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No more eating crayons or a mess. This is a very cute book. I got this for my 2 year old little girl who loves to draw but makes a huge mess! I can't give her crayons because she eats them so this was the perfect solution. It is a cardboard type book and comes with a marker that you just fill with water.
The book is white on the page but when you color on it, it reveals the colors underneath my little one thought it was very neat. You can see in the pics it held her attention well.
Very pleased with this purchase now there will be no more eating crayons or messes on my table of floor!
I was blessed to be chosen to recieve this item at a discount for my honest review. I take all my reviews very serious hope this was helpful for you! Thank you for reading! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A well rounded art desk for the well rounded artist. It's a beast of a desk, and I advise you to review every piece before putting it together. Delivery of such furniture can be problematic as I had to go through one busted and bent up desk and waiting to get a replacement.
Overall though it's a great piece of furniture. Construction is well made and very sturdy. The glass is resilient, nice and thick. I was surprised that the upper shelf was held simply by suction cups but that worked just fine. I also love the addition of the corkboard and magnets on the side. It's perfect for hanging up references. The side compartments are very helpful and easy to fill up.
My only caveat is with the drawer. It doesn't come out all the way. It's just constructed that way. there's about a few inches left that doesn't come out so you have to dig back in there to grab stuff. But that's only if you fill it up with art stuff to the brim like I did.
Overall a solid purchase, especially at this price. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Creamy and rich colors, great for a variety of art projects. My eight-year-old loves to work on art projects using various media and I came across this inexpensive gel crayon set by Rose Art at a local retail store, heavily discounted. At first I was apprehensive, because both my daughter and I do not particularly care for RoseArt color pencils that come off looking washed out. For the price though, I didn't think it would hurt to try.
I'm glad I did because these six gel crayons (per pack) glide on with a smooth creamy finish and are great for coloring, and embellishing. They can also be used as watercolor crayons with some lovely effects, just add in a little water and blend to the desired effect. You could also use them on stamps, dab a little water on the stamp pad and apply the gel crayon. My daughter has had great fun with these! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
An unfussy, utilitarian, essential piece of gear for marker nuts. Does exactly what you'd expect. No frills but the material quality seems to be pretty durable. I actually spilled some nacho cheese on mine and was able to wash the entire thing and dry it out; doesn't seem to have affected it one bit.
Though I've already run out of space with this case for all of my markers, it excels at being portable, forces me to plan ahead with what I pack, and keeps my workflow a bit more organized. I may buy another once I amass enough markers!
One slight I'll lastly mention is that the Prismacolor brand markers often get awkwardly snagged on the nylon loops inside the case. This is more of a problem with the markers' caps but I wanted to point it out since both the case and markers are the same brand.... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
They're not Prismacolor. I'm an avid artist. I don't know if I'm any good, but it's something I enjoy. So I figured I'd try a new colored pencil and I bought these Faber-Castells. I was not impressed. They're basically expensive map pencils. I was hoping to get a Prismacolor equivalent for a less expensive cost. However, this is not what I got. I tried several different pieces on a variety of heavy pound and different smooth-type paper. All the results were the same. I got very little saturation and the contrast just wasn't blowing my skirt up. These pencils have been relegated to my children for their arts and crafts projects. If you want quality, get Prismacolor, if you want expensive map pencils, get Faber-Castell. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice Brush Marker with Highly Pigmented Inks. I am surprised there are not more reviews for these markers. We use these in our card making project. Both the high school kids and the professional artists who work with them love these, as do I. They are different from Copics (I only compare because Copics are the more popular alcohol based marker on the market and I have experience with both). The main differences I have noticed is that the Spectra Marker is a little drier than a Copic and while the ink is high quality, it is more opaque in the first pass. That makes the Spectra good for laying down flat color, laying down a first coat of color, creating backgrounds and cell shading. They are bendable, but I think less so than Copics. I like the brush very much but had to adjust to using it. As long as you learn how to use these and realize they are DIFFERENT alcohol-based markers, with a different strong point, you'll realize they are great. They are not an exact dupe but they are a high quality marker. The one problem we have found is that the "set" system does not make it easy to get all colors if you start out with one of the smaller set. We have the 48 set and would like to acquire the remainder of the 96 available colors. You would think it would be as easy as buying the second 48 set found in the 96 pack, but it does not seem to be on the market. The remedy seems to be that the markers are available individually but they haven't hit our local market yet. Anyway, these are vibrant and fun to use. I especially like putting down a solid layer of color with these and then going in to detail and shade with colored pencils. These are made in China and distributed by Chartpak. Hope this helps. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wonderful concept, beautifully achieved. This coloring book takes adult coloring for meditation to a whole new level. I got the hint that it would be a different experience from the title: Life Lessons. Opening the book and seeing that it had instructions further confirmed that this would be a unique experience. I was not disappointed!
Each page of the book has a focus word and a quote. The word, quote, and image work together to give me a general idea to focus on while I meditate/color. Its a brilliant concept, and definitely reinforces the idea of coloring as meditation. I really appreciated the instruction to flip through the pages and find one that appeals to me. I hate doing things in order, and having explicit instruction to jump around is liberating. The concepts vary from page to page, and some called to me more than others. When I am in different moods, different pages are more appealing. Its interesting to think about when I want to focus on which concepts.
Anyway, once I settle on a page, the coloring process itself is a joy. The pages are single sided, so I don't have to worry about color from one page bleeding through and affecting the experience on another page. Because the binding is at the top of the page, I have no worry about smearing the colors as I go. Its rare to find a coloring book that works as well for lefties as it does for right-handed people. The difficulty of the images varies, but none are overly complex, or too simple. Its a great book to get started with adult coloring. I received this product at a discount in exchange for my fair and honest review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Paint is Unusable. Like others have said, included paints were bone dry and 100% unusable. Amazon needs some quality control. If you don't have extra paints, you can't complete this. Numbers on the canvas are faded and difficult to read. Painting requires massive amounts of mixing. MASSIVE.
Don't throw away the papers, you can't read the numbers on the canvas but an extra copy is on the papers inside. I haven't finished it yet, it's very complex. Probably will not buy any more from this company as it's doubtful anyone cares about their product being unusable.
*update*
If you somehow manage to finish, it should look like mine but better (crappy camera).
Needed Paints: Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Sap Green, Cobalt Blue, Black. I mixed my own greens (Ochre+Black and Yellow+Blue variations), you'll come out better. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Glad i learned how to dismantle an airbrush in order . Glad i learned how to dismantle an airbrush in order to clean it correctly because the parts in this thing are somewhat low-quality and easily clog and if you were to drop it (no needle inside it)....like i did....the triggers mechanism falls apart without the needle present. After a few days of trying every orientation of the mechanisms components, i fixed it. It works back to its original level of mediocrity. So if you wanna work on fine details, this may not be the gun for you. It covers a large area and the trigger is not as sensitive (brand new even) as you would hope, though it does the job for me when building my 1/144 gunpla kits. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but given that it was not broken I had no problems with it although I was annoyed since something else might've happened to it. So I've been using this mannequin for 3 days now and here's what I think about it:
First things first, the packing in which it came, which it had a cylindrical shape, was not closed at all, it didn't have a lid for it to be well secured inside of it so when I opened the box where my other items were (I ordered about 3 more items together with the mannequin) it's head was already sticking out of the packaging, but given that it was not broken I had no problems with it although I was annoyed since something else might've happened to it.
- At first when I took it out of the box, I gave it a general look for which it seemed to be well built, nothing broken or nothing missing.
- The mannequin is much more tense in the joints than what I thought it would be, now I can really tell if this is something good or bad given that I do not know how tense is it supposed to be but I didn't give it much thought since it was new and I realized it was probably going to get much easier to work as time went by and it's joints would loosen up a bit.
- Finally, and this is something which really bugged me , further inspection showed that the legs were not centered to the front of the mannequin but rather they are more leaning to it's right, this can be seen mostly when sitting down, this obviously hinders the posture of the mannequin and your drawing when taking different positions, at first I let it slide but 3 days have passed and it has proven that for certain things it's rather tricky to draw given that it's legs are favoring one side more than the other, I am now debating on whether I should return it or just accommodate to it's flaws.
Overall, this 12 in. male mannequin by Art Advantage is greatly built and sturdy, came with everything it said it would but I am displeased to see that parts of it's structure were not carefully put together. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
excellent brush set. <div id="video-block-R1O2H8I7LXUX3B" 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/D1lYq9q7KYS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Da9wXWzUS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> This is a very nice set of paint brushes with a storage case. It arrives in a nice box, perfect for gifting. You receive 12 brushes and a small pallet knife. The case is nice, you can lift and set the piece that holds the brushes. This works well for two purposes. Easier access to the brushes and better air circulation for drying. The brushes are well made. No lose heads or shedding bristles. It is a nice selection of brushes too. Great for a beginner artist, a child or a seasoned pro. The handles and the brushes are excellent too. They fit well in the hand which is important because painting can tire the hand easily, a good brush needs to be easy to hold. I have been painting for 25 years. I work with all mediums, my favorites being oil paints. These brushes are good for oils, acrylics and watercolors. I would have no problem using them for any of those and they will be well used. I love and recommend them.
I received this product free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This opinion is my own and is in no way influenced by this discount. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Smaller than what i was expecting. I purchased these to use in some nail art I was planing on doing on my self. When i purchased then i thought they would be great for that purpose. When they arrived they arrived in containers that are the same size as other Martha Stewart glitter, so i was happy I was getting that amount of product. What I was kind of bummed about was the size and shape of the beads, they are quite small and not at all perfectly spherical. If you are looking for a product that is a bit large in size and perfectly spherical I would tell you look elsewhere because these will not due. Other than that it is a great product that when applying them to the nail, the color will not bleed. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My Colour Wheel Is Crying. I ordered three colours of this brand and size.
They arrived in a timely manner and were packaged in a way that, if there had been a leak, would have minimised damage.
Of course, the consistency of each of the three was different. It ranged from "just right" to "would anyone like a purple pudding?"
And the actual colours...
* Red had a pinkish hue but was still basically red when wet. When it dried, it was hot pink. No exaggeration.
* Blue was true, vibrant blue when wet. Yay! And then dried to a dull, Pantone 2728 sort of shade...
* Purple was lavender when wet...a very grey-toned shade of lavender. When dried, it was a dark purple. There was no point, once removed from the bottle, that it looked like true purple. Perhaps the bottles are magic?
But, hey, nice packing skills.... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect for traveling and crafting. I'm a quilter and I often find myself needing to press open seams while I'm in a setting where a huge iron is terribly inconvenient. Luckily I saw this product on a YouTube demonstration and decided to buy one. It's exactly the right size! I read a few reviews that remind the user that it's not quick to heat up and that you have to be careful not to touch anywhere on the metal shaft--and I have to agree! The first time I picked it up to use it I was chatting to my husband and burned my index finger. After that quick lesson I've had no troubles at all! After using it I do have to remind myself to give the iron time to cool down before it goes in my bag because it's not easy to cool off. The stand provided works pretty well and is necessary--it's far too hot to sit on anything not heat-proof. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Does not cut cleanly. I love the design, the concept and have had this die on my wish list for some time. When I finally got it in time to make graveyard cards for Halloween I found this to be one of the most difficult dies in my collection.
No matter what tricks I try middle gate will not cut clean nor will the inner cuts of the other pieces. All that does cut out is the gates connecting bars.
I have tried EVERYTHING. I have even contacted the company through email and have not received a response.
I will not buy anymore intricate dies from Cottage Cutz again. As for my graveyard fencing, I will buy Tim Holtz Graveyard fence or Spellbinders Wrought Iron fence. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
and their price isn't terrible as long as you have a 40% off coupon. I'm so thrilled I found these canvas panels! My daughter asked for lots of paint, brushes, and canvas so she can start painting some at home after attending multiple painting parties. She absolutely loves it. However, at 8 years old I don't want to invest a ton of money into canvas when she's most likely going to go through it rather quickly. I checked out Michael's, and their price isn't terrible as long as you have a 40% off coupon, but all I could find there were the wrapped canvas in sets of 10 which came out to about the same price as these. I do like the wrapped canvas, but I wanted to have some of the panels since they take up less room (and, again, my kid is going to through tons of them!). I also like that with the panels I have the option to put them in a frame if I wanted to go that route. These hang really easily and nicely. My daughter absolutely loves decorating her room and bathroom with her own masterpieces, and I love that she's spending her free time being creative. Now I'm certainly not an expert on these things, so I'm sure there are other canvas choices that are higher quality, but I would imagine for the average person these would be a great choice. And for the price you can't beat it! I will definitely buy these again and may even try a different size next time. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fantastic product. This was my first time using any kind of chalk paint. I picked Poets based on the reviews and the fact that is was easier to get them Annie Sloan. I painted my entire kitchen cabinets. Took 4 1/2 cans of the Vintage white and about a 1/2 a can of the Blackbird black and I am in love with the results! Three coats of the white but that is expected since I was going lighter, and only two coats of black. Started out my first stroke with a foam roller and realized that technique did not work, so I painted the whole thing by brush. Did not sand anything, and used a poly as a top coat since these are highly used cabinets. Can't wait to start painting something else! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Set #774 that goes with set #771. This accessory goes with Elizabeth Craft Designs Pop It Up Metal Dies by Karen Burniston, Accordion Fancy Label #771. 771 has the full frame but this accessory #774 comes as three different pieces that has three different designs. In order to get a full frame that is on the advertised picture for this product, it shows how the frame after each die is cut four times should look. One piece per design for each of the three designs. The three pieces shown under the frame is what you get and not the three square frames that is shown. Each of the three pieces measures about 4 1/2 inches by about 7/8.
In addition to the full frame #771, this set #774, can be used on a regular square so it has different uses. Enjoy! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I really like these letter stamps. I really like these letter stamps. They do work for the purpose I needed them for; crafting letters, cards, and from time to time in my journal. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is for two reasons....The 1st: when they arrived I found a lot of the rubber letter stamps were not centered on the wood part. In some cases they were only half on the wood making the rest of the adhesive that should have been stuck to the wood in turn got stuck to other stamps. I fixed them as best I could which made them workable. The 2nd reason is more of a personal preference possible but, I wish they stayed standing in the wooden box better. Just about every time I try to close the box it is a light struggle...poking my fingers in the sides to get the stamps to stand up straight so the lid will close.....
Over all, great product and works perfect for my intended uses (after a few fixes). | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent Assortment Set of Brushes for Artists. These are my first set of real paint brushes not the cheap kind you buy for a few bucks. What struck me was opening the lovely case and seeing the brushes for the first time. It makes you feel like a real artist, which Im not yet I'm getting there. These are beautiful brushes you almost don't want to paint with them. I took out each one out and inspected it, they were a bit crunchy is the best way to describe it. I rubbed each one checking to make sure no bristles were loose or stray, none were and they did soften up. The brush handles are long so one could use them with an easel if they choose. I did not I just held them close to the base and had no trouble painting. The paint brush feels good in your hand and I thought they were light.
I do mixed media, which uses several different types of paint mediums. Acrylic, watercolor, oil paint, pastels and others, l also I paint in my coloring books. If you paint or put a light paint wash on your coloring pages you can go over them and blend and shade with colored pencils. I uploaded two pictures one is the coloring page I painted using a couple of the brushes. I painted the cat on plain cheap 20-pound copy paper using acrylic paint. Ill link to the coloring book if you would like to take a look, its 30 cute animal pictures which I had a chance to review. Please note I downloaded the picture to color, it is not the actual coloring book so the paper was my own. I cannot attest to the paper from the coloring book itself. <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pet-Portraits-Let-Your-Love-Express-Through-30-Cute-Pet-Portraits-Pet-Portraits-pet-books-pets/dp/B01EZ4NX28/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pet Portraits: Let Your Love Express Through 30 Cute Pet Portraits. (Pet Portraits, pet books, pets)</a>
The other is a chart of the brush strokes so you could get a good idea of the size of the brushes. The biggest brush the #12 is an inch wide for your reference. I used neon pink paint hoping it would show up well on a piece of copy paper. The strokes made with the round brush are if you made a regular brush stroke and the other is if you flattened out the brush for some reason. I made the chart because while looking for bigger brushes I read brush size is relevant to the manufacturer. So, a number 12 brush from one company could be a different size than a number 12 from another company. The brushes all washed out easily, no bristles were lost, and they kept their shape.
The sturdy case the brushes come in do double duty. You can Velcro it and have it stand up so you could grab the brush you need. The brushes are clearly marked with the number size. The only thing I found unusual was the odd numbers are on one side and the even are on the other. I have no explanation since its my first set of brushes that didn't come in a plastic bag. My chart reflects the odd and even sizes just as they are in the case.
So far Im impressed with the Art Kollection brushes, they appear to be very well made. They are very versatile since you can use them for acrylic, watercolor, oil paint, and more. I believe they are fairly priced, considering I was looking for a number 10 size brush a while back and it was the same price as the entire set of 12. They would make a wonderful starter set for any artist since they have a good assortment with angular, filberts, round and wash brushes.
I received this product at a discount in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I love that it came with a teflon sheet so that . I have only used this heat press twice so far, but it worked perfectly each time. I love that it came with a teflon sheet so that I did not have to purchase one separately. Shipping took a little while, but I knew it would when I placed my order because it is such a popular heat press. The instructions were difficult to understand, but between reading them and watching a few youtube videos, I didn't have any trouble setting it up for my first use. Before using it for the first time, I would recommend taking it outside and letting it heat up and stay on for about 30 minutes for the initial "burn off". When you do this, the odor is very strong and a small amount of smoke comes from the plates...this is why I recommend doing it outside instead of heating it up for the first time inside your home. The heat press seems to be very good quality, but I did purchase the extended warranty just in case it malfunctions in the future. As I mentioned before, the heat press has worked great so far, but if anything changes, I will update my review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect dye for a Spec Ops break out bag. Recently, the Army published a few changes to our uniform policy (AR 670-1). The new regulation states that Soldiers may only carry backpacks over the shoulder than are black, or that match the worn uniform (ACU pattern, multicam, etc). I have an OD green backpack that I have carried for 14 years. I have deployed to Iraq with it, and taken it everywhere. It bears the patches and name tapes that reflect my service and skills, and I am very sentimentally attached to it. I hope to pass it on to my eldest son when he is old enough, and when I'm retired. But, sadly, I cannot carry a green backpack anymore, and I just don't want to buy another one. So, with high hopes, I bought a pack of iDye Poly Fabric Dye. It was a bit of a challenge finding a large stock pot big enough to fit the backpack in, but my wife let me use our big spaghetti pot for the job. My German stove wasn't quite able to get the water to a rolling boil as the directions state...it seems the dye and color intensifier raises the boiling point of the water. But I kept it hot, and soaked the backpack in the water for a full hour, agitating it the whole time with some wooden spoons and keeping the backpack completely submerged the whole time. The backpack is 100% cordura nylon, covered with loop fasteners for attaching gear, and has big heavy zippers with para-cord drawstrings, heavy compression straps, and a synthetic lining. I fully expected to find that the dye would have been absorbed at different rates by all the different thicknesses and compositions of material. I figured that the part of the bag that was near the bottom of the thin stainless steel pot would be darker than the parts that were near the surface of the water. However, I was THRILLED to find that the ENTIRE bag is a very uniform, very dark shade of black, and is now totally in compliance with the new regulation. I cannot tell you how happy I am to be able to keep using my old bag! I rinsed it with a hose outside, and then gave it a few soaks in the kitchen sink, with only a slight darkening of the water. I am now giving it a gentle wash with color safe baby detergent, and I'll see how well the color holds without bleeding, but so far, it looks like I will be able to feel totally confident with it slung over my back, rain or shine, without worrying that it will leave any stains on my uniform. I can't praise this product enough. While my opinions are my own, and do not reflect the opinions of the US Army, I hope that any other service members out there that find themselves in my position will look no further than this product. It is 100% exactly what I needed, and it does the job perfectly! Thank you SO MUCH for this wonderful, (and inexpensive) product! It even arrived in record time to my CMR address. Five stars! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice Set, Does Not Come Sharpened. My children are taking art lessons and needed a set of pencils for blending and shading. I purchased these as I thought the pastel colors would be perfect.
This is a nice set of 36 pencils that do come sharpened. I did learn if you do not have a proper sharpener for these type of pencils do not attempt it with the cheap kind you get from the office store. It will leave you will a pile of broken pencils and trash. These are not the colored pencils you would use for coloring so make sure to keep them separate from them as they do not serve the same purpose.
The set contains some very nice colors and the pencils work great. If you do not know how to use them properly I would suggest doing some research before using them as they are shading pencils not for everyday coloring and they do work differently. Overall I am happy with them. I do wish they would have come pre-sharpened as it does take a lot of time to sharpen 36 pencils.
Disclaimer: I did receive this item free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. I am in no way connected to the seller nor am I required to leave a five-star review. I review the item and rate it honestly and fairly. This is my 100% honest opinion of the above referenced item and I only change my rating if the product under performs over time. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cool pen but flaws. Pros:
- the clear model is neat to look at since you see all the parts
- holds a lot of ink. Eyeballing it, it looks like 2x or 3x what a converter would hold. Great for business trips over 1 week where other pens might run dry
- the nib writes very smooth and the "right" angle for it is perfect for me
Cons:
- the pen did not like the airplane flight - it leaked a bit when I used it to fill out the customs card and left a big blotch on the card
- the piston filler is the end of the pen where you post the cap. I had a co-worker do this and when he pulled the cap off post he gave it a bit of a twist and dumped about a quarter-sized puddle of ink on the conference room table
- the medium nib writes like a bold or maybe even extra bold nib of other pens. In fact it puts down so much ink that you can't write on both sides of a notebook since it bleeds through to the other side and makes it hard to read the words on either side
- the section where you grip it to write is too smooth, almost slippery. Maybe I am too used to the knurled grip on the Rotring 600 I have been using, but I really think this needs something to help the grip like a shape like a 3-sided pencil or texture of some sort (but still being clear)
Given that the medium nib flows way too much ink and the leaking issues, I think it may be a defective example so I will return it and try a fine nib one and see if that also leaks.
(Note: you can buy the nibs separately for these but I think my pen has other issues...) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
TOO AWESOME FOR WORDS. Seriously, buying this sketch book has got to be the best $30.00 I ever spent. The quality is amazing, I am absolutely delighted with it. I started drawing in it about 60 seconds after I got it out of the mailbox and unwrapped. If you like to draw you will LOVE this sketchbook. If you know someone who likes to draw, they will think you are the Funk King/Queen of the Western World if you get them this sketch book.
So far I have used pencils, regular old No 2's and nicer Prismacolor sketching pencils, Prismacolor colored pencils, Derwent colored pencils, a few different brands & types of gel pens and some Staedler fine tipped markers to draw/color in this sketchbook and I have had no issues with bleed-through to the next page though some of the gel pens and the fine-tipped markers did show through on the back of the page I was using them on. Had I been using the markers for anything other than lightly outlining/subtle depth, they would probably have bled through to the next page. The paper is not thick but it is not exactly thin either. It's not super smooth, nor is it at all textured or rough. It's GOOD paper, not extremely high quality, but very nice. It seems to take pencil, both graphite and wax-based colored pencils best, and gel pens work well too though I much prefer the way the Prismacolor and Derwent colored pencils blend and look on this paper. If you're gonna use markers, put a couple of sheets of paper between the page you're using them on and the page behind it so it toesn't bleed through. I don't know if pastels would work too good, the paper seems too lightweight and smooth but then again it has been a very long time since I've used pastels so I could be wrong.
If you're looking for a high quality oversized sketchbook that'll take awhile for you to fill up, this sketch book is an excellent choice. I can't imagine anyone being anything other than thrilled with this sketchbook.
Art Alternatives was also a pleasure to deal with, I actually received my sketch book a couple of days early. My book was appropriately packaged and and brand new, still wrapped in plastic, and in absolutely perfect condition. It was NOT exactly as the seller described. I got the Very Big Sketch Book and I don't care. Yes, the Very Big Sketch Book has, I believe, 48 fewer pages than the Sketches in the Making book. I still don't care. For approximately $30 (which includes shipping and handling) this book is still a great deal. The quality of the book itself and the paper is very, very good, I would expect to pay around $70-$100 for a sketchbook of similar size/quality someplace like Artists Loft or even Michaels, if Michael's carried a product like this (which they do not!) I am very, very happy with my purchase and quibbling over 48 pages when I have 300 oversized ones to work with just seems petty to me. Yeah, it's a bit scammer-like of Art Alternatives to send people a different product that the one pictured/described without telling their customers about the substitution or offering a discount or anything. That really is the classic definition of "bait-and-switch," though a very small-potatoes example of it. Inevitably, they're gonna p*ss some of their customers off and probably lose at least a few with this kind of behavior. And while I would happily buy from them again, I will also be asking them some very specific questions about anything I buy from them before I purchase it and saving those emails and their responses just in case I should find myself going toe-to-toe with them over something that IS a big deal to me. If I don't get a clear response or any response at all to my pre-purchase inquiries, I will probably order from another seller if at all possible. Although I am happy with this purchase, Art Alternatives has let me know that they find nothing wrong with substituting one product for another, very similar, one without telling me of their intention to do so or offering me any sort of discount or incentive for my 48 missing pages. Everything worked out ok for me this time, but it might not next time. They have planted the seed of doubt and that's a shame. If someone at Art Alternatives had taken 90 seconds out of their life to email me and make sure I was gonna be ok with the substitution before just sending it on (and hoping I wouldn't notice, I assume) there would have been no seed of doubt planted and I would not feel the need to use caution if and when I should deal with them in the future.
Still, I do love the sketch book, I feel like I got an excellent deal, the fact that there are 48 fewer pages than I thought I was getting is not a big deal at all to me and overall I am thrilled with this purchase. I would also recommend this sketch book to anyone in the market for a sketch book and I would recommend Art Alternatives as a good source to purchase the sketch book from though I might also suggest that the buyer email Art Alternatives for specific information about what product they will actually be receiving, especially if I know the buyer to be a person who is very choosy and/or very detail oriented. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love this set. Absolutely LOVE my Cricut tools! If you're a crafter you will use every one of these tools! I recommend getting the organizer for these as well and keeping by your crafting station, it makes it much for convenient. I use the scissors for well.. Cutting of course. The tweezers for small designs and especially for my heat embossing, the small scrapper for gently lifting my paper off the adhesive mat so it doesn't rip, the pick tool for removing small items from the design and the big scrapper for cleaning my mats of extra small pieces of paper. I'm not entirely sure of the little blue piece as I've never used it. Overall these are very useful! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Holds paint beautifully. I have a small bench next to my vanity table that was painted a dull white and had a bland fabric cover. I wanted to spruce it up a bit so I used the FolkArt products to re-paint the bench a lovely grey shade. I used the milk paint brush to first apply a coat of FolkArt Milk Paint Bonding and Primer. Then I rinsed the brush in cool water and was amazed that was all it took to get all of the primer removed from the brush. The brush was next used to apply two coats of FolkArt Milk Paint in Monument Grey.
The brush holds the paint beautifully and goes on evenly with no brush strokes visible. I really like the rounded edges on the brush and the handle which is just the right size for smaller projects. I'm by no means a paint brush expert so I have no idea if hog bristles are normal, however, I can say they work great on this brush. Again, all it took was a rinse with cool water to remove all of the paint from the brush. It dried quickly and remained soft, not stiff like some other brushes once they have been washed. I'm excited to use this brush for my next project painting some old frames. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
They were wonderful. They lasted a couple years. I bought these when they hit a sale a few years ago. They were wonderful. They lasted a couple years, wrote clearly and finely, and were bold. As they started drying up (after a couple years of use), I replaced them with another brand and realized that not all chalk markers are equal. The new markers left a fat, illegible font, the tips frayed, and the darker colors just don't show as well as my Bistros.
I used my chalk markers mainly on a glass covered black calendar. It was beautiful. Occasionally, I used them to decorate a real chalkboard (refurbished with chalkboard paint.) I found that though it washed off of the chalkboard, it still left a palimpsest under whatever new writing I added. However, if I scribbled over my old lettering with the same marker and then washed it off, it worked much better. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great product - order extra in case your printer eats the paper. I bought this product to create an overlay for my print-at-home wedding invitations. The finished product was beautiful however I will caution anyone who has not printed on vellum before - I ended up ordering an entire extra packet just as a back-up. I'm glad I did because the vellum was very difficult to print on with my inkjet printer. I found that if I put more than 2 pieces of paper in the feeder tray at one time that the printer would jam and the vellum would get caught in the printer and crinkle or fold. I ruined a good 10-15 sheets this way. I'm not sure if this is just my printer's issue or if vellum is inherently difficult to print on using a typical desktop inkjet printer. I took my time and hand fed about 130 sheets of paper printing only one or two copies at a time. Tedious process but a beautiful addition to my invitations! I'll be using the extra paper to make luminaries for my table numbers! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
fabulous for inks and solvents, for blending pencil with Gamsol, or for blending water-based pens. For years I have been wishing they sold empty felt-tipped pens so that I could fill them up with different solvents and inks and dyes (and even water) to use in my artwork. When I realized that the Craft Nib Holder and Nibs were essentially blank pens, I couldn't wait to try them. My only hesitation was the firmness of the nib- I didn't want something mushy or too soft. These nibs are perfect- they are very firm, but when saturated, they have a bit of give, but still can maintain a super crisp line.
I use a bunch of different solvents, inks, and dyes in my work (Gamsol and alcohol for colored pencil, Dr. PH Martin's Liquid Watercolors, Brusho, etc.) and these nibs are absolutely perfect. They are very firm, even when they are saturated in liquid, so they can be easily controlled to make fine lines and dots without leaving splatter. Because they come 10 to a package, I can have one for not only the different liquids I use, but for different colors of each- I simply switch them out when changing from warm/cool colors, etc.
These are wonderful for working with alcohol inks and for blending colored pencil with Gamsol. I also use them for getting into tights, detailed areas with watercolor.
Great product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Amazing set. I was a little hesitant about this set because I primarily use alcohol or oil based pens, but this pen set pleasantly surprised me. The colors are amazingly smooth and vibrant and there is virtually no bleeding or feathering. The dual tip is great. It's pen is like a 2 in 1. The brush tip is great. It's incredibly flexible and the color flow is perfect. The fine tip side is great for outlining and drawing more finely detailed images. I am a little bit dissatisfied with how well the markers blend together. They don't really blend so much as lay on top of each other, but I've got a blending pen so that problem is easily taken care of. All in all, I really like this set of art pens and I definitely see myself purchasing this set again in the future. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A little powder goes a long way. I make and sell greeting cards to benefit the local library, and I like to experiment with different products to use as background color. I discovered that I didn't need to apply much powder when working with Brusho Crystals to get very intense colors. All I needed to do was poke a small hole (using a corsage pin) in the lid of each jar and sprinkle a very small amount on my watercolor paper. When I spritzed water on the crystals, it was amazing to see how much color spread across the paper.
Please see customer image for an A9 (5.5" x 8.5") greeting card where I created the background using blue, violet and green Brusho crystals. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not bad, but doesn't come with hose, not powerful enough if you use Spray Paint. So I shouldn't really complain about the unit didn't come with the hose, because they did mentioned it in the detail.. I just too dumb not to noticed.. lol
So if you want to get it, there's another seller on Amazon that's cheaper and come with the hose.
Now about the product. It's nice, but not as powerful as I hoped. It'll probably do well with airbrush, but I'm using spray paint. It definitely helps, the paint didn't fly all over the place, but you STILL SMELL THEM! so if you use it indoor, I STRONGLY suggest that you get a respirator, it's for your health, don't risk it!
I attach my own hose and direct it outside, I also have window open and have a vornado fan blow directly towards outside, and the smell is gone after in about 30 min or so after a 5 minutes spray paint session, so it's not that bad, but still... still needs to be well ventilated area.
I'll definitely keep using it, the unit is well built and convenient. Maybe when I upgrade to air brush one day, it'll be much more useful than now. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
View your old 35mm slides. I had several thousand 35mm slides that I could only access by getting my old slide projector and carousel slide drums out of the closet and then spend hours searching for specific slides. I bought a 100 sheet package of Print File Archival Preservers for 35mm slides. These are clear plastic sheets that each hold 25 slides. I also purchased a Litup B4 Super Slim light table. I can now look at 25 slides at a time when I lay the Print File sheets on this fantastic, easy to store light table! I don't understand why Litup doesn't advertise the fantastic use this item can be for people with large collections of old negatives and slides. Big thumbs up! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great brushes for the price. I ordered these as a starter set of paintbrushes so that I could try my hand at making my own wall art. I thought because they were so reasonably priced I was going to have to deal with poor craftsmanship and have bristles falling out, or the brush heads just falling off completely. I was very pleased when they arrived to see that they are very sturdy! The natural bristle brushes wash off very easily, the synthetic bristles not as well (they are white and my acrylic paint did stain them just a bit), but it isn't a problem at all. The case is great, too. The top folds down and there is a little velcro square in each side to keep it in place when you roll it up to protect the brushes. I was very pleased with them and have used them several times already. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Be gentle. I picked this up for a friend of mine in art school, and she absolutely loved it. It is easy to use, makes no mess unless you sling the water everywhere, and is a great little creative release. I can definitely see how some people see how this could be use for meditation and the like since everything melts away leaving a clean slate every time.
The one caveat of this product is that it is extremely fragile. Don't use anything that isn't a fairly soft brush on the "painting" surface. We had a few people over and noticed the next day that it had a scratch on it, and the scratch turned black like we had painted on it, and it never went away.
Otherwise, it is a total blast to use, so you should definitely pick one up! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
terrible replacement for paashe H. Now that I've used this under working conditions, this airbrush is terrible. The tiny air hole continually gets clogged and splatter sprays even after blowing out with cleaner. The braided hose that they came with snapped off of three of them; I've never seen that happen in the 20 years of airbrushing. Believe me, I gave it every chance to work, and it was only after a few months until all the problems occurred. Since I was booked all summer doing airbrushing, I tried different things to get them to work well, but I finally decided it was a design flaw. I did ask the seller for some kind of refund, but they said "No" since it was beyond the return time frame. Now I know why Paashe is more expensive: they actually work. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
READ WHOLE REVIEW FOR THE WHOLE STORY ON THIS PRODUCT. If there were a zero rating, or better, a negative rating...that's what I would have given this product. DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THE PRODUCT ON WHICH YOU ARE USING IT!!! I make custom cards. I had a batch of 30 due on Saturday. On Saturday, everything was done but the wiggly eyes for these kids' cards. The reason I bought these bottles was for a situation just like this. These little eyes are so small and require a very small dot of glue. Usually I use a pin or the end of a quilling tool with no slot. I put a small amount of glue in a tiny container, take the tool, dip it in the glue and smear it on the embellishment. There are just so many steps involved that I decided to order these bottles to shorten the process. I spread about 5, maybe more, of the cards out and I had the eyes in a container right beside me. I went to squeeze the glue and there was a little resistance. I squeezed just a tiny bit more and the head of the bottle shot off and glue went everywhere...all over the cards I had out and into the stack of the ones I was doing next. The head of the bottle landed in the container with the tiny eyes...how do you clean those off without crushing, ruining or losing some down the drain?! I know this is a long review, but don't get these...get some Henna applicator bottles that the actual tip screws into the bottle, these the tip is part of a plastic part that simply pops into the top of the bottle. Hence the way it popped off, taking a big bunch of glue with it. I am so mad! The people canceled the order. I'm out $90 plus supplies...so the total for such detailed, handmade, quilled cards (30 of them) plus supplies would usually be about $120...which I had already spent on groceries...is gone! DON'T BUY, DON'T BUY, DON'T BUY...UNLESS YOU LIKE RUINING BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS AND LOSING MONEY YOU'VE WORKED SO HARD FOR! However, if that's your thing, by all means, get several! I am not partial to the stipulations set forth above, so I will NOT be recommending them to anyone! I hope this helped your decision on whether to buy or not. In case I didn't make myself clear...DON'T DO IT! LOL | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Because I loved the bigger journal (updated review on the quality--from two stars to five. EDIT AGAIN JANUARY 17TH 2016
I think I've filled up 3 of these by now. I wanted to add that I have been using this journal for Copic markers (Sketch). Of course there is bleedthrough--but honestly they go through almost everything. I use the recommended Memento Tuxedo Black to stamp my images, and Pigma Microns to draw my images or make doodes with the intent to color. The Copic markers don't feather across the page too much, you just have to practice coloring as close to the line as possible without going over it, and that is true with a lot of papers. Although the paper in this journal isn't perfect paper for Copics, I do like art-ing (yes, it is now a verb, you're welcome) on the paper in this journal as it is smooth and feels really nice blending.
I always love adding stuff to the covers as I go through the journal. Right now, I have an Apple (Mac) decal on the front cover, so I affectionately call it my "Mac Book".
EDITED ON JUNE 16TH 2015
I repurchased this journal because I wanted to see if the quality had changed since March of 2014. It has significantly. This journal (which I had purchased from Amazon both times) can finally used and holds up to the same expected quality of the large journal. Both the large and small journals take Dylusions paint beautifully, and can even handle using spray inks on top of the paint. In fact, I (re) purchased this last month and it's almost full already. Thank you Ranger! Now on to the cover. The cover that they'e using isn't as smooth as the older journals, they definitely have a texture to them. This journal and the last 5"x8" both of the elastic bands broke on me in the same spot. I don't think it's me, because the larger journals don't have a problem with that. What I decided to do was paint the elastic black, then took the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Elastic-Loops-by-Tim-Holtz-Idea-ology-6-5-Inches-Pack-of-10-Loops-Black-TH93141/dp/B00IXWMCYO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Elastic Loops by Tim Holtz Idea-ology, 6.5 Inches, Pack of 10 Loops, Black, TH93141</a> hitched to the old elastic so I have the elastic problem fixed.
ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM March 5, 2014
I concur with others about being disappointed.
I'm a big fan of the original Dylusions Creative Journal (large) so I decided to get this one too. Most of the time I like to work in smaller notebooks.
I find there is significant bleed through, so I can't use the backs of the pages I do. So if I do a 2 page spread, the backs of both sides are unusable. If you so use ink sprays, or even plain water, it will be ruining your work on the other side. It's so wasteful.
What I've been doing is using other paper (Bristol smooth 300 series) to do my things on then using washi tape (like if you were to insert pages back into the journal; a technique that Dyan Reaveley does) to insert in between the spread that has work done on either side so there's an extra page there even if it's not the same paper as the journal.
You can use a little distress paint on the backs of the journal paper that has the bleed through from the other side.
I own a lot of the Dylusions rubber stamps, and the images can take up a lot of space on a page(s) because they are on the larger side. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Stomp Brush works great. didn't have a clue about using this thing so I hired a pro to patch my stress cracks in ceiling. Well, he hadn't used one either and I was not happy with the results, as it looked very different than the rest of my ceilings. I read the simple instructions and found that if I mixed a little paint with my drywall compound, rolled it on in a think layer and 'stomp' it with the Stipple Brush, it worked beautifully and now my ceiling has the same pattern all over, including the patched stress cracks. However, I plan in the spring to prime and paint the entire ceiling. Follow instructions; that is the key. Oh, I did practice on cardboard until I achieved the results I wanted. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but don't expect it to work fantastically for fine detailed work unless you are willing to go over . There is a lot of potential, but don't expect it to work fantastically for fine detailed work unless you are willing to go over it with a knife. Even though I was using relatively thick card, the blade should have easily cut through. It was fine in some areas but not in others, even on straight lines. I bought the Designer Edition software which is great for doing my own designs but it seems to get super slow if you add sketch effects to the fonts such as a pen line, and it crashes often. Apparently the possibilities are not as limitless as I originally thought when I bought the Cameo. Essentially, its great if you keep things simple, it gets a bit more frustrating if you want to do bigger, more complex jobs. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Disappointed in performance. I usually don't buy Martha Stewart brand items because I feel that they are overpriced and that you can easily find comparable products more reasonably priced. However, I was looking for a quality fine line glue pen and felt like the price on this one was almost reasonable. I was really convinced to purchase it based on the fact that it goes on blue and dries clear.
I was extremely disappointed in the performance of this glue pen. Right from the beginning the glue wouldn't flow well. I read, re-read and again read the directions thinking that I must not be using it properly. Every time I tried to use it, I would end up frustrated because getting any glue from the wick-like tip was nearly impossible. So I would read and follow the directions again. 15 minutes to get an inch of a barely wet glue strip is not what I was after!
The best (worst) part was that one day while working on a project I decided to give the glue pen another try and the glue covered wick actually fell out of the pen, ruining my project! Needless to say, I threw it away and will never buy another Martha Stewart brand item. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Too big for a planner and too pricey for only 1/2 year. The stickers are not bad but are way too big for my planner, most planners! But that is my fault for not checking the measurements better. Also, I didn't think quick enough that I was actually paying $6 total for just 6 useable stickers since it's July now so I'm giving it 3 stars because the price is too high for these 6 stickers. All calendars everywhere go 1/2 price by this time of the year and I think these were priced too high. They are nice if you need a large calendar for a corner chunk of your planner but if you have an ECLP or PPP, it is really big! I will not be able to use these at all. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect for Graphic Designers. I really love my desk. It is perfect for a graphic designer like myself. I set my computer on the corner piece so I have the two desks on either side of me. I can work on drawing, Facebook, and have reference books or whatever all at once. It is very convenient for me. Also, you don't have to use the corner pieces. Each desk would work well independently. The corner piece attaches or detaches with 4 screws so you can arrange the desks anyway you like - you can have the drawing desk to your right or to your left or have them separated with the corner piece left in storage.
Also, Studio Designs customer service is great! My desk was delivered by UPS and the delivery person tossed it onto my porch without knocking... just tossed it, breaking the glass corner piece. Obviously I was upset but called up Studio Designs as their instruction sheet suggested. They apologized, despite it not being their fault, and very quickly sent out a replacement piece. Again, I'm very happy with my desk. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A really great art kit in a nice easel/storage box, with a few minor caveots. First I want to say that Faber-Castell is a name that has been around art supplies since the 1700s. I went to art school in the early 1970s and they were one of the big names in art supplies then and still are. I'm happy to see that they are offering kits for kids because it's nice to get young artists started with serious art supplies. I really like this kit, but I have some pro and con thoughts about it and here they are:
Pros:
--The box itself is very nicely made and given a little bit of care, it will last for many years. I love the large size of the box and the super nice wood that it's made from.
--It's very clever to have a white board on one side and a chalk board on the other. Great idea.
--I love that the white board is magnetic and can act as a really cool-looking easel for hanging up finished works. The magnets seemed kind of puny to me at first, but they are actually pretty strong and I've been hanging photo prints on the easel for days with no problems.
--I like the plastic wings that keep they easel open, they do work and fit pretty tightly.
--The kit has some pretty good supplies but I think for the price they could expand on what's included a bit. Of course, Mom & Dad will probably do that anyway.
Cons:
--First of all, you're going to have to supervise young kids when they open this. There are two packets of desiccant included and they should be tossed immediately. You don't want kids opening the little packets thinking they contain some type of art supplies.
--Also, nothing keeps the box open (no hinges when it's not being used as an easel), so watch little fingers. Adding a little hinge/support would have been pretty easy, I'm surprised that was overlooked.
--The blackboard is pretty good, but it's made of painted wood (no one would expect slate these days) and in mine the grain and texture of that wood is pretty obvious. I'm not sure kids will notice or care, so totally not a big deal. The wood erases pretty well with the included eraser, but you have to put some elbow grease into it to truly erase it. Again, minor.
--There are oil pastels included that are meant to be used only on paper, but I'm not sure kids will remember that. (And why no dry-erase markers for the white board?) You can expect some kids are going to use the oil pastels on surfaces that might not erase.
--The box is held closed with magnets and they do seem to work, but I would much prefer a more solid mechanical closure. Every time I pick this up I'm afraid the contents are going to come tumbling out if I bump into a chair or whatever. I'm going to add a clip myself.
--The paper that was included had smashed corners. Minor, but annoying. Why not include a piece of cardboard to protect the paper?
Overall though, this is a really nice set of fun art tools housed in a really handsome and well-built box. I wouldn't overlook giving this to a kid because of my criticisms, I'd just keep them in mind for the first few days. In fact, I would absolutely put this at the top of an artistic kid's gift list. You know kids, they are going to lose half the supplies anyway and turn this box into a treasure chest for other things! I would have killed to have this as a kid and I'm still loving it now, a lot of years past childhood. I think maybe the price is a tad high, but not outrageous and I don't think there's a creative kid around that wouldn't love getting this as a gift. Most of all, I'm glad to see that kids are still interested in mechanical art techniques. Long live drawing! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not all stamps come out correctly. Hey, I ended up purchasing this product for my business because I fell in love with the artwork, but; once I went to use the stamps, I quickly noted that alot of them were NOT translated properly. WORK: C, E, H, M, O, T, U, V, W, X & 8. DO NOT WORK: A, B, D, F, G, I, J, K, L, N, P, Q, R, S, Y, Z, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and &. Will still work for decoration, but not for stamping purposes unless the cutesy thing is what You're going for. I will need to find something else, and..... I am not being harsh on the 2 star rating. I literally divided the 24 that do NOT work by the 11 that DO. Be fair and accurate in Your ratings folks. Have a great day! Happy Holidays and God Bless. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Blade really does lasts longer and works on a Cameo. This blade is a game changer for me.
I work on a Silhouette Cameo 2 (no bluetooth no touchscreen its about 5 years old) and I cut chipboard shapes for thread bobbins. A LOT of chipboard shapes and each sheet of 12 x 12 has to be run though the Cameo twice on double cut.
With the old style blades I could cut 3 sheets cleanly and get another 5 partial sheets which got progressively harder to clean up before the blade had to be replaced. It was frustrating work.
This blade not only works just fine in my Cameo (despite being designed for the newer all singing all dancing Curio) but it has allowed me to more than double my productivity. I cut 15 sheets cleanly, ** UPDATE I have now cut 25 sheets cleanly with the same blade** reducing my work load and frustration levels enormously. Essentially I'm getting so much more out of each blade at not that much of a price difference that I don't bother continuing to cut and clean up the chipboard spools beyond that.
Highly recommended. I can only imagine how long this blade would last on vinyl or regular cardstock.
:) Happy coustomer. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Stamps well but fades after washing. The ink is great quality, it's dark and solid and stamped beautifully onto the variety of fabrics I tested. I made sure to heat seal with an iron. I washed the fabric in cool water and dried on low heat. It did fade slightly after the first wash, and a bit more after the second. I will say that I am happy with the convenience of a fabric paint stamp pad, and have happily used it even though it does fade.
If you are looking for a more permanent, fade resistant fabric paint I would not recommend this product. I bought a variety of colors, and the darker ones work best. The lighter colors fade much more easily. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
What a Bargain. I already owned the smaller, original Cricut, but I was wanting the larger one to cut out big circles and other detailed, large-format, die-cut shapes. The price, although not exorbitant, wasn't something I had in my budget at the time. Until....I had a $50 Amazon Gift Card and about $25 in Amazon Visa points saved up. I picked up a used, but "like new" model from Amazon Warehouse Deals, and other than a small dent on the box, it arrived factory sealed, with all the accessories, and in perfect working condition, all for the final price of $65 and free shipping! WOOT!
As for the machine, it's much noisier than the smaller version, but it does what it's supposed to. I don't have room for it on my scrap desk, so I put it on the hardwood floor. I have a firewire cable so I can hook it up to the online Cricut Craft room (free to use for Cricut owners) so I can use my current cartridges to do all sorts of specialty cuts that can't be done on just the machine, for example, merging titles so it cuts out as one piece instead of individual letters. You can also use the Cricut Craft room to cut out all the pieces needed for a die-cut design, by selecting the area of placement you want on the mat. So if you need 4 different colors of paper to make, for example, a cupcake, there's enough room on the 12x12 to fit all the colors in each quadrant.
So far the only problem I had was that one of the rubber feet popped off, so it probably wasn't secured properly to begin with, but I was able to wedge it back in place with the help of a small flat-head screwdriver. Also, the 12x12 mat that came with it is WAY too sticky, to the point where it keeps tearing lighter weight papers. Once the tackiness wears off, it might perform better, but I still probably end up picking up an extra 12x12 mat.
My Mother also owns this Expression and she said it's much better than the newer Cricut Expression 2, so newer isn't always better, and at this price, you can't go wrong! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
GC Plates last! Spellbinder is discontinuing the GC. I've had my Grand Caliber for over two years! I Love it! No problems! I got tired of buying cutting plates for my Big Shot, Sizzix. I doubt I will ever have to replace a plate with the Grand Caliber.
I use it for embossing and die cutting. I put the die on the edges. I shim the middle. I've made thousands of embossed cards and at least a thousand or more die cuts! I follow the sandwich directions, I use the raspberry plate for embossing.
I love the 3D embossing plates spellbinders sells. Worth every penny.
I still use my Sizzix because I like their magnetic platform. With the grand caliber I have to use painters tape to hold the dies in place. I do fill up the base plate with as many dies as it will hold so I have less time spent cutting things. The 8.5" x11" paper fits with a tad of space left over!
I got tired of tearing paper in half ...which you have to do with the Sizxix.
The Grand Caliber I just use 8.5" x11" paper and it cuts well.
I was surprised so many people have had trouble with it. I've dropped mine, cats have knocked it over, it's lightweight enough to take to classes or crops. I can balance it on the edge of my sofa arm rest and crank away while watching TV.
The one thing u should know is spellbinders is discontinuing this machine so I bought extra plates just in case.
Plus, I like mine so much I'm buying a second machine just in case I wear out my first one. After reading the reviews, (many were so negative I was shocked!), I realize, I must of been so Lucky to get mine!
I wish the Platinum machine did not have the same type of plates as the Sizxix! I would of gotten the Platinum if they had the same type of plates as the Grand Caliber.
The Grand Caliber plates seem to be made out of Corian counter top material. It just doesn't warp, bubble n break like the clear, crappy, plastic plates everyone else uses. I read the reviews for the Platinum, all metal interior n heavier ability to cut, but people have to buy replacement plates constantly! What a pain!!!! N a stupid cost! Why couldn't they have made a heavier all metal interior n kept these plates?!
I guess I'm buying a second Grand Caliber for my future! I'm a big fan! When it works like mine! I've been fortunate.
Note: those Tim holtz BIG dies the ones with foam etc will NOT fit. You're stuck using the Sizxix n the tray base plate they sell for those dies.
On Spellbinders web site they give you sandwich instructions for embossing n die cutting. Each brand requires looking up until u memorize it. Not doing the sandwich correctly can break your machine. That's true for all the machines.
If you watch Cherry Lynn's website the guy explains how all die cutting machines work; why the midpoint of die machines are the weakest part which is why you need to shim only that area;
why wax paper messes up your dies in the long run, how to shim, etc. It might help.
If you put your shim over the whole die you generally just thickened the wrong areas n still won't hit that middle.
U only shim the part that missed Nothing More. You turn, by a quarter, the die for the second run thru if it didn't cut all the way out.
You never put your die straight through always at an angle.
This increases the longevity of any die machine and makes for easier n better cutting.
Hope this helps someone!!!
Good luck n enjoy!
I love my Grand Caliber machine! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My new favorite watercolor travel palette. I just received this little box for Christmas, and I am so pleased with it. It is very well made, and feels solid in my hand. The box comes with 8 little empty half pans, but it was easy for me to fit 4 more empty half pans in the middle slot. All pans are held in with two removable metal clips. The lid fits well on the box. The edges of the box and lid are not too sharp, so I don't have to worry about cutting myself on them (although it might be possible if I am very careless.) There is a lip all the way around the lid, so my mixes won't leak out on the ground. The only slight issue is that the lid does not rest at a complete 90 degree angle from the box when opened, because the bump on the box that is intended to hold it at this position isn't quite protruded enough, so the lid droops downward just a bit. I will probably stick on a rubber bumper to ensure that it will stop at the 90 degree point. The quality of the 3 little clip on water cups is good, but the 2 brushes don't look that great, and the brush on one of them was bent at a 90 degree angle from the handle. However, the quality of the box is definitely worth the purchase price by itself, so I just consider the other items to be a little free bonus. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Of corse do i read directions nope it looks fun im just going to jump in. I ordered this pen with no idea of what to do. Of corse do i read directions nope it looks fun im just going to jump in. DON'T lol i made a huge mess . Well it works it melts the filament just fine it comes out nice and smooth dries in a timely manner. Now unless your super creative my stuff looked like blobs lol. The pen is definitely not cheaply made and it fits really well in my hand. The adapter fits well and all in all its a good product i think im just not creative enough. It cones with some filament but its good to order extra. The pen also comes with like a holder type thing. Great gift for the gifted!!
I received this product at a discounted price for my honest review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It's the perfect kit to get started with letterpress and it provides . I bought this kit to use with the Fiskars Fuse system. It's the perfect kit to get started with letterpress and it provides everything you need to make prints right away. The ink tubes may seem very small but you do not need a lot of ink to make many prints, just a tiny dollop will go a very long way. The wipes are also very effective. I make mine last a bit longer by folding them over and storing half-used wipes inside a ziploc storage bag.
What's great about this platform is that it creates a quick and effective means of fairly precise registration... so, if you're running prints twice or more, with different letterpress plates, and you need to line things up fairly accurately, the grids and the positioning squares will help you do this easily.
I found that some letterpress plates did not create as deep an impression as I wanted, and this is also affected, of course, by the type of paper you're using... This platform makes it very easy to adjust the height of the plates by sliding some paper underneath your plates. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
But the other one, they're the same. Perfect little spray booth for hobbyist. Exhaust fan works perfectly, takes up little space, exactly what someone with limited room needs to paint with. This low-rated product review is because of:
1. Cord retract does not work - this is a quality control issue, should have been tested before it left wherever they make these items.
2. Replacement filters from Paasche do not fit properly (purchased the carbon filters to handle paint fumes.
Thankfully Amazon takes good care of it's members and I have a replacement on its way. The one I'm reviewing is on its way back.
Just got the replacement. Same problem. I would think that since the item carries the Paasche brand name that it would mean something, but that would be an incorrect thought.
I opted to ask for a refund and ordered the Master Airbrush brand item instead. Looks like the exact same thing anyway.
Update, the master airbrush brand booth that retails for $30 less is the same EXACT thing with a DC power source and no retracting cable. Save yourself some money and get that one. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love love love these markers. My daughter has been bugging me about getting these for her non stop and they play the commercials a lot on the channel she watches. I did end up buying her some off brand ones for Christmas that she was happy with at first, but they really don't have the same smell that these real ones have.
I am amazed how you can still smell the scent after you write on the paper with them. I guess I do not really remember being able to do that as a kid. She uses them all the time and I would say one of the best parts is that it washes off very easily with soap and water. Having a toddler and markers that is a huge plus in my opinion.
I would be happy to recommend these markers to other people. I do feel that they have improved the smells since they first started making them. The only recommendation I would have to the company Mr. Scent is it would be nice to have a picture or something on the marker itself letting you know what the scent it. Other than that I think they are great.
This post was sponsored by Mr. Sketch as part of a sampling activation for Crowdtap. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for Coloring with Soft Pastels. Thanks to whoever suggested that these could be used with soft pastels for coloring. It really saves a lot of time in blending colors. Much, much better than tortillons or stumps. You can simply wipe the silicon head with rubbing alcohol to get rid of color stains, so that you don't accidentally mix unwanted colors. Make sure it is dry before using with another color.
I fail to understand why one would need all the different shapes, though, if to be used for coloring. One flat chisel would do. And I hope it lasts a long time. Check for other sellers for better pricing. This one is a bit over-priced, although at the time I was searching, it seemed to be cheaper than those who simply rack up the price. You should not pay more than $10 for a set of 5. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Used for my kitchen Backsplash Makeover. I bought this because I wanted a wax that was black, not dirty brown looking. I absolutely love it. It was so easy to use. I was able to apply it with a rag, work it around, wipe off anything that wasn't right where I wanted it, add more. It was amazing. It didn't fully cure for about 24 hours so I had plenty of time to get exactly the look I wanted. I painted metal tiles with interior paint and then applied this over the white paint on the high points of the tile to give it an antiqued look. I've gotten so many compliments and have used this wax for other projects since, and still have tons left. A little goes a very long ways. I wish I had a closer picture to show you it up close but you can see in the "after" picture the grey/black distressing on the white tile. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not recommended to anyone. I bought this desk about a year ago, and I just got the time to give it a review. I am a 14 year-old artist who draws a good amount, and needed a good desk to draw on. I bought this for 80$, and it was a total waste. Whenever I lean on it even slightly (Ex. Putting elbow up on it) It can't hold the weight and that side will slide down COMPLETELY. The little pencil holder on the bottom comes off easily too. The stool is terrible as well. It's tiny, uncomfortable, and doesn't make this purchase any more worthwhile. Spend a bit more money on a desk if you don't want it to fall under a bit of weight while you sit in the most uncomfortable seat ever created for an artist. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
High quality. These canvas panels were exactly what I had hoped for. I recently became "reacquainted" with my artistic side when I decided to add a gallery wall in my living room. I had some frames and some other pieces but needed some more and wanted to add my personal touch. These canvases are high-quality and mounted on sturdy boards. They are primed well and ready for paint. I've used acrylic on the ones I've used so far but am considering attempting watercolor. The edges and corners show the caliber of the quality and I'm very impressed. Once I unwrapped these (they are all wrapped together), I was happy to find out they are also individually wrapped so dirt and damage is less of a concern before you use each one. I've used 3 of these so far and have been very happy with them
I was provided these at a free or reduced cost in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Look elsewhere. Not really sure who SGA is, but my guess is that he or she is really a kindly blind person paid to write favorable product reviews. I make this assumption based on the fact that anyone with fully functioning eyes would be able to see the lack of quality in this product. Sure, if you want some pencils just to have, say, some pencils, this would be the perfect fit for you. But if you want pencils for drawing, you'll want another brand. There is little to no difference between graphite darkness from pencil to pencil. The 8B looks like a 2B, the 2B looks like a 4H, and the 4H makes me want to punch the nearest baby. You'll quickly realize in the middle of your art class that you're the only person profusely sweating in an attempt to properly darken a shadow. A quick glance around will find literally everyone else having no trouble at all with other brands. I'm just about ready to take my boot off and drag it across my paper in the hopes of a potential scuff finally achieving the darkness that I have so long desired. Do yourself a favor, find another brand. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent. Every year when it starts to cool down my Granddaughter, friend and myself get the urge to be creative. We get out our paints and supplies and let our imagination go wild. Sometimes that is good, and sometimes not so good, but it certainly helps to take away the stress. I was thrilled to receive these Brushes for a honest review and just could not wait to try them. So out came out paint and paper and all our other things and of course out came these brushes. How did they do. Excellent. First of all they allowed you to have a perfect grip which is important. They are not too heavy, not too light and work well with your hands. There are 7 in the kit, different sizes so that you can get the results that you want using them. They brush well, smooth and stay where you send them. All three of us loved them and I'm very happy to have them part of our group. I can tell they will last for a good long while and I appreciate being able to use them. Really one great product that you will enjoy using again and again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Soothing, creative fun for any age. We first saw this at an art museum while on vacation in Boulder, CO. My children played with it there, and it was right before Christmas. They begged me to buy it on the spot, but I knew we wouldn't have room in our luggage to fly it back home. I came home and found this on Amazon for the same price, and bought it. It arrived on time, and my children were ecstatic to receive it. My son is very creative and artistic, and also very hyper, and this product has the ability to keep him occupied and calm for long periods of time. I love that he can keep creating new pictures and practice writing, and we don't have to keep buying more supplies. It dries up and he can create something new. It has a very soothing, peaceful effect for anyone who uses it. I only wish it had a storage space to hold the water pen securely within the board, so that it wouldn't get lost. Other than that, this is the perfect gift for anyone. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Praise to the brush markers. In love with these markers! These are probable my favorite markers ever, in terms of ink pigment and bleeding capabilities. I especially love that I can get 13 makers (with a blender included) for only 30$, which is just amazing. Great quality for a low price. I have been a fan of Winsor and Newton for a very long time and was especially thrilled to see that they came out with a set of brush markers that have the same high quality that I expect from the brand itself. Overall, great and wonderful markers. The only think that I wish Windsor and Newton would do would be to offer ink refill or different brush nibs (like prismacolor) for their markers.
Seller Sidenote: for anyone considering other seller options, I ordered through SNAP eTAIL and it came to me in 5 days (I live in California). | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good for models. I first got one of these because my sister was using the other ones for her art class in college. She didn't use the extra-fine point pen. I am no professional artists so I don't know the exact purpose for the pens, but I recently brought a Gundam Heavy Arms. The official Gundam pens are bit too much money for me (with shipping included), and so I use the extra-fine point to do the lines of all my gunpla. It works great, and it does over spill a bit but you can clean it up with alcohol (dip with q-tips). Recommended for gunpla or any other models that need that depth feel on surfaces. After your done panel lining your Gundam, cover it with clear coat to protect the ink on the Gundam. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
May be fine for occasion use for iron-on transfers, but not good for sublimation transfer. I bought this press from a company that sells equipment for sublimation transfers. I've had it for almost a year now, and I'm not pleased with it at all. I had to buy a separate eighty dollar pyrometer to know what temperature I was actually working at, since the gauge is a rough estimate. I also have issues with the press not applying even pressure. The back side is much tighter than the front, and there's no way to adjust it. To top it off, the power switch died in less than a year, and I'm having to replace it. I'm going to buy a better press tomorrow. This one just isn't working out. It may be fine for somebody to press an iron-on transfer to a shirt once in a while, but even for very light commercial use, it doesn't cut it. I only use it a few times a week, for an hour or two at a time. I was expecting better quality. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Old School Fix for dye transfer to light colored clothing. Used 1 packet in 2.5 gal (5 gal.plastic bucket) of my hottest tap water around 165F. Placed bucket in tub soaked 20 min. 4 LG clothing pieces at a time. Color transfer is out. Clothing looks brand new. No fading of multicolored print top, only the dye out of the background white.
Had one of my worst laundry mishaps in 50 yrs by including vibrant teal pants with pastels and whites. Yep, moderate and uniform dye transfer to multicolored shirt with white background and 2 pair of white pants. Not to mention the solid pastels looking all dingy with green. Don't machine dry the load if you have a big noticable dye transfer. Air dry or have this on hand and that's how this product will make you a believer.
Finding the product in the local Mart with blue logo, $1.77 each box. Bought 5 and will be able to do the magic right away next time.
I'm old school and like attending to my dye removing in the bucket. Dunk the items, stir and inspect them all along the way. Ran to get some white shorts to treat a rust spot while I had the remover solution mixed after the original load was all good again. I've used this product many times in a bucket with really hot tap water for all over dye transfer mistakes on light colored clothing and never been disappointed. The solution never bothers my hands while dunking the clothes, I do not find it particularly caustic. I rinse the clothes and my hands and throw everything in the front loading machine and give them a full wash after.
And the smell? Not bad at all if you are not simmering with steam coming off on the stovetop. You do not need 180+ degree water to get a simple dye transfer removal that is fresh and NOT BEEN PUT THRU THE HEAT OF THE DRYER!
The product from RIT has been around 40 yrs and works fine in this type of scenario. Items were mainly 65/35 poly cotton or all cotton BTW. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect little set of chalk pastels. Perfect little set of chalk pastels. There is a small variety of colors, and amazingly they all arrived in tact with no broken pastels, making me believe these may be a bit more durable than my last set. They draw easily on the paper, yet don't seem to create an excess of chalk powder on the paper. I would definitely recommend using a workable fixative with your chalk pastels, as always, to avoid excess smudging and the ruining of your finished artwork. I received these pastels at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review, and I would recommend them to any artist looking for a simple beginning set of chalk pastels with a few colors to get you a good start on a pastel collection. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
These Are Great For So Many Different Projects. **This review is for the AGPtekFluorescent Marker Pen 8 Colors/set for LED Writing Menu Board by BrainyTrade**
The liquid chalk marker craze has really taken off and became a huge new popular way to have crafty art or dyi's or just plain writing on a chalk board. And I am one of those people that has jumped on that bandwagon. I love using chalk board labels and DYI's and the chalk markers are a great way to spruce those up. Now I have tried other chalk makers and some were ok, some were bad because they dried up quickly, some weren't that pigmented and some didn't have good colors.
You get 8 markers in this pack and the color choices are great. You get white, orange, purple, pink, green, blue, yellow and red. The chalk markers are really easy to use, The first time you use it, you want to place the marker tip up vertically and press the tip slightly to release pressure. Then you want to shake well with the cap on and up right. Remove the cap, press the tip for a few seconds until the tip fills with ink. You only have to do that the first time. Which at first I was like wow seems like a lot of work to use a marker. But thinking about it, I really like that cause it tells me that the ink is fresh and isn't dried up. I don't know how right I am on this, but it seems by doing this it has a longer shelf life.
The colors are really pigmented and write and draw with ease. I have use these on my chalk labels and the color has stayed vibrant and hasn't faded at all. They are great for so many different projects and have so many different ways to use them. I like that the marker is fatter, it is easier to hold and write. But the tip, you can either have bigger writing, or angle it where you have little writing. You aren't just stuck with one way.
**I did receive this at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. Compensation of any kind is never accepted in exchange for a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own and not edited by any companies mentioned.** | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Coverage SUCKS! Don't waste your money. I should have read the reviews here before purchasing from Home Depot (cheaper there) but I read some blogs that recommended it and now I'm pissed because they were full of s*** and probably paid to recommend it to their fans. I've tried different brands of chalk paint and this brand by far is the worst! It took 4 coats of paint to cover a piece and normally it takes 2 with other brands if you're using a light color paint on a dark colored piece and vice versa. I've spent more money purchasing more paint to get 4 coats on a 6 drawer dresser than I would if I had just purchased the more expensive paint. You're definitely paying with time as it's taken me hours to put on more coats of paint for the coverage I want. NEVER buying this paint again! I recommend Cece Caldwell chalk and clay paint. It's expensive but I've never been disappointed with that brand and it's non-toxic. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
So Far So Good. This press seems to work really well and I am pleased with it for the price!! I have pressed several shirts and tote bags and although I end up pressing several times (that may just be my paranoia wanting to make sure the heat transfer vinyl adheres perfectly) it seems to make a beautiful final product. It is very easy to understand EXCEPT for the pressure. The knob is easy, it turns left to loosen pressure and right to tighten pressure. The problem is that is is really hard to know what exactly is "medium" pressure or "medium-hard" pressure and you just have to guess. I ended up putting the pressure knob as tight as it could go for my shirts and tote bags and didn't experience any burning or issues with the vinyl getting too squished or anything. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Gorgeous pencils and wrap. I adore these colouring pencils. They come in a beautiful wrap type case that is both unusual and gorgeous. I love colouring adult colouring books for relaxation and simply loved the colours in this case. There are so many shades. I actually bought this case for my grandchildren but not sure that they will actually get it or perhaps I will buy a second set. One thing is certain; I will definitely be buying these again.
These pencils sharpen to a lovely point and colour beautifully. The colours are vibrant and soft. I was so excited when I received this beautiful case that I put it in the centre of my coffee table with an adult colouring book and had so many people comment on it and ask where I bought it. This would make a wonderful present for a child, teen or adult.
I was lucky enough to receive this at a discount for my honest and unbiased review. I am happy to do this as I myself rely on other peoples reviews before I buy anything these days. I cant say how much I love these pencils and the gorgeous wrap they come in. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Makes Everyday Fun. These Liquid Chalk Paint Markers By Vibrant Craft are just what the kids need to create all those masterpiece works of art. My kids love to draw and these markers let them be creative without being messy or hard to cleanup afterwards.
This eight pack of neon markers are great for writing or drawing on chalkboards, whiteboards, blackboards, glass, windows, mirrors, plastics and LED writing boards. You should always test a small section of whatever you intend to write on before going all out. I haven't found anything that it has stained as of yet, but its better to be safe than sorry.
Every time we get these out I feel like a kid as well. They are very fun to use and its a great way to spend time with your kids without loosing their attention. Once you tell a kid they can write on windows, glass doors and mirrors they accept your challenge without fail. We usually see who can be most creative in their designs on our french doors. Each of us takes a panel and we draw. Some weekends our house looks like party central with all the neon colors everywhere. It creates a mock stained glass appearance on the doors. Its cool to look at and know your kids had a blast.
Vibrant Craft makes the very best chalk markers weve tried. I purchased these at a reduced price to evaluate, test and review. All the while having a great time. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Does the job, but not much more. There are several reasons artists use gesso. Some like to use it instead of white paint, as it is generally more opaque. This gesso is quite thin, and I can't imagine anyone wanting to mix this with their paints. It's about the consistency of fluid acrylics, believe it or not.
Some artists like to add it to a surface to add "tooth" to it before they paint. I'd say this gesso has minimal tooth. It spreads easily and is pretty opaque, but you may have to use two coats where one coat of a thicker gesso (Grunbacher, etc) would work.
This isn't a horrible product, but I wouldn't buy it again, myself. I've ordered some Grunbacher gesso and will try that. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I was very disappointed to find these metallic highlighters are terrible. Package is a dark shiny blue, unlike the bright yellow package shown in this ad. The ad gives the Cra-Z-Art item number as 10029-24. The item number on the box is just 10029. The copyright date on the box is 2012.
I have purchased many Cra-Z-Art products in the past 10 years (5 grandkids, lots of birthday and Christmas presents). I have found them to be on par with Crayola. Usually, I will buy both products, as their colors and shades of color are different, giving the kids more coloring choices.
I was very disappointed to find these metallic markers are terrible, especially after paying full price.
The silver was completely dried up, and the other colors (purple, blue, green, red) were not metallic. The gold was more of a dark ochre, and also not metallic.
Given the copyright info on the box, I suspect the seller is trying to get rid of old stock, which explains the wide difference in the other reviews.
I will be returning this product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
meaning they easily slide all over the place/are knocked over. TABLETOP MODEL REVIEW: I feel that it's necessary to specify this review is for the tabletop model. The positive reviews are misleading, since it seems that most of them are for the standing/floor easel. The tabletop model is incredibly flimsy; literally three metal sticks on hinges. Nothing "locks" the feet into place, meaning they easily slide all over the place/are knocked over. The plastic arms have no "guides" to make sure they're level, you just have to eyeball it. Their angle is also awkward; I can't really figure out how they're supposed to be use (do I slide a print inside them? do I try and prop a print against them?). Would not recommend. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
worked okay in hurricane/tropical storm conditions. Bought these to mark our phone numbers on the sides of the horses in case they somehow got out during Hurricane Matthew. It worked best/okay on the horses with shorter hair but the ones with winter coats starting to come in- the paint didn't stick as well to those guys and the large writing was unintelligible after about half a day in the wind and rain. The shorter coat horses were blurred, but you could still read the numbers. BIG thumbs up on the non-toxic part- one of the naughty ponies knocked over a bucket and ate one of the paint sticks before we could stop him. o_0 At least he spit out the wrapper and happy to report he suffered no ill effects. Overall, the paint sticks will probably work well for less rainy conditions, on animals with shorter, non-winter coats, and for writing fewer numbers/symbols. Pro-tip we missed out on- wear gloves! Will be less messy for the humans. :) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Graphic 45 Tag-tastic. If you happened to see any of my other reviews on here, you'll notice I review a LOT of Graphic 45 stuff... I'm pretty much an admitted G45 addict... That said, I know my products when it comes to scrapbooking and crafting, and you can always depend on Graphic 45 to deliver high quality items for creating with. These tags are no exception!
I purchased these to use them in a Steampunk Spells album that I'm currently working on. Steampunk Spells is a Halloween paper collection by G45. A new project that G45 just released this month can be found here: [...] which also requires the use of their tags. I am planning to recreate this album using a different G45 paper line -- just haven't decided which one yet! :)
Of course you could use any tags you have on hand to design this album, BUT, I think that G45 items are totally worth the investment -- they are created to last. Happy papercrafting! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Red shirt bled in wash. My husband put a red soccer jersey from Morocco into the laundry with all his good shirts, ie LaCoste, Polo, and light blue Nordstrom dress shirts. The red dye bled all over everything. Then he tossed it all in the dryer. This product helped fade the dye from the darkest colored shirts but not enough for the lighter blues and yellow. The dress shirts were ruined. The instructions on the bottle are for a standard machine and we have a front loading, so I was afraid of using it in the machine due to the foam issue. I separated them by hue and soaked the shirts in the sink in very hot water and agitated them with my hands. I then left them to soak overnight. Maybe I didn't use enough of the product. I will attack the yellow shirts and the dress shirts again in the machine because I noticed that it doesn't produce a significant amount of foam. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The painting is very pretty, the kit comes with the canvas. The painting is very pretty, the kit comes with the canvas, brushes and paint. The canvas it's a lot bigger than I thought but I like it. I haven't been able to finish it, it's very detailed, but I guess that's the point. It's a super relaxing hobby, it helps me to control anxiety. I highly suggest that you don't drink alcohol while doing this, it may sound tempting/fun/relaxing but you can ruin hours of work if you have too many drinks. It's easy to fix the little "mistakes" by painting with the correct color over the wrong color, since it's acrylic paint it covers the mistakes completely, unless you use black. Once you go black you can't go back. Also, make sure you put the paint inside a freezer bag if you are not using them, they can dry out pretty fast. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
doesn't stay in place; doesn't work for me. The photo of this pillow shows it in a car, but i found it to be poorly designed for a car. It just moves around too much and doesn't stay in place. It is too large, extending too high up in the seat, and i think this is part of the problem. I am about 5'7-1/2", 130lb female so maybe it would work better for a very large man but i don't think so. Secondly, the cover is plush so it sticks to clothing - another reason it doesn't stay in place. my car seat is leather, the pillow is plush, it sticks to my clothes and not to the seat of the car. Then I'm driving down the road with it in an uncomfortable position and trying to shift it around. What a pain. Like other reviewers mentioned, the foam is soft but i think that would have been ok for me if it had just been better designed for use in a car. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Unbelievable quality for the price--but becoming a little hard to find. I had no inkling of being an artist of any sort until after I turned thirty. Once I developed an interest in it, I took to it with a hunger that surprised me. I went the gamut of graphite drawing, then charcoal and colored pencils, acrylic painting, but finally settled on watercolor painting as my true artistic love. I love the utter randomness of the way the paint flows into the paper, such that an absolute accident can make the artist look like a genius. I also love watercolor because the very finest of brushes are used almost exclusively for watercolor and no other medium. A fine brush can make the difference even for a novice watercolorist and the very finest are made from Kolinsky sable. I probably bought a thousand dollars worth of brushes before settling on perhaps twelve that I use for almost all my painting. I use Series 7 (Winsor and Newton) and Raphael brushes. And the Silver series from Silver Brush. They are marketed as something of a discount brush because they use the hair only from female sable or something like that. But I own eight of them and without exception every one of them snaps to a needle point or razor edge (flats) when wet, something I can't say about two of Silver's much more expensive Premier brush line which snap to split points and are almost worthless to me, something I have also experienced with premium Kolinsky brushes from other makers. I love my Series 7s and Rapael brushes, but the most useful brushes I have in my rack are various sizes of the Silver series "cat's tongue" brushes I own--something of a cross between a flat and a round, with a point--that can be used for practically any technique and far more versatile than either a round or flat. For the price, these brushes are a phenomenal value. In fact, were I to start my brush collection over again, I'd buy every Silver series I could lay hands on and supplement it with perhaps two or three Series 7 or Raphael rounds, and a nice squirrel mop for washes.
No kidding. I own a bunch of these, use them, and love them. They are better quality than many of my more expensive premium brushes, even from the same maker. And if you've never used the "cat's tongue" or oval brush shape, do yourself a favor and try one. You might find yourself never again picking up a round.
Unfortunately the Silverbrush Silver series seems to be getting harder to find. I don't know if it's discontinued or just not marketed very heavily any more. But as with any Kolinsky brush, keep it clean, don't abuse it, use it right (meaning with watercolor paints ONLY and not acrylic or anything else) and you will never buy another one. The newest brush in my collection is at least five years old, and most of them ten or more. All of them look practically new. I have a fetish for keeping my brushes clean and forming them for drying--simply cleaning and drying a sable brush is something of an art form in itself and is worth learning--and that has done the trick. I need never buy another brush again. But if I do, and I can find them, more than likely it will be one of these Silver series. Easily the best value for the money for a fine-quality Kolinsky brush I have ever found. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Memory Mixer 4. I have been working with MM4 software for about a week. The product is easy to use but does not come with very many loaded papers and embellishments. I have purchased some but I can see this is an expensive way to go. The sorting of papers etc is very cumbersome unless you know exactly where in the catalog it is that you are looking for. I used Michaels MiDesign which I absolutely loved. It was extremely easy to use and sorting was a breeze. Michaels discontinued the website for MiDesign for scrapbooking and I am still disappointed. I tried My Memory which was a total waste of money although it had a high rating (from whom I do not know). Memory Mix is much better.
I wish there were a member option that would give you a certain amount of downloads per month for a nominal fee. Silhouette has this for their die cut machine and it is really nice since it is not nearly as expensive as paying for each individual die cut. I have had very good results from the pages I have created. I printed (at home) some pages there were designed on a 12x12 page but I printed them on a 5x7 photocard and trimmed it to 5x5--just perfect to be framed and to give as gifts. I was disappointed that the software arrived with the packaging missing. That leads me to think this item was re-sold. I would recommend this product but be prepared to spend some $$ for additional paper and embellishments. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Like it for the most part. I'm basing this review more on my initial thoughts on buying, setting this up and ease of use as a "first timer". I haven't had the machine long enough to totally form my opinion on whether I love it, its just so so, or I hate it yet. I will edit my review later to reflect my final opinion.
Cons:
Confusing package descriptions
Packages bundles don't have everything you need
Packages/tools/cutting materials made to make you spend more
No real designing software (have to use alternative vector program)
Mats are too sticky & difficult to work with
Thin paper curls when removed from mats
You need a internet connection to use
Software is so slow and can crash
Pros:
Nicely packaged
Easy to open
Easy set up
Very simple to figure out how to use
very easy if you aren't design savy
make projects in very little time with very little effort
Cuts a variety of materials
Possibilities are endless
The Buying Experience:
I must say picking out a package was hard, almost a headache. When you are trying to sell someone a machine especially a first time buyer who is unfamiliar with it I really do believe all of the parts and tools that are "necessary" for you to use it should automatically be included. Its hard to decide what to purchase when there are so many pieces and even the items description here are not clear exactly as to what comes with your package. I got the "starter package" and was unclear if it would come with a mat because one isn't pictured or mentioned. So I bought the 12x24inch mat separately. Turns out when I got my Cricut the 12x12inch mat was included, it was also bent from the way it was packaged. The way the other packages are labeled are confusing as to what you do/don't get for example my package came with a "Deep Cut Housing & Blade" the other packages don't have a blade listed so it looks as if it doesn't come with one at all which is confusing it makes you think you still need to buy a blade separately so you can use the machine when it arrives. When I got my Cricut I got the blade in the package but there also was a blade put on the machine. I also noticed they have a bluetooth adapter in some packages, to be honest this is something the machine should have built in. They have the machine packages setup basically so you are forced to spend more money. Ideally it would be nice if you bought the Cricut will ALL the tools (spatulas, scoring tool, pens, blades & 1 of each size mat) and were offered a package "add on" with the different types of cutting materials vinyl, paper, fabric etc. The way its set up to purchase now is just annoying.
Setting Up & Using:
First thing I will say I am very experienced with both pc and mac and adobe illustrator/photoshop etc as I have been a designer about 12 years. I'm currently using a iMac running OSX 10.9.3 I didn't have a terrible time setting up the machine but it didn't go perfectly smooth either. The machine was packaged nicely in its carrying bag. very easy to take out and plug up.
Once I got to the setup process that was a breeze I wasn't asked to do a firmware updated and everything installed correctly. I went to calibrate the machine and the only problem I had was printing the sheet. You guys should include a few calibration sheets with the machine and have it so people can print them out separately from the calibration test area with the correct printer settings you need to use. The first 3 sheets I printed weren't printed correctly because of my settings and I had to basically figure it out on my own. Its also kind of annoying that there is no mention of needing a printer to calibrate your machine what if you don't even have one? That's why I say you guys should include the sheets to begin with. The calibration process itself was very easy aside from the printing part and THE MAT the sticky mats are kind of annoying the standard sticky mats which are what I have were really sticky at first and when I went to remove the calibration sheet a lot of it stuck to the mat and had to be scraped off. Not a big deal but this can get time consuming and I can see a few projects even being ruined a lot of the paper removed from the mats ends up curling up after its removed. Overall setup was easy I didn't need to read a manual to figure out how to use it or get it working
Designing & Cutting:
I have a ton of experience with illustrator so I designed some test shapes just to see how it works. I didn't have a problem importing my simple first file. I noticed though if you are buying shapes, projects etc it can start getting very pricey. If you have no design experience in another vector program that you can upload your own file from you're limited and forced to spend a lot of money. Its still easy to create things and nice if you don't care to design your own shapes anyways a lot of people like the simplicity I'm sure but for me as a designer I love to make my own things. I cut on fabric first and noticed right away the machine messed up. The fabric didn't adhere to the mat all the way so some parts of the fabric lifted when the mat shifted and folded over when the machine moved back and forth blocking the blade from cutting through some areas. I also noticed the blade cut lines into the mat even during the calibration process. It didn't cut through it but now I'm wondering how long these mats will hold up. I also tested on paper and had a good outcome with that. 1 of the 6 shapes I cut did get ruined though.
I'm going to update this when I really get to use it overall I like it but the pricing of the materials, slow software & need for a internet connection really are a draw back that I think should be addressed and fixed. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
After self-educating I did my first t-shirt and it came out perfect! I'm looking forward to creating at home and . I bought my machine two years and never got to use it until today because the house where I lived didn't have adequate power supply. I decided to pop it out and test it in my new home and boy - was I impressed! My only criticism is that there is not proper information manual so I had to do some research on the equipment which I found on youtube (models were slightly different from the one I have) but information was helpful.
After self-educating I did my first t-shirt and it came out perfect! I'm looking forward to creating at home and hopefully making some money! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
So Much Fun. <div id="video-block-R18M666PIRSBJF" 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/C1t17NryUrS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1Zfo45L0WS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> I've been wanting this to use in my collage paintings. I love the variety of colors! It comes with so many different sheets. Keep not that they may replace certain colors when they package them up for you. It's all about the variety.
I used the dark brown to create a sea turtle painting. The shell, and all the dark spots on the turtle are the vinyl. I used the vinyl on the collar on the cat painting. The vinyl is easy to cut with an X-acto knife and little sewing scissors. It was so fun! It worked great along with my other mediums. I was even able to put a slight wash over some of the spots with acrylic and clear matte medium. That was a bonus for me.
I did get this product for free. I'm a blogger that states my true opinion. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I think Michael Lang is one of the better abstract and landscape artists working today. I think Michael Lang is one of the better abstract and landscape artists working today. Both of these dvd's showcase that talent.
With that said... He doesn't go into much detail about the paints, brushes and mediums used. Bit he does give a little bit of instruction on the rule of 3's and composition.
I recommend this if you're not a complete beginner. You will need to be, at least, a bit familiar your paints and tools in order to start right in and follow along. But if your a fan of his style and want to get a brush up on composition, washes and blending... I highly recommend adding these to your lesson collection. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Impressive. Once again Silhouette delivers an amazing product. I think the concept is innovative; appealing not just to paper crafters, but to any do-it-yourselfer. So why only 4 stars? First and foremost, the cost. The machine (in my opinion) is a little pricey and you'll rack up even more ongoing, never-ending expense with stamp sheets and ink (Silhouette recommends only using Mint ink). Next, the machine doesn't do many things, its sole purpose is just to stamp. Furthermore, for those who aren't tech or design savvy I could see where the user interface could be potentially a tad frustrating or intimidating, (it is easier just to buy a stamp and pad), but the more you play with it the easier it becomes. Finally, for those existing Silhouette users you'll be disappointed that Mint is its own application software meaning that it is separate from your existing Silhouette software...they won't share the same design library, sigh.
I liked that Mint was small enough to fit in my hand but it packed a punch! Total creative freedom to make truly unique pieces. I chose to make an address label. It turned out just as was designed. After applying less than a drop of ink (your design may need more depending on the detail) and letting it soak I began stamping, by the 9th stamp it looked good enough for a final copy. It did not smudge, or bleed and was still stamping crisp and brilliant after 25+ uses. (Silhouette boasts up to 50 uses before the ink dries up). It's like the energizer bunny, keeps going and going. Once the stamp fades more ink can be applied, or change the color for a new look...just be sure it's used up or bleeding could occur. A tip: It's easier to go from lighter ink to darker. One other thing to note: the ink is not permanent so if you were to apply it to fabric you wouldn't want to wash it, but on the flip side its washability is a good thing if you have kids who have an oops moment with mommy's ink!
I would recommend this product because it does work. It is fun with infinite possibilities. But with that said, I personally thought it felt like a money pit. So you'd have to decide for yourself...would this product be cost effective for you, would you use it enough to justify the expense? | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
this set is GREAT. The carrying case is top quality (even slightly . Havent used the materials yet BUT I will take a leap and say, based upon the look of it, this set is GREAT. The carrying case is top quality (even slightly padded to protect the contents). The inside is carefully thought out - again, a simple sign of TOP quality as each item is secured separately with its own elastic strap vs. Combining multiple items into one elastic strap (for example, the pencils) - and there are 30 items !!!! (Well, actually 32 as 1 set of 3 charcoal sticks IS packaged together). What a steal - even if it were scholar grade (and I'd can't imagine that), it would STILL be a bargain (lightning deal at 14.99). Go forth and buy .... | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Paint-by-Numbers Have Come a Long Way. Last year's craze was coloring books for adults, this year it's paint-by-number and Bob Ross video lessons. I spent the last few weeks away from home in a tiny cottage by the water. I didn't want to drag my paints and canvases with me, but I wanted to "do art". Besides taking some art-book-making classes, I ordered this paint-by-number set. Loved it! It was all the fun I remembered having as a kid.
First, it was very compact and I could do it at the tiny dining room table without needing any more space for things. Second, it was fast. Took me a couple of hour sessions to finish it. Third, the paints are acrylic, therefore clean-up was with water, not oil, and it was fast-drying.
Some of the picture's areas are very small, almost too small for the tiny little brush that comes with the set. But if you don't get hung up on keeping the paint in exactly the defined spaces, you'll do fine. There are twelve pots of paint in the set, but you must mix many of the colors. For most (all of them?), you create the custom color by mixing the same amount of two colors. You could use an eye-dropper to get "exactly" the right ratio (it's still not exact), but if you're using a brush there's little hope of getting each glob of paint the same amount as the last one. But here again, if you don't get hung up on it, you'll do fine. So what if each batch is not exactly the same as the other? Poetic license.
And as for the finished product, it's really pretty. Much nicer than the hokey landscapes, though those would be just as much fun to paint, truth told. The poppy painting was really good enough to save, though I did do as I had planned and just pitched it when I left the cottage. It's not the kind of thing I'd ever hang on my wall.
Again, lots of fun. And a very good value. Not a lot to spend for the pleasure it provided. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A tactile and visual delight. These particular woodless colored pencils have exceeded my expectations. I have bought woodless colored pencils before from a major scrapbook and stamping supplies company before and I really like them, so when I needed to restock I decided to get these Ashleigh Nicole ones based on the reviews. They were delivered as pictured in attractive cardboard cylinders (attractive to me in that the cylinders are well-made of smooth, sturdy cardboard-like paper tubes; a personal quirk of mine is that I love unique, pretty, or well-designed paper products) I like the packaging in 3 smaller tubes rather than 1 larger one because it enables me to take 12 pencils and a coloring project with me when I think I may have some wait time such as at an appointment or as a passenger stuck in traffic. But getting back to the pencils themselves, I was expecting them to be similar to what I had used before, but those other pencils fall far short of the high quality of these pencils. The difference was apparent just from picking one up. These just feel good and solid in my hand, similar to how, if you're a wood carver, you likely have a favorite knife or chisel because it just fits your hand well and it feels good there and you have more control over your carving because of that. For me, these pencils feel like that, so when I pulled that first one out of the tube, I just immediately had to use it. And then my experience just got better. The colors are rich and vibrant and just glide onto paper almost effortlessly. It's easy to layer colors and to deepen what you've already put down. I love these pencils! I just don't think that I can go back to standard wood coloring pencils, even the high-quality set that I already had. These Ashleigh Nicole Arts Woodless Colored Pencils are the bomb, as far as I'm concerned. I have been coloring with them practically every spare minute that I have because it's so much fun! I highly recommend these wonderful pencils. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Paint for young minds. Pros:
- Quality paint, vibrant colors, not thin or transparent
- Washable
- Great price per ounce
Cons:
- Need different containers use paint out of.
- If you buy a bunch of colors, storing the bottles of paint starts to take up space
I was looking for inexpensive paint so my kids could go hog wild painting anytime they wanted without breaking the bank. This fit the bill. I bought 10 different colors of Crayola Artista II paint. You get a lot paint for your money with these 16oz jars, but you need to buy something to store the point in that is kid friendly. You're not going to be able to dip you paint brush in these paint containers. If you just squirt some on a palate, then you will end up through a lot of paint away after each painting session. You also lose a lot of paint if you rinse out a single brush between colors. My solution was to buy 10 paint cups and 10 paint brushes one for each color. It works great; my little girls have fun and don't have to worry about running out of paint.
For paint containers and paint brushes I bought
- Chenille Kraft No-Spill Round Paint Cups
- Chenille Kraft Preschool Paint Brush Assortment
I like the bushes; a lot of brushes with good variety of styles and widths.
I'm not a fan of the paint cups. They work alright, but they don't seal very well so the paint may dry out over time. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great stuff. I previously used the Winsor & Newton gesso, which was VERY thin. I had heard about this gesso watching Jerry Yarnell's videos. For those who don't know he's a professional artist/teacher who uses this stuff and swears by it. He uses it as a gesso and as his white paint, since it is more opaque.
I knew this stuff was going to be thick, because the jar was heavier than expected. And yes, this stuff is THICK. Not too thick to where it doesn't want to spread, but I'd say it's as thick as it could be without getting in the way of spreading nicely. I certainly have no complaints and can't imagine switching to any other gesso in the foreseeable future. Give this stuff a try. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Everything an oil based colored pencil should be. After owning a 48 set of PrismaColor Premier Colored Pencils for over 4 years, I was sick of having the soft leads break all the time. I spent so much money replacing pencils that I had whittled down to stubs in just a few sharpening. I had been aware of Faber-Castell Polychromos for a while, but did not consider them until I became fed up with my PrismaColors. Enough about PrismaColors, and more about the Polychromos. I know.
(I think comparing them to PrismaColors is useful because most people looking to buy colored pencils are having trouble choosing between these two in particular)
Pros:
-Great selection of grays
-Perfect variety in a 60 set--do not need the 120
-Tips NEVER break. In all my time using these, not one tip has broken, and I can always sharpen it to a perfect point
-Best price you will find for artist quality oil-based colored pencils
Cons (very minor):
-Not as "full" as some wax-based colored pencils. The colors don't stick to the page the same way, but it's something to get used to
-The initial arrangement of the colors in the box is not ideal, so I made my own color chart and rearranged.
-As with many colored pencils, some of the lead colors do not match the paint on the wood
-The white is somewhat of a disappointment. Not nearly as bold as the PrismaColor white
I would definitely recommend them, but I am yet to decide if I'm completely in favor of these over the PrismaColors. They are a little bit different to work with, so it may just be that I need to develop my technique more, but I do think that the PrismaColors were easier to work with FOR ME. That being said, I understand that PrismaColor is having some quality control issues (the wooden casings snap very easily when being sharpened, the lead is not centered in the casing, and the leads are more prone to breaking due to the lacking quality). If you have not already found a brand that you are comfortable with, definitely buy these. If you are still comfortable with your PrismaColors, it could be tough letting go despite the imperfections that are completely non-existent in Faber-Castell colored pencils.. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Light with good balance. This is a perfect travel folding palette for meit's in the smaller size range while still providing plenty of wells *and* a much better thumb rest balance than other smaller folding palettes. Part of this is that the thumb hole is closer to the center, and the fold-out extra mixing space improves that balance even more. As a rightie, I hold this palette in my left hand when I work, but I tested working with the palette on my right hand instead (as a leftie would typically hold it). On either hand, the balance is much better than folding palettes with a thumb hole on the edge.
The construction of this palette is a bit fragile, so treat it gently and don't bang it about in your bag, or else it'll break for sure. For those who can pad out their art bag, this palette is extra light and quite wonderful when working. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not Ready for Prime Time. Wow, the support and instructions included with the Curio are basically non-existent. A "start here" instruction sheet would be a really nice start. So would support hours outside of working hours (um, because I like work for a living, calling between 9-5 isn't really an option people!). Let me give you an example -- I keep getting a "Registration Failed" error. So I figured I could go to their website and look it up, right? Nope! Searches for "Registration Failed" are all about registering the product. Overall, I'd say Silhouette is spending a lot more time on marketing than on actual support for the devices the've already sold. I'm sure I will get it working eventually, but at this point, I'd have to tell people that this product simply is not ready for prime time. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The perfect watercolors. Absolutely my favorite watercolors. I have had the same set for over 10 years. First, I drop a lil water onto each color I'll be using, to get them wet, then just close it up when I'm done. They dry out again and last forever. Even the dried out paint left on the mixing area (underside of the lid) can be re-wet and used later, great if you made a custom color. If I accidentally mix colors (like get black in the yellow), it's as easy as wetting the color, wiping it off with a napkin, and good as new! Great to throw into my bag for traveling with minimal supplies. Inside there is space to carry along brushes. The colors can pop off, be moved around, and I love how you can take out both levels and use the entire container as a mixing palette. I'm a professional artist, but mostly do watercolors for fun. I've used fancier brands, tubes, gouaches....nothing beats the ease of these. These are great for a professional, a hobby artist, or even a child. Love them!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Must have for tempoary advertising on glass or just for fun. I just love these. They work so well on glass. Just wish I was a great artist so I could really do some creative things. I tested them on some windows and they are so easy to use. The tip makes it easy to make narrow lines or wide lines. The chalk dries quickly and is not easily removed by just touching or scratching at it. Very durable. However, with a damp cloth it comes clean in a snap. I'd recommend these for anyone who has a store front and wants to advertise or even for anyone with kids that want to draw on the patio doors. Would be great for assigning chores to the kids and having a check list. The bright colors are wonderful. Just had lots of fun with these. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Outstanding in quality and in value. The brush stand is just excellent, and mine had no issue with being straight, too short or in any way badly constructed. It went together easily and very snugly (I did find turning the cross-bar one way versus the other mattered). It holds together very stiffly... I'll never need to rebuild or glue it. (The large brush, by the way, did hang too low, so I tied the string to make a shorter loop... problem solved.)
The brushes are excellent, too. I've seen other reviews claim these are only so-so, and I'd be curious to know what they're comparing these to. Sumi brushes of any quality can lose bristles and have a quality of stiffness very unlike western-style watercolor brushes. They may lose their point when used and left to dry, but will re-form their tip when wetted once again. I first tried oriental calligraphy in South Korea in the mid-nineties. I still have the student-quality brushes I bought way back then. These are far superior, and comparable to the best individual brushes I've purchased for sumi (at $8 a crack).
*spoiler alert* -- my set also came with a 'surprise gift'... a "practice paper" that "paints" a solid black color with plain water and dries back to the way it started. I love this, and had considered buying one separately (there's one on amazon for $10). It came with a little note and truly felt like I'd received a gift! (The practice paper has Chinese characters on it.)
I simply couldn't expect more for the money, and barring any issue with your stand's construction I can assure you this would make an amazing gift for anyone interested in ink drawing & calligraphy. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great set for an art student. What a fun little set. It caught my eye because I was looking for some specialty brushes for detailing and special techniques although I usually stick to my larger brushes for most work. I use acrylic so I did a quick 8 X 10 painting to test some of the brushes. In the picture (done in 15 minutes so its a bit scary) I laid the brushes on the painting to show how I used them for tree trunk and shading, leaves, evergreens, sky, clouds, etc.
The fan brush is great for grass, flowers and and evergreen branches. The detail brush is long so it holds a fair amount of pain for a long line (tree trunk in the distance, small branches, etc. The brushes have a nice feel to them and no hairs are falling out. Handles are sturdy and a comfortable length both both table and easel paintings.
I would definitely recommend this set for a student for acrylic, oil or watercolor painting.
I received this item at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Solid Brushes Just Shy of 5 Stars Due to Bristle Issues. These brushes are really solid, but are just shy of 5 stars due to some bristle issues I'll go into below.
The Good:
- The carrying case for this set is extremely solid, and zips and unzips well. You can adjust it into one of three positions: flat, slightly inclined, and fully inclined. The later two positions require the use of velcro attached to the case.
- The handles on the brushes are a nice matte black with a good texture. I like that the sizes of the brushes are also written midway up rather than at the far end. It makes identifying a brush much easier, regardless of the position, and works well with the enclosed case.
- The metal part of the brushes is extremely solid and well-constructed. I'm hoping they will hold up well.
- The material for the bristles is pleasantly bouncy and I had a great time testing them out. I'm interested to see how they hold up to various media, but they did quite well with the acrylic and gouache I tested! They hold paint well and I only experienced minimal staining.
The Not Good:
- The trimming and molding of the brushes is unfortunately a bit lackluster, and I tried to show that in my photos. Some of the brushes do not have clean cuts even after they were wet, so for a smooth line, I'll have to trim them myself a bit.
- Some brushes have so much molding gunk on them that the bottom of the bristles, where they attach to the metal, that I wasn't able to completely get it off. As long as I use the tops of the bristles I don't see this being much of an issue, but it is what prevents these brushes for being a straight 5/5 for me.
I plan to update this review as I create more art with them and can speak to their longtime usability.
I am a longtime Amazon Prime customer who enjoys writing reviews in my free time. I was appreciative to be given an opportunity to test and review this product at a discount for my honest and unbiased review. If you have any questions or comments about this product or my review, feel free to message me and I'll be glad to help! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
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