. I had to buy white ink separately. My project turned out well. I didn't know anything about anything when i started. I didn't have the proper equipment really and I hobbled together things DIY style as i went and got the job done but the kit wasn't all that helpful honestly. I expected i was buying an all-in-one package to have what I needed and it wasn't like that at all. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Do Not Use This Company. I will not give it one star ! I lost my travel flat brush and was getting ready for a trip. I needed by today, they kept saying it would be here on time. It did not. Amazon is at fault also, they said the same thing and knew better. This is the second time their reps tell you one thing and know better. This company did not fill the order on time for it to arrive and did not up date so I would know , so I wasted a day sitting at my home waiting for nothing . I have a neighbor that is running into the major town near me and will buy one at the art supply store. So Amazon or this company gets paid , the Art Store gets paid and I get one brush for a lay out of close to $105.00 when it is all said and done. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beautiful markers, BUT be aware of gold and silver. These markers are nice. They worked beautifully on my chalkboard signs. The only negative experience I had was with the gold and silver markers. I purchased this set because it was had gold and silver, and when I received it, there is a label on the *inside* of the box lid indicating that the gold and silver "are not suitable for labels". The gold and silver are not opaque and do not show up on dark surfaces. The other colors in the set, however, are very bright and vibrant. Overall, I am satisfied and will continue to use them on my chalkboards. I haven't used the included labels yet, but they look like they're of good quality. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
AWESOME quality kit and supplies. Very vivid colors, the kit is cool because it comes with 5 colors, instead of the usual three. It does come with plenty of rubber bands, but you may need more. I have been tie dying for years, and this was the best quality kit I have ever found for the money. Some tips I suggest are below, things I realized since the last time I did tie dye about 7 years ago...and had forgot about...
DO:
if you are using new shirts, wash them first with a little detergent, that's it.
wet the shirts a little bit, not dripping wet, but damp, it helps the color spread easier.
let you shirts set at least 24 hours if you can wait that long.
follow the instructions. none of my shirts faded after washing. I let them sit at least 24 hours.
DO NOT:
dye brand new shirts without first washing, there is some coating on them that makes it harder for liquid (dye) to penetrate.
put the rubberbands on too tight. this will make it difficult to get the dye to soak into a lot of the places.
Hope this helps people. :) This is fun to do...although I did put the rubberbands on too tight on some of my shirts and ended up with major white spots (see pictures). I redyed them, and then it looked weird. So now I have some psychedelic work shirts to wear around the house and for bed time. :) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Glitter Crayons 16 pack - worst ever. I got this product for $4.92 as Christmas gift for my 5 year old son. I was doubtful before buying as it seemed costly to me, but I tried to go for it as it was Glitter and I thought maybe the crayons came in big size, but I was very very disappointed as they were very small in size and the glitter was hardly noticeable when used for colouring. On talking with customer care to return the product, I was told that I will have to pay for return shipping - so the refund would be somewhere near $0.32. Worst product to buy online. Also I noticed later that the same product was available at Walmart and target and office depot for as low as $2.30. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Packaging was great. Price was great (assuming that you are able . Pros:
Packaging was great.
Price was great (assuming that you are able to make 50 packs of 16 crayons).
No broken crayons. (Until the kids started to help sort and pack.)
Cons:
There were not 50 sets of 16 crayons. In total we had 810 crayons, but we were hoping to be able to make 50 identical sets. I was quite disappointed with that. I'd be tempted not to complain about the 10 extra crayons, if they were in commonly used colors - but, really, who needs so much extra white?
Seven colors had less than 50, so we were only able to make 44 sets of all 16 crayons. We used the surplus to even out the packs.
We had:
44 Brown
44 Black
45 Yellow Green
48 Blue Green
48 Yellow
49 Carnation Pink
49 Red
50 Yellow Orange
51 Blue
52 Red Violet
52 Green
53 Violet
55 Red Orange
55 White
57 Blue Violet
58 Orange
I wasn't willing to send them back or try to get my missing crayons. The arrived on Friday, I needed them for Sunday...
That being said, I'm likely to order again - perhaps, with a little more time between delivery and use. :-D | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
so very disappointed in the quality of these clear stamps. so very disappointed in the quality of these clear stamps.... I adore the images, but it's impossible for me to get a good impression with them. I've used fun foam underneath as a cushion, then a magazine, different kinds of ink and all the tricks I know, but the stamps themselves are not equal in thickness, so on one area, you get a heavy, ugly, thick impression and in other areas, you can't even see a mark on the paper..it's like they are uneven or something. I am so disappointed. This is my first purchase from this company and I am completely in love with these designs, but so very unhappy in the quality of the polymer or whatever these stamps are made from. Lovely images, poor quality equals one unhappy stamper and I've been stamping almost 30 years, so I've been around the stamping block a few thousand times. I'm sure part of the problem is that these clearstamps just do not ever give the satisfaction of using real rubber stamps.... I think I have bought my last sheet of clear stamps from any company. I have been disappointed over and over again with the clear stamps.. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice set. I don't do a lot of drawing but my husband does and he loves to draw with all sorts of mediums including chalk, pencils and water colors. So when I was offered this set of colored pencils I decided to get it for him because he loves this sort of thing. I played around with the set after getting them and drew my own picture from a picture I saw online, but my own take of it. But my drawing skills aren't as good as my husband's. I have to say that this set of colored pencils really works nicely for drawing. This set is big and comes with just about any color you might need, I know it has any color I would ever need. Now that I've tried them out, I know that when my grandson gets older we'll be using this set to make some of our own drawings too.
Disclaimer: I was given this set of colored pencils for free in exchange for an honest review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
An amazing machine--and perfect bundle. I looked around at a lot of different options before deciding on the Silhouette Portrait machine--and this bundle in particular. I've now had the Portrait almost a full week and have made several different projects. It's incredibly easy to use and everything I was hoping for. I do recommend downloading the design software from Silhouette ahead of time and watching some tutorials while you wait for the machine to arrive. That way, you'll be ready to pull it out of the box and go!
I make a lot of greeting cards and live in a NYC apartment so the size and price on the Portrait were perfect. If you do 12x12 scrapbooking, the Cameo might be a better option. The Portrait is easy to pull out when I need it and store without taking up too much space.
I highly recommend getting the tool set--the spatula in particular is indispensable, especially because a new cutting mat is so sticky. And I particularly liked this offer because it came with an additional $25 gift card to spend in the Silhouette store. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
DOES darken tones. Very disappointed in this spray. Initially I used it on some landscapes I'd done in pastel. As suggested I used several light sprays rather than a couple of heavy sprays. After these applications it was still easy to smudge, so I applied 2 more coats. Still no better. I didn't notice any appreciable darkening until I tried it on a work I'd done on black pastel paper. This work contained a silhouette of a face - just a suggestion of a profile in yellow. When I applied the spray the profile almost disappeared and did not return after the spray dried. This wasn't a result of blasting the spray too closely to the work either, it was the spray itself. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Brushes and Pigments Together in Harmony. Water brushes are hard, because it's difficult to get the right amount of water. Sure you can tell when it makes your paper sopping wet, or it's too dry to pick up any pigment, but it's hard to pinpoint the perfect amount of water dispension. ...that is, until you find it.
With this pen, I started nervously to test my brush. Then, suddenly, perfection. The color flows perfect, you can barely see the water move as you gently squeeze the brush at the end of each brush stroke, you watch as suddenly the color and water align perfectly against your paper, the you cheer out loud at the perfection. The universe fits together like a puzzle for that second and it's glorious.
As for the pigment, it picks up easily with the first brush stroke, no letting the water sit until it absorbs enough to let go of its colors. The colors themselves lay down nicely. Tiny grains against smooth waterwashed color creating the right balance of color distribution and choice of texture against varying grains of paper. The smoothness of the paper determines whether you get elegant waterscapes or sandy mountainsides, however with enough water you can melt the mountains or with enough pigment, place delicate shimmers in the water.
Wonderful products work in perfect harmony. Kuretake is truly the brand for my future | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Can't beat it for the price. I have a large upright oak easel in my studio, but I wanted something smaller, lighter and yes, cheaper, to have out at our cabin - and this has been perfect! You can't beat it for the price! I work largely in pastels on stiff boards, and with a bad back I also prefer to work while sitting. I appreciate that I can lower the piece I'm working on below the edge of the table. The storage capacity is simply bonus. I carry my pastels in their own holder, but can toss supplemental supplies into the storage tray. Hey, I love oak, but the bamboo is strong, smooth and lightweight - and a better renewable resource than the inexpensive oak getting shipped in from overseas. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not "washable" like crayola products, but a step up in painting proficiency. Reasonably priced set for a crafter (not a painter.) I got it to paint wooden masks, Christmas trees, and Christmas ornaments with my grandchildren. These are available at craft stores and getting this set is more cost-efficient than buying individual dollar jars of selected colors. They provide good coverage (often one coat) and have a variety of the basic colors which can be further mixed to make other colors to either make new colors or provide shading.
While these are not specifically meant for children and are not labeled "washable" if you act very quickly, you can wash it out with a strong stream of water. Obviously, adult supervision is required and the work area has to be prepared. The brushes are easy to clean, only water is needed. You don't have all the mess and odors of oil colors, something to consider with children who are allergic or have asthma. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love the canvas pen wrap along with the gel pens. I've gotten gel pens before but it's usually just the pens in a plastic box. I love that these 48 pens come with a brightly colored canvas wrap to store the gel pens in.
I also like that on the Amazon page under one of the seller photos there's a listing of all the color names for the pens. I do wish they were actually printed on the side of the pens.
There's a nice assortment of colors included although I wish there were more Basic colors rather than Milky colors.
The pens work well on my adult coloring books, not bleeding through to other pages. Who would have thought when I was 20 years old that I'd be sitting here coloring at 60 years old? The world is a funny place.
The canvas wrap is very well made out of a medium weight canvas, is brightly colored, well sewn and has two heavy ropes/cords to tie the wrap closed.
I am glad that I received this gel pen set with its canvas wrap in exchange for my unbiased review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The best way to get the antiqued look is to use . I have been using this wax on furniture over chalk paint several times over the last year. The best way to get the antiqued look is to use a spare amount at a time, so that it will dry up quicker once applied. Then leave on for the length of time of how dark you want it to show up. Like a couple of minutes, then wipe off. That's if you want it darker. But it's also harder to control that way. It also works great if you want an overall subtle antiqued look, by applying a good amount, then wiping off, and repeating these two steps about 5 or 6 times. However, for me the best part of dark wax is to get into the crevices and make furniture "moulding" details pop. Good luck! I paid around $18 for a 6oz jar, and it has lasted for about 15 projects. Its definitely worth the $, and has great results! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beautiful set of quality brushes. This brush set by CubeCraft is one impressive set of brushes!
The set includes 15 brushes and a nice case for protecting and storage.
Included are the following brush types:
Filbert Brush - Sizes 9, 4
Angle Brush - Sizes 12, 10, 5, 2
Round Brush - Sizes 8, 7, 3, 1, 1/0
Flat Brush - Sizes 11, 6
Fan Brush Size 0
Rigger Brush Size 3/0
Pros:
- long handle brushes - so much easier on your grip
- soft bristles
- non fraying bristles
- pop up stand for easy access and to speed in drying
- zippered case for care and storage
Cons:
If there was one it would have to be that there is almost too many brushes for beginners like me. I am not sure what brush to use when.. but that is certainly not a complaint.
One of my daughters claimed dibbs on these as soon as they arrived. She loves to paint and is always on the look out for new supplies. She was thrilled with the quality of these brushes.
This set would make a great gift for the artist in your life. They would be awesome for any beginner and are made from high quality materials. Even veteran painters would enjoy this set.
Promotional or discounted product provided for review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not brush pens. The description says these are brush pens but they are not--tips are actually quite scratchy but might just need some breaking in. These are useless for my needs and will be returned. However, they are packaged very nicely and seem to have a good range of vibrant colors. They might be good for coloring books because the fine tip is quite precise and the broader tip has good coverage.
I'm finding this line of markers quite confusing. I ordered a 4-marker set of Zig Brushables from another site and they are very soft brush markers and can create a very fat line. The Zig Brushables are also dual-tipped, but with the same tip on both ends and two colors in each marker--one end 50% less pigmented than the other. Which is strange but could be useful for shading.
I'm undecided if I'll order more Zigs. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Very nice brush set. This brush set arrived last week in perfect condition. It includes 10 different brushes and would make a great starter kit for someone getting into watercolor, oil, and acrylic based painting. Due to the different sizing multiple types of strokes and tedious work can be accomplished. The bristles are made from nylon and after using nothing was left on my canvas.
The handles are also easy to hold for long periods and do not slip. I bought the kids some are sets with oil paint for Christmas and I will be saving these for that fun project. It will work to paint the tiny little areas and also be able to create nice brush strokes. Clean up is even easy some hot water water and if needed soap.
This set does have multiple uses and for the price is very affordable and a great value. I may buy a second set so each girl has one for their projects coming up!
I received this item at a discount in exchange for my honest unbiased review. All reviews are 100% my own opinion. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Could Be Better. I used this easel to display my art work at a local art fair. It comes disassembled but is easy to put together. The wood finish is nice-- I like it better than similar metal display easels.
The negative points are these: The wind blew over the easel at the art fair and a piece of my art work was damaged in the process. So if you plan on using it for this purpose make sure and put a weight on the back leg. The other thing I don't like is the fact that the "sliding hook" that goes over the top of your canvas is too narrow to accommodate my one-and-a-half-inch gallery wrapped canvas pieces, so it was practically useless. And the horizontal "tray" that is supposed to accommodate the bottom of the art is too narrow and loose--it just sits on some pegs that plug into the front legs of the easel. It should be wider and more secure.
Other than that it's a nice easel... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
If you understand how an airbrush works and how to maintain it this brush is the best. This airbrush is amazing and the colors are perfect for anyone trying to reproduce how colors actually look in nature. Only draw back is this airbrush is very difficult to maintain because the super tiny nosel but it has to be this small in order to get those fine spray patterns which is why I didn't take off any stars. If you are looking to move up in the world of airbrushing this to me is the very best bang for your buck. The only thing that comes even close is a micron and that is 5x the price. Overall if you are an intermediate to experienced artist you will fall in love with this brush and these pigments. I am very happy with this product. This product is not limited to taxidermy at all, I use it on paintings and motorcycles for those of you that don't already know. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The 12" x 12" is a great size. Because I need to do a few . I have a stencil that I've wanted to use on vinyl for awhile now. Enter this Scraft Artise Vinyl. The 12" x 12" is a great size. Because I need to do a few small projects, I can use one sheet for multiple projects, but with it being 12" x 12", it's great for larger projects too.
I used the white sheet to create a 12 sticker for my favorite clipboard. I'm a huge Seattle Seahawks fan, so I love being able to add my team gear to anything to show my spirit. Because I don't have a Cricut or Silhouette machine, I busted out my Xacto knife. It cut easily, peeled smoothly and went onto my clipboard without a hitch. My board is now Hawkified :-) I'm so excited!
**I received this product at a discount in exchange for my evaluation and honest review. I received no compensation in exchange for a positive review** | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Holes did not fit my album. The plastic and post extenders itself were good. The cardboard spacer was actually made of densed foam material which was very nice. The holes on the plastic protectors and "cardboard" spacer did not line up to my scrapbook album that I had to punch new holes. The distance between the top and bottom hole centerpoint is 8 inches. They were NOT slots either. My postbound album needed 8.25 inches hole spacing. I guess different albums have different hole spacing. It would be nice to add the hole spacing demensions to the description so that you can make sure it fits your album. Check yours first before ordering or you will have to punch new holes like I did. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
White could be more opaque but other colors are fabulous. Edit 2/14/18: reduced to 2 stars. All the pens have dried out despite their caps being tight & secure. This is only after very light use on two separate occasions in December.
Would not recommend. Left two stars rather than one due to fact that they worked well while they lasted.
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Nice and inky pens. I tested them out on cardboard boxes and they worked perfectly. The white marker isn't as opaque as I'd prefer...have to go over it a few times to get that bright white look.
For those who are curious about how they will show on black cardstock: the only color that will show is the white (in the primary color pack). | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I am not an artist but these are very nice. The packaging is useful and doesn't take up . I am not an artist but these are very nice. The packaging is useful and doesn't take up unnecessary room and holds the contents nicely. Field use may prove otherwise. The color selection is perfect and would fill anyone's niche. Upon using for the first time, the directions are perfect and the contents flow consistently without excess. Also does not skimp which would require a second stroke. Liquid density is great. Tested on 20 lb 92 bright paper and glass. Water takes it right off the glass and doesn't stain the skin. I do not like the interference fit of the cap, however. I feel the tolerance is too loose and evaporation of the volatile carrier liquid would be accelerated, rendering the pen useless. But, I am not the engineer that knows how these are made either, so my opinions are based entirely on life experience. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Simple and effective. The air tool itself is decent. The kit is complete with everything you need to start air erasing once you get hooked up to your own compressor rig etc. For me, the only fitting that was useful was the end that fits the air tool itself. The rest of the process connecting the hose to my manifold was a fiasco. My other airbrush gear all uses different size connectors so I did not have any proper fittings laying around to complete this job. I had to hit the home center for some fittings. The moisture trap leaked air around the site glass on both sides. I am not sure what the thinking was with the site glass idea. I had to cut the hose off the moisture trap and replace the trap. Luckily I had a spare trap laying around so I fitted it up and was finally ready to blast. The instructions are adequate to get started, but you'll need to experiment for what works best for your application. Overall the value of this package is good for me, and the connection issues are common for anyone that owns gear from different manufacturers so I sort of expected that. The system is simple and easy to use so I would recommend it once your up and running. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nope. Guys...I wanted to love this paint. There are several well-known artists who swear by this pink, so I decided to grab a tube. I have been searching for a really solid pink to add to my studio palette with my larger assortment of colors. I have m travel palette, which is limited, so I do more mixing on the fly. For my big studio palette, I have the room to add in some extra colors to save time on mixing colors I use a bunch (browns, grays and skintones). I wanted to see if this fit the bill for my go-to skin mixer.
In short: Nope. Almost, but nope.
As for the color, it's just okay. It moves well once you re-wet it (more on that in a minute) but it's pretty soft and and subtle, which means it gets overpowered very easily when mixing and needs to be built up in layers if you are going for a saturated effect.
Now the part that I hate about this color, and something I hate about a few other paints: it dries into a brick. I've attached a picture for reference. When the paint dries in your palette, it's like a weird, foam-type blob in the pan. If you travel with your paints, you'll probably love it because it's almost impossible to make a mess with it once it's dry. But that's because it's it frustratingly slow to re-wet when you're using.
Don't get me wrong, if you mist it, wait a minute and then have a very wet brush, you'll be able to pull color off of the little paint dung pile in your palette. But when you compare it to how beautifully Daniel Smith and M. Graham colors re-wet, it's like...why even bother? It's not suc a dazzling color that I feel like I have to have it in my palette.
That mild annoyance alone convinced me not to purchase another tube when this runs out. I'll probably continue my hunt with Daniel or M. Graham. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
What an amazing color and texture. Okay, I don't think I bought my tube of Schmincke Translucent Orange <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Schmincke-Watercolors-Translucent-Orange-5-ml-tube/dp/B000AID24S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Schmincke Watercolors Translucent Orange 5 ml tube</a>at Amazon, but I have to tell you about it anyway.
I've been enraptured by the quinacridone oranges <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Daniel-Smith-Extra-Fine-Watercolor-15ml-Paint-Tube-Quinacridone-Burnt-Orange/dp/B001PTCU9E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor 15ml Paint Tube, Quinacridone, Burnt Orange</a>and golds <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Quinacridone-Deep-Gold-Series-2-15ml-Tube-Daniel-Smith-Extra-Fine-Watercolour/dp/B00478FWPY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Quinacridone Deep Gold Series 2, 15ml Tube Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolour</a>. As accents they make watercolors come to life. But I heard about this particular tube of watercolors while reading Atmospheric Watercolors by Jean Haines. I love her work, and I trust her, so I bought a tube. It's exquisite. Creating a dramatic waterflow by dribbling or splashing this color onto a bright yellow <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Winsor-Newton-Artist-Watercolors-Winsor-Lemon-5ml-tube/dp/B0006L9QYE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Winsor & Newton Artist Watercolors Winsor Lemon 5ml tube</a>, or on Daniel Smith's Sleeping Beauty Turquoise<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Daniel-Smith-Extra-Fine-Watercolor-15ml-Paint-Tube-Sleeping-Beauty-Turquoise-Genuine/dp/B001PTETHA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor 15ml Paint Tube, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Genuine</a> is truly satisfying.
Look at the front of her book, <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Jean-Haines-Atmospheric-Watercolours-Painting-with-Freedom-Expression-and-Style/dp/1844486745/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolours: Painting with Freedom, Expression and Style</a> to see Translucent Orange used with Alizarin Crimson and others in her watercolor cockerel. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but late is better than never in this case. I am putting together a scrapbook for the godson who just turned one. Now, I know that I should have been working on this much sooner than now, but late is better than never in this case. I really wanted to highlight many of the places he has been so far, along with the seasons he has experienced. Being the north, the seasonal changes are really spectacular, and tend to be pretty prominent throughout the region. I have not completely determined how I will lay out the organization of the pages quite yet, but of course, they all must have their own theme. I was impressed by the vast variety and selections at Michaels of the scrapbooks and scrapbook supplies, but without a coupon, it is almost impossible to get over the prices. So while I picked up a couple other supplies, and some various scrapbook materials, I turned to Amazon to ensure I could find the same variety (much more, actually) and with better pricing. Some items were more expensive, but it all really depended upon the brand, and who the seller was. Also, many of the stickers were an add-on only item, but this was not a problem, since I was ordering so many. They did group the packages into just thee boxes worth, and I had ordered two scrapbooks, expandable pages, plus over 10 different themes worth of the stickers and decorations for the pages. Overall, these are a great quality product, and I am ecstatic that I have found a great brand, with products that are high quality. These expandable sheets will really help bring the entire project together! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect for intricate designs, among lots of other uses. These markers are the best! I love leaving my wife silly notes on the bathroom mirror, or the full length mirror in our bedroom. It's also pretty useful to get exact designs and shapes when you need a more delicate and smaller nib. The sizes are perfect! You can get pretty creative and detailed with how you use them and the chalk is really easy to clean up - just use a dry cloth, not a wet one.
My wife and her bridesmaids used these to design signs at our wedding and it was perfect! You can't do elaborate designs like that with regular chalk or the larger nibbed markers, so give these a try! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Could have been so cool. Wow! Talk about a product that could have been awesome.
We got this expecting it to replace, or at least compliment, an existing Cricut machine. We spent literally hours trying to make it work how it was supposed to - with mixed results.
For example, it generally works fine if we feed each sheet of card stock directly from the front; but not always. I'm not sure why, but it is much more prone to jam up in this mode when printing from the computer software. (It's probably just because the fonts have more detail.)
When feeding from the paper tray, we found it almost impossible to make it work. We tried everything and could only get it to catch onto the paper every once in a while - and only with extreme interference. The funny thing is, even when it did grab a sheet of card stock out of the paper tray, it would just feed it out the front and then say "Paper Jam"...
I'm not kidding when I say we spent hours working with this thing. The problem is that it just seemed so cool that we didn't want to give up.
We tried contacting support, but got no response - so we finally just gave up...
Honestly, the only reason I'm even giving this little machine 2 stars is because of the potential. I just really wish it had worked for us! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I Love Marianne Designs They're Always Beautiful. I Love Marianne Designs They're Always Beautiful. Normally They Cutout Very Well Using My Big Shot. I Had To Return The First One Because The Bassinet (Bottom Section) Would Not Cut Through, It Mainly Only Cut The Outside Of The Bassinet's Border. The Top Of The Bassinet Cut Wonderfully As The Norm With These Dies. I Contacted Amazon As Usual They Sent A Return Label, I Requested Another Die Because I Love This Design, It Has So Many Possibilities. The Second Die Bassinet Bottom Section Does Cut Better Than The First One; But I Have To Run It Through Two, To Three Times Before It Will Cut Clean. The Top Section Of The Bassinet Cut Very Clean From The First And The Second Set I Was Sent From Amazon. Marianne Design Should Be Contacted And Informed That This And Possibly More Of Their Dies Fail To Meet Their Own Standards And Their Customer's Standards. I Really Hate To Only Give This Three Stars; Because I Do Love Marianne Design Collectable Dies... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Meh. These are not nearly as black or soluble are LYRA or Derwent brands. I like the size and shape, but they just don't dissolve as easily. If you are a timid artist, that might be an advantage. I my case, I like BOLD BLACKS easy and fast. These don't do that as well as others.
If you want pure BLACK, get Derwent aquarelle in the softest rating. Derwent aquarelles are best suited to detailed works, especially if you plan to reproduce them since the pigment Derwent uses does not shine like graphite.
If you like the look and speed of graphite, get the LYRA water-soluble graphite crayons. Be sure to get the water-soluble type, since LYRA produces BOTH standard graphite and water-soluble. LYRA water-soluble graphite crayons are not only bolder and easier to dissolve, but they are the best value by far.
Derwent aquarelles for small, detailed or reproducible works.
LYRA WS graphite crayons for LARGE BOLD BLACK graphite.
Art graf is OK, but it just doesn't compare favorably to the others mentioned herein for power, speed or value. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
We're 26 and loved, loved, loved this. Bought this with another Bob Ross Paint by Number for a "staycation" with my hubby. Even though we're both "grownups," we had so much fun with this kit!!! We spent about 5 hours painting the canvases.
The Bob Ross kits are fabulous for amateurs and the price is hard to beat. When you get the package, it includes "paint pots" with all the colors you need, a 8x10 canvas with the drawing and numbers (much higher quality than I expected), and a 8x10 copy of the canvas so you have an extra reference for the numbers.
The only downside is the paintbrush. We found that buying some additional brushes of various sizes made it easier to paint, as the included brush is a little to big to paint small details like tree limbs and the like.
Overall, this became one of our favorite activities on our staycation - it was simple, easy, fun and easy to clean up afterwards. The paints were pretty good quality and our finished products look awesome!!!
***PLUS, apparently we can send in our mailing address to get a free Bob Ross badge. It's hard not to love the Happy Trees guy. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Overpriced. I have had two replacements for this pen so far, and they are easy to damage, or wear out the bristles if you use it a lot. What you are really buying is the insides, a wick with the brush hairs attached, as I learned when I took the worn out ones apart. The exterior plastic and metal case seems to be most of the cost and does not wear out. I wrote to the manufacturer about buying just the wick and brush module with no response. The wick and brush pops out pretty easily, and with a little better care in the attachment of the bristles, could be easily replaceable at much less cost. Think about this before you overuse this as you will be spending the $37.50 for just the interior parts. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great alternative for the pricier easel pads. This works well with my Quartet tripod easel, but I had to improvise a little because the Quartet and Adams pads attach differently. In fact, it's more secure because the Quartet pads clamp on, but often fell off the easel while writing, but I attach the Adams pad through the handle loop and they stay on. I didn't give it 5 stars because the "Unique fold out marker holder" which I thought would be a nice feature was useless. It's part of the cardboard backing that supposed to fold up at an angle to hold markers, but it won't stay folded.
I bought the easel for home use and it has proved to be invaluable for a single parent. I write a list chores for my kids and they check them off as they do them. They use it to write down to let me know when we're running low on printer ink, when school projects are due, if the pets need food or whatever so I can do or buy what's necessary before there's a crisis. And we all use it to write down our schedules and of course, doodling. I bring up this point because the carry handle and cardboard backing make it easy to remove from the easel and place on the floor or table to write on, even for youngsters, and the paper is thick enough so medium point Sharpies don't bleed through to the next page even when someone gets in an artistic mood.
One thing that I wasn't happy about was how the pads were packaged and delivered. I bought a two pack, which turned out to just be two pads that were individually "packaged" in unfolded cardboard moving boxs with no other protection. They were simply placed between two unfolded packing boxes that were taped together around the edges to keep the pads from falling out. If it had rained the day they were delivered I would have found soggy flattened boxes of mushy pulp on my doorstep when I got home from work. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
No longer the quality product it once was. I purchased this item (and other Whiskey Painter items) in the past and was very pleased. But these most recent sets (ordered 2) arrived with several detached magnets. Globs of glue residue make it impossible to re-glue them back on securely. Of the ones that were still glued on, many had excess glue under just one end of the magnet so that it would not be able to sit flush in a kit. The edges of the pans were very sharp with some had extra tabs of plastic that would need to be filed or cut off. Some pans were stained black in parts. (by machinery, This poor quality is a real tumble down from the ones I bought before. The magnet type has also changed from very adequate circular ones to stronger bar ones (not necessary). I gave "Seller Feedback" and got no response at all. So I returned them. I plan to cut up magnetic sheet and glue it onto much cheaper priced pans. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love these pencils. Love these pencils. They are made in Germany and have lovely wood casings. They are fairly creamy which makes it easy to blend them. As a professional artist I own large sets of color pencils from 5 different manufacturers, and these are the ones I use when I need purples and pinks, as they have a very nice selection. They are quite soft, so I don't recommend them for detail work (like pupils), but I like how I can cover larger areas without the strokes showing too much because of their softness and blending ability. If your want to layer colors you need to go in softly because they do deposit wax. It will seal up if you bear down too hard, and stop accepting more pigment. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Interesting effects dipped in water. Useful for coloring books. There seem to be a lot of repeat listings of this product overall. Maybe someone can clarify it more. My guess is the difference between suppliers, descriptions and prices than the actual pencils themselves. There doesn't seem to be an official source of information on these pencils, at the time of this review, from what I could search. There are a number resellers describing them and people who have used them.
I have one set I purchased marked as an "oil pencil" As far as I can tell it appears to be the same product as this one. What I got was a moderately soft core pencil. Nothing overly exciting on the first impression. That was until I went though some playing around and experimenting.
They all seem to be water soluble. When the tips are dipped in water, they have a slight oil pastel like feeling. I am guessing this may be why the words "oil pencil" may be appearing in some descriptions. The wet down color fades a bit when spread and doesn't go as far as a true watercolor pencil. That may explain the water soluble part. This is not a feature I've found unique to these pencils. I've found it with various colors in other relatively cheap colored pencils and in some Prismocolor pigments. These do really well with the effect and are consistent along the whole range of colors. Other brands, this find appears to be a bonus limited to some pigments, and not as strong of an effect as these. The effect overall reminds me of a harder version of the Neocolor II water soluble wax/oil pastels. To get the most out of these a water based marker blender is a better option to a soft paint brush.
The Pencils I got are marked in the 7100 series, silver with a silver box. They aren't color labeled, but have numbers 501-572. They go from white to cream to orange, red, light flesh tones, light purple, magenta, mid purple, blue to green, earth to dark flesh tones and neutrals to black at the end. The last two 571 and 572 are silver and gold. It helps greatly to make a color chart when figuring out which color is what, regardless of the color indicator on the pencil. As for color names, there seems to be a lot of interpretation based on the seller.
Anyways my experience with them. I did not get them at a discount or given to me. I just happened to see glowing reviews and thought I'd try them myself to see how they stacked up to my more expensive pencils. I have Prismacolors, Pablo, and Polychromos colored pencils (open stock). I also have a couple Irojiten pencils.
Overall conclusion: I still prefer polychromos, Irojiten and Pablo over these for dry point coloring and serious artwork. They have a smoother coverage, less drag on the paper, less crumbling as I color and overall more control with shading and layering. The more expensive pencils are also marketed as lightfast. These pencils don't seem very clear on their lightfast values. Local art stores may sell the more expensive pencils as open stock, making replacing used colors easier. Also sharpening: The more expensive pencils work well with both electric sharpening and hand held. I've found the points on these to be a bit brittle for electric sharpening. They point well, but it tends to break with pressure. Hand held sharpening gives these a shorter but still sharp point, (depending on the sharpener) and makes controlling these much easier.
These pencils have their use for coloring books and sketchbook doodling. I can get interesting effects with them by dipping their tips in water or going over with a water based marker blender (tombow). They appear to have minimal bleed through. This makes them useful for double sided coloring books. They also have a great bargain price point. Color range is also decent. There are a lot of greens and pinks. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Received a used and incomplete item. I already have one of these machines, and Im very happy with it. But my husband and I go back and forth between Minnesota and Alabama, so I decided it would be nice to have a here machine and a there machine. So, this purchase arrived, and I was ready to start a project. However, when I opened the box, I immediately noticed that the protective sheets were in the box, but not protecting the cutting mats, and the name Natalie was very clearly cut into one of the mats, which was also covered in towel lint. In addition, the pens were missing. Last, but not least, the tape used to stabilize the blade mechanism had been removed. I am a devoted Amazon shopper and have made dozens of purchases a year for several years. This is my worst experience with Amazon, ever. Very disappointing. Its on the way back tomorrow. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Did not coat lead evenly after baking. This product was used to powder coat lead bullets. Applied per instructions. This product did not leave an even coat. In order to get a non transparent coat I had to reapply this process 3 times. Had to pull the bullets as the coating was not even and in fact put the bullets out of tolerance. I believe these could potentially be unsafe to fire until resized. I am open to trying other colors, as for me yellow did not work out well. I will change my review if I find an efficient way to reliably coat this product with normal household tools . Pictured are the best out of 100 rounds. All have been discarded as unsightly and unsafe. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
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