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Did I just paint with watercolor and use a brush pen on gesso? I DID. To test these canvasses and whether they would work for me, I made test panel with the following types of media:
- two types of calligraphy pens
- ball point pen
- color pencil
- water-soluble pencil
- permanent marker
- acrylic paint
- graphite pencil
- brush pen
- watercolors
- gesso (for covering up media)
I was really happy with the results overall. I had to allow water-based media to soak in and dry, but one it did, it worked great and the pigmentation was quite vibrant.
I did some additional testing as well. I dropped the test panel on the floor multiple times, which only resulted in minor damage to one corner of the canvas panel. I also unsuccessfully tried to bend it. I highly recommend this panel pack, especially at the price its sold for.
Disclaimer: I received these products at no cost in exchange for my honest opinions. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works pretty great. I used the white transfer paper for . Works pretty great. I used the white transfer paper for transferring a very detailed design onto black fabric for hand embroidery. I used cotton fabric laid out on a hard surface and traced it with a pen. As some other reviewers stated, the lines do wear away somewhat. But even with the design being moved around in an embroidery hoop, I could still see the lines. I made sure to press extra hard as I traced the design to ensure the lines would still show even if they faded a little. Really it's just that they fade where they come in contact with your hands a lot - oils/sweat on hands = bad for water soluble lines. Overall a great product though. I wouldn't recommend it for particularly soft or spongy materials. Jersey knits for example... You'll have a harder time tracing the design without poking holes in the paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It's convenient and satisfactory for many artistic preparatory purposes. For actual pieces of art work, I prefer to use heavy linen or cotton canvas that I buy in large rolls to stretch on frames or adhere to rigid panels. Then these canvases are treated with oil grounds/priming and allowed to cure for weeks before being ready for use. Because of the expense and time element involved in this, these finished canvases are used only for my more serious oil painting purposes.
However, I often am in a situation of just wanting to produce a quick art study, try out some new techniques, or even just make up some more color-mixing swatch panels. For these purposes, these sheets of canvas paper are ideal...relatively inexpensive and completely ready to use when the mood strikes.
If I want to use the sheets on one of my easels, I simply use painter's tape along the very outside edge of the canvas paper to affix it to a larger piece of masonite or birch panel. Then, the panel can be propped onto an easel and it offers a rigid, non-flexing surface to work on.
Although some of their competitor's canvas pads are made up of sheets of canvas-textured paper rather than actual canvas, that's not the case here. The Fredrix sheets are of a fairly lightweight cotton canvas which has been primed with acrylic. While I normally prefer oil-based priming/grounds, this is a fully sufficient base for the purposes that I've listed above.
A word of warning...
The sheets don't "tear" out very easily. I use a sharp razor knife along the very top edge to remove each page. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Multi use and fun. This is a great coloring book that comes with even more long use items.
The pictures are fun to color and while some i wish were more of the intricate pattern type i don't see a problem with the others, it adds some variety. Essentially it is what is promised. It's cute, fun to color, relaxing, and also comfortable. The 'holding case' type folder can be used for other notebooks/pencils and such which i think makes it worth even more. There's a word and definition as well as a quote or saying on each page. I found the quotes to e very uplifting and i like them a lot. The case isn't cheap and doesn't peel and scratch up ( though I will make sure to update this in time if need be). The color pencils I feel like could be a little better BUT they are >better< than cheap color pencils I've bought in the past so its not so bad. Don't expect anything fancy is all there basic colored pencils (: nothing wrong with that, just fyi for those who maybe wondering or picky like me. The artwork is beautiful and fun to color. The removable pouch is a nice little plus but if you put anything bulky (example: the sharpener) it feels weird and little bump where it is when its closed. Not a big deal but just cant put too much in it. It is useful on its own though. Overall I love this and do recommend it. It's not mass produced which is a plus so if your into helping out people who want to make a living doing what they love you can support that at the same time. I did receive this item at a discount price or for free in exchange for my honest unbiased review.
If you found this review helpful please let me know by selecting yes below. Thank you (: | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Quality. The Iwata HP-CS has to be one of the best built airbrushes of all time. Everything is so well crafted and machined. The funnel shape in the cup is fantastic and leaves no room for paint to get trapped or stuck. This makes cleaning it nice and easy.
The disassembly on the HP-CS is so simple. The nozzle comes out quickly due to its self centering design, and the back assembly comes out in one piece. Like all Iwata airbrushes, the trigger tension is a bit tight. It can be adjusted by unscrewing the tension spring adjuster.
The spray pattern is excellent. It will give you very fine atomization with the ability to do fine detail work. You can pull super thin lines with this with a bit of practice and proper paint. Keep this brush cleaned and oiled and I'm sure it will last a lifetime. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Very small to hold- great for little hands though (my 3 year old loves . A bit smaller than expected- but not an issue for me. Wood part of stamps are long- 1 1/2 inches. they are only 1/4 inch by 3/8 inch rectangular. Very small to hold- great for little hands though (my 3 year old loves them). The stamp part itself is affixed to the wooden block by some sort of double sided foam (very thin). This is plus if you ever need to re- affix the stamp- could be considered small parts so be mindful when using with very young children. The case is nice- however, the separation pieces (long flat pieces of wood) make it very difficult to reclose the box. I simply removed the long flat pieces of wood on the lid portion (they just slide out). Makes closing so much easier. I do still have to jiggle the box around as I close it though, and as it was meant for my toddler, it can be difficult for her to close. This is the only reason for the missing star, and it is not a big issue at all. Great for price, and I love the wood pieces and the box. My little one Loves to use these for making letters. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice to use. It is impossible to avoid coming across the Marco Renoir name in reviews. So many are quite passionate about them. I had just received my order of Pablos when these came in, so I was not expecting to be impressed, as I was already smitten with my Pablos. I found, though, that these are what I've read they are - enjoyable, smooth, buttery, all those words that get tossed around so much. They are so smooth, that they almost seem like an eyeliner or lipliner - very creamy.
I have recently read that these are basically Bruynzeel Design pencils - not regular Bruynzeels, but the better Design line, which now only comes in a 48 set. I am tempted to get a set of Bruynzeel Designs to see if this is true, but also feel that if it is, what a deal in getting more colors for less money with the Renoirs. I have tried asking it as a question on Amazon and not had it answered, so I guess I will either get curious enough to order the Bruynzeel Designs to compare one day, or I won't...
I did some doodling with my Lyras, Pablos, and these, all together, and while these do leave more sheeny directional marks than the others, they are the creamiest, also, and work well. Soft, and not as precise as the Pablos can be, but pleasant to use. Blending is easy, layering is no problem. The range of colors is nice, I just wish I'd bought the set of 100.
I do like when there are names on the pencil, much easier to remember what color was being used previously, but the numbering system is better than nothing.
Overall, these are great, and even if you already have heaps of other pencils, they still offer a different feel and experience. I haven't had any problems in sharpening, all around great. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not bad. I bought this item with some concern after reading the reviews. I am a beginner in painting and I needed an easel, and the price was too good to pass up. My first problem- there are no instructions. I'm sure the manufacturer thought the easel was self explanatory, but for someone like me who's never touched an easel, would have appreciated help, even if it was on the box. To adjust the legs, there are two plastic clips on each leg, which you flip the lock, extend the leg, then flip it back to lock. The metal bar the canvas sits on caused some confusion. 2 of the legs have an additional clip with a knob that you twist to loosen, turn it so the screw faces forward, then twist to lock the bar in place.
This is an ideal easel IF your canvas isn't too heavy (I wouldn't trust it)and you want something small and portable. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Terrible sharpener. This is a terrible sharpener. I have prismacolor pencils and I bought this on Amazon Prime Now (I thought since it was available, had good reviews, and I was using the same brand colored pencils that I love this would be perfect). It never sharpens my pencil to a tip, no matter if I use the small or large size sharpener, and when I did sharpen it to and adequate sharpness based on my previous results the tip kept breaking. I am adding three pictures respectively: the best sharpness I could get my pencil to, a comparison of the size it was before sharpening trying to get it to a nice sharp tip to color, and all of the shavings for a one time sharpening that still sucks. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for the price. I took an art class this past semester, and had purchased the Kimberly Graphite Drawing Kit for it. My reasoning for making that purchase was because it was almost the cheapest one at michaels, and happened to be the same set I had purchased for a high school art class 15 years ago and had seemed fine. Then, I misplaced it. I came to look up the price on amazon and this set popped up on my screen for the same price (less than 10 dollars).
I think the cheapest I've ever seen 4 woodless graphite pencils alone sold for was six dollars, so for the price this kit is great. I subsequently found the other graphite pencils the day after these arrived in the mail but i've stuck with the ones from this set. With only these things in mind I would have given this set 5 stars. The coloured pencils are ok, maybe slightly harder than your typical crayola coloured pencil. Yet, the watercolour pencils leave much to be desired.
After purchasing this set I was so excited about the watercolour pencils (which I hadn't ever used/seen used before) that I looked up some videos on youtube. The first thing I did when this came in the mail was to pull out the watercolour pencils and try them out and unfortunately the pigment just didn't want to cooperate. I was not using watercolour paper, but even so, I was unable to get the pigment to spread out in a way that looked like paint any more-so than one could adding water to a graphite pencil sketch.
For the price though, I really do recommend this set (unless you are only looking for cheap watercolour pencils) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Solid product. Great price. I kept hearing about the CarbOthellos being the best bang for your buck when it comes to pastel pencils. Pastel anything is expensive. I was able to purchase these as an open box as the tin was completely banged up but the pencils were perfect. The colors are wonderful and they lay down nicely on the paper. There is a lot of dust with them, so if you have white carpet, you may want to put something down to prevent the dust from staining your carpet. Although I am a beginner, I did do extensive research as to which pastel pencils were the highest quality at the lowest price. Stabilos kept coming out on top with Faber Castell and Derwent nipping at its heels. They definitely are a bit cheaper in price than the other two so if money is your deciding factor, then these are your best bargain. But if you are looking for the highest quality for your dollar, I would try purchasing one of each open stock to decide what you like best. They are all pretty good but have very different feels. For me though, it was a great investment and I don't think you would be disappointed. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Quality lacking. I received the table and arranged everything for assembly. To begin with, the instructions were not very clear or concise. Several pre-drilled holes were misaligned and overall the product was difficult to assemble. Once assembly was complete, the table is not very sturdy at all. I tightened all hardware a second time and the table is still wobbly at best. After adjusting the wing nuts to change the angle of the top, the "wing" broke off of both nuts. Not the best hardware at all. I also noticed that some pre-drilled holes were drilled too deep to accept the provided screws. Now, at random times, some of the screws pop out. Overall, I would recommend not purchasing this product as I feel the quality is just not there. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
SO FAR IT IS THE BEST BLACK FABRIC PAINT I HAVE USED. I am a huge fan of the Silhouette machine. I use it to ink shirts all of the time. When I first got mine it was bundled with the inking kit which is what I first used when I got started. That was almost 2 years ago and since then I have used numerous kinds of fabric paint playing the trial and era game figuring out what works best. My sons Birthday shirt I made 2 years ago still looks just as good as the day I made it. No other paints (well black I shall say because that is the only silhouette brand ink I have used) have worked as well as this ink has. I let whatever I am working on sit for a few days and sometimes weeks before I heat set it and wash it and have always been pleased. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Awesome Customer Service-Especially in Today's World. UPDATE: 6/2/16-I'm editing my review because this company has AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! They read my review and contacted me immediately to see what they could do to fix my prior experience. I explained to them what happened in detail, and they sent me a coupon code for a brand new set of pens. I just received the new set and they are all just perfect. I'm changing my 3 stars to 5, not only because of their excellent customer service, but because the company went above and beyond to make things right. And...the pens are wonderful to color with. They flow smoothly, and the colors are outstanding. So thank you, Tanmit, for all you've done. You've made my first gel pen coloring effort a complete success!
First off, I seldom write reviews. This time, I feel I need to share my experience. I recently have joined the "adult coloring" group to help relieve stress and anxiety from both my job and my home life. I color to escape the outside world. So far, I have only used colored pencils and thought I would branch out a bit and add a bit more color and "life" to my coloring fun. I researched and thought that these might be the best colored pens for what I wanted to do. I looked through so many reviews and felt like I might be safe from exploding pens. Boy, was I wrong! I received the pens today and the pink sparkle pen, (One I would no doubt use the most, since I'm a "pink" person), had exploded all over everything. So not only do I now have much ink left in that pen....now I have that lovely color ALL over the other pens, my hands, the containers...everything. That being said, if I can ever get the ink off the other pens, I'm anxious to use them and see if the other colors live up to my expectations. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Poor Customer service. I thought this would be a nice Christmas present for my wife. She has been stuck on using her cricut for years and I wanted her to try something that didn't lock everything to one company. All seemed okay to start, but when she tried to connect software from a PC to it, it made horrible sounds and the only way to stop it is to kill the power. Tried another software package, same problem. She has placed THREE phone calls to the company (two to tech support and one to customer service) and every time she gets a machine to leave a message. NOBODY will return her call. Amazon states it is too late to return, so I guess we are out of luck. Yes we will continue trying to call ecraft. If you buy it, make sure all features work as soon as you get it. Don't wait to find out a feature doesn't work as you may be out of luck!
eCraft, if you read this... We just want service! Either answer the phone, or return phone messages! Product seems like it would be nice if it worked as suppose to!
3/31/2012 UPDATE - I found an email address of a VP at eCraft and sent him an email. He responded the same day (Sunday) and on Monday, eCraft contacted my wife and had her ship the machine back. They replaced the machine with a new one and in a week's time. VP can get action, just need the customer service to trickle down the ranks. Note: machine does cut well without a mat unless you do small intricate cuts, then the paper does tear. Tried adjusting it to a lighter setting, but to get it light enough not to tear means not cutting through paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fine point is awesome but fragile. I love the extremely fine point and fine line that this pen offers. It is much finer than any other pens I've tried which has allowed me to experiment with a new drawing tool and technique. With the lines being so very small, it takes numerous strokes to add definition and then more to shade. It turns out to have a neat effect. The last image is for comparison. It was drawn with a Sakura 06 Gelly Roll. There's a huge difference.
Unfortunately, the super fine tip is also very fragile. After drawing just a couple pictures, the tip is literally gone. The same thing happened to my daughters pen, also used for drawing. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It was broken . The design is nice - just what I need - but the craftsmanship & quality is very poor. I waited a week for this to arrive and when I finally got it the thing was broken beyond repair and I had to send it back :( I won't ask for a replacement because the quality is very poor. The shipping box was not damaged but the box it came in was smashed in on one corner - like as if it had been dropped. The easel rails are only glued down (not screwed) so they completely tore off the base during the trauma. I considered patching it together myself until I noticed that one of the clams was bent as well (possibly ruined during the trauma). I'm very sad about this because the design is perfect. I will look at another distributor for a replacement. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I can't believe how well this works for the price. Maybe I'm lucky, but this economical little gem works as well as much more expensive units. I picked it up as a cheap second gun for priming and varnishing but it is very capable. I am super pleased to have this as my side arm. Super smooth trigger and control hard to believe for the price. Integrated cup is a plus and simplifies cleaning. No frills it just works. Highly recommend for beginner just dabbling or thinking to get into airbrushing for cheap, or for any old pro for a second gun.
Update: I've been using this gun for months now and it continues to be solid. Keeping it clean has been no problem, and it is showing no signs of corrosion. I use it for priming and varnishing as my second gun, but it is quite generally capable. I reaffirm my recommendation for this as a solid 2nd gun or for a newbie looking to try airbrushing on the cheap.
I did notice, however, on long or big jobs, my hand cramps up something fierce. For those jobs, I had to go to my trigger action gun, which is much more comfortable for me. So yes, comfort can be an issue for this gun in sustained use. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
it would have been a nice feature, as some of the darker colors were . This 18 color set contains the most often used colorsplus a few extra exciting colors not usually found in a basic set.
The colors in the set are: black, light brown, dark brown, burnt sienna, light blue, dark blue, violet, light green, med green, dark green, yellow, yellow ocher, light orange, orange, peach, red, light pink and pink. (While you can do some color mixing by layering and blending colors, this is a complete range of basic colors.) While having color names on the pencils may not be mandatory, it would have been a nice feature, as some of the darker colors were hard to distinguish.
Quality colored pencils should be rich and vibrant in color and have a creamy texture (not waxy or scratchy) that should be easy to apply in a smooth, even layer. They should also be transparent for blending. I found these colored pencils to have all of these qualities.
Looking at the wood at the end of a colored pencil can tell you a few things. Check to see if the lead centered and if the wood surrounding the lead looks similar. If not, its a sign that the pencil may not sharpen evenly, exposing the lead which will cause weakening and/ or breaking of the lead. Upon inspection of the pencils I found that just one color was off centered and the wood surrounding all the lead look the same.
The triangle ergonomic styling allows you to forget the pencil is in your hand, reducing grip fatigue and increasing focus on your drawing, not to mention they stay put on your work surfaceno rolling off the table.
These are really very nice colored pencils they don't feel dry or scratchy, deliver plenty of quality pigment, they layer and blend easily and color intensity is quite good for the price. Wish they had put names on the pencils and that they had included a white pencil in the color mix, but other than that I loved them!!!
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Disclaimer: I received this product at a discounted price in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I trust that my thoughts in this review will prove helpful in some way, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them based on my own personal experience with this particular product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I bought this light box because it was recommended as a tool to help me see cut lines . I bought this light box because it was recommended as a tool to help me see cut lines in vinyl for weeding purposes. It has really helped a lot, especially on projects with tiny pieces. My son's girlfriend is studying to become an animator and was working on homework one day while at our house. I caught her holding something up to the window to make tracing easier. Of course, I offered to let her use my light box. She loved it, saying it made the job so much easier. My son told me later that she couldn't quit talking about it. So, I bought a second one for her as a Christmas present! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but then I bought this one and all the others now seem like junk in comparison (sorry. What can I say, I have gotten the fountain pen bug again, and having been purchasing all kinds of the cheaper fountain pens offered here on Amazon, but then I bought this one and all the others now seem like junk in comparison (sorry, other pens). This refills easily (I use a syringe with a blunt needle), has a large ink reservoir that lasts forever after filling, and writes beautifully (mine has a fine point nib). The pen itself looks absolutely beautiful and I am always getting compliments on it. This is now my "go to" pen, writes better and much more consistently immediately upon uncapping than any of my other pens, even some of the ones costing 2-3 times more. Buy it, use it, love it, you won't regret it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent value for quality paints. These paints are amazing! I wanted to paint some of the windows in my home and I wasn't 100% sure what colors I wanted to use, but when I bought these this set was priced at under $30. That's a phenomenal price, because it's around $3 per bottle if you buy the bottles individually. It was worth it to me to have so many colors to experiment with while I decided what I wanted on my windows, and I plan to use as much as the paint as possible painting sun-catchers as holiday gifts. If they're priced at less than $2.99/bottle and you want a variety of colors to play with, this set is a great value! I have had one window painted for a couple of weeks now, and it looks great and is holding up well. I've started on the next. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fantastic pencils for all levels of artistry. These pencils are very smooth and creamy. They do crumble as others have stated but that is because they are a very soft core. It does not state what the core is but with the way they blend and to much preasure makes them crumble I'm pretty sure they are a wax base. The colors are strong and the blending is easy. I do not consider these a high artist grade pencils but for sure college grade. They are well worth the price you pay for them vs higher priced pencils. Would recommend these to Colorists, New Artists, College students and even Teenagers. Just takes time to learn whats appropriate pencil pressure to get desired results. These is also something that is required of Prismas as they are also waxed based. As an Artist I was able to get fantastic results from these pencils. Just takes practice as it would with any pencil. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fun Project for all Totoro fans. I was so happy to find this and have enjoyed working on the paint by number project. My only complaint is that it is very hard to read some of the numbered areas because they are so small. The brushes included will definitely not work for the smaller parts of the painting so I would recommend getting some very small bushes for the detailed parts. The picture that was included for reference is a very small sticker that is stretched out of proportion in comparison to the actual canvas. It also included a larger numbered reference guide, but this too is very hard to read. At this point I have finished the larger areas and will have to just use my best judgement to complete the rest. It will need a lot of "touching up" because some of the parts just don't look right. The fish on the end of the fishing pole doesn't even resemble anything like a fish so I will have to fix that too. I was able to find a picture of what this painting was based on and have included the photo for reference if anyone needs it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
So much awesomeness in one package. I used these Chalkmaster liquid chalk markers from US Art Supply for a big chalkboard wall that I made up at home. I used the white for a big bold typography quote on the wall and I LOVE how bold and bright the white color is against the black of the chalkboard wall, and they are all so much fun to use! I love the bright and bold neon colors that were included in my pack and they are very easy to write with. In order to 'activate' each of the pens, you do have to shake them and then press down on the tip until the chalk paint starts to come out, but you only need to do that once for each pen and you're set to go! PLUS this pack is super awesome in that it gives you additional back up tips, which is extra awesome considering none of the other packs that I've ordered have that bonus.
I like that the points are so fine and precise on these Chalkmaster chalk pens- it means I can do fun detailed work, like my attempt at an abstract pinecone, and the paint works on multiple surfaces, so I have gotten a ton of use out of this 18 pack of neon and 'natural' colored pens. I still think my toddler is a little on the young side (he's only 20 months) to be maneuvering these independently (more so because of the fact that he bangs everything, so I have a feeling that the tips would be destroyed in seconds), but I can see these being great for kiddos who are a little bit older, as the regular chalk we have for my son leaves dust all over the floors when he draws that I constantly have to clean up. With these chalk pens, there is no dust left over, or messes to clean up, and although they don't wipe off the aluminum cans or chalkboard once they've dried, they are easily wiped clean with a wet washcloth. I'm also really impressed with how vivid the colors are - even the purple and brown show up very strongly on the black chalkboard!
For my project I used them on both aluminum buckets as well as the chalkboard, but these Chalkmaster chalk pens can be used on any non-porous surface and I can do so much with them! You can use them on your mason jars, ceramic jars, DIY projects, to leave personal notes on mirrors & calendars, chalkboard stickers, chalkboard contact paper, tile, metal, plastic, thank you card, accessories, glasses doors, cafe menus, gym boards, sewing patterns on fabric, marking expiration date on food canisters & containers, chalkboard labels, business folders, lunch menu for school, kitchen, mega mugs, Plants, and even in the garden!
I did receive this product for free or at a deep discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review, regardless, all opinions are my own | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Coloring: yes, brush lettering: no. Received these as a gift and eas pretty excited to try them out. I'm a lettering beginner who's primarily worked with Tombow and the contrast in quality was immediately apparent to me. These Rainbow BrushPens don't work super well as brush pens at all as the tips are fairly hard and non-flexible. I also noticed the tips fraying after just a couple uses. I compared an unused brush pen to the tip of a pen after just 2 uses. The bleed is just slightly heavier than Tombow. It's challenging to get a good thin-to-thick line both because of the tip hardness and fraying. I'll probably just use these for adult coloring, but would not recommend for brush lettering at all. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
These markers are amazing! They are the brightest colors I have seen. These markers are amazing! They are the brightest colors I have seen! The markers are the shake and press the tip down kind. This is very easy to do and didn't take long to prime the markers. We colored on the windows as a summer project and the kids loved it. Even my two year old could easily use the markers and the color still looks bright and vibrant! We also used it on a dry erase board. Because you can never use a new thing too much, we tried it on the bathroom mirrors too. And all of these locations the markers washed away easy! (Which is always dads concern!) We let them stay on the window for a while and the sun hits those windows all morning long but it washed away clean with a spray of windex and a paper towel. So easy my toddler did it. (Washing the windows in the mind of a toddler is almost as much fun as coloring on them you know).
I have used other window markers that didn't have this much color and was very transparent. These colors are just beautiful. This was my concern. That the colors wouldnt be as bold as they should be. These markers did not disappoint me! I included pictures of our window art and the tips of the markers. There are two ways you can use them. The tips come out and you can turn it around for a flat tip. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice portable watercolor set. Nice portable watercolor set. I kinda know how to watercolor although I don't think the idea of a brush made of these materials is ideal. I think it's still a bargain; and a lot of people swear these brushes are wonderful. I prefer a brush with the ability to hold water and color that is similar to a real brush. Not that theres anything inherently wrong with these types of brushes I just prefer a real paint brush specifically designed for watercolors. The results these brushes provide is decent but isn't a substitute for the real thing. Although if you don't feel like carrying a water bottle this may be the way to go. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This stuff is bright. It is really amazing how well it glows, I've never seen anything like it. We used it to paint on some tennis balls so we could play after sundown (on courts without lights). I took the advice of others and painted it on thick. We haven't had any issues with paint flaking off, it dries pretty solid. I was afraid that the 1/2 ounce jar wouldn't be enough, but I had plenty of paint left after painting 6 balls. I will say that it definitely makes a difference what color of surface you use the paint on. Since tennis balls are already bright yellow, it was perfect for the paint. I tried painting some pennies to act as court markers, but they did not glow very well, so I painted them white and then used glow in the dark paint over that which worked much better. It's best to let the paint charge in the sun all day so that the glow lasts longer at night. We were able to recharge the glow to full power very temporarily with a flashlight. In the attached picture you can see one of the tennis balls glowing in a pitch black room. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Best investment ever. I am a fashion designer and own a small home business, I spend a lot of time cutting out my product and creating my packaging. This cuts down on my time soooooo much. plus it has helped me to start creating new products. I was debating between this and the cricut and after researching the two I decided to go with this one because the cricut only seems to work with the cartridges you have to purchase. So you are stuck with their designs and a ton of crap to store.
I did have one problem with it, when i was loading the mat it started cutting into the mat. I contacted the silhouette manufacturer and they helped me realize my mistake. I was simply using the load media button when i was suppose to be using the load cutting mat, simple mistake simple fix. since then it has worked perfectly. Takes a little trial and error at first but that was just a few trys and then you get it. I love it. I will say I got the spatula for the cricut instead of the silhouette since it was half the price and works just the same. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Best deal everrr! And best tips I can give when starting out. This was the best purchase everrrr. I'm just started out selling mugs with my designs and I didn't know what to get. But why spend $500 on a mug press when you can get this one for under $150? They're pretty much all the same. And this works beautifully! My only complaint is the instructions for press times was minimal to none. I had to hit up YouTube to answer that.
Here's the most important advice when it comes to pressing mugs:
1. Get this press. Hands down totally worth it and a crazy good deal.
2. Set the temp to 400 F
3. Put in your prepared mug
4. WAIT to set your timing UNTIL IT GOES BACK UP TO 400!
Personally, I found that 360 sec was the sweet spot time for me. Most people say 3-4 min but my mugs were faded in that short time. 6 min after having to sit there until it heated back up to 400 may seem long, but I've done a lot of trial and error and this is what's worked for me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Disproportionaly Small Images in Set--Beware. This was a very disappointing set due to how teeny tiny it is! I have seen it displayed online colored in and glued onto a card, and it gives the appearance of being what I think of a "normal" ratio of item to card. However, they must have miniaturized their card to achieve that effect, because the largest item, the camper, is itself only about 1 x 1 1/2! The car is barely 1 x 1. I bought their whale and dolphin set at the same time, and that camper could easily fit inside either of those sea creatures, maybe twice over in the case of the whale, LOL! This set is definitely unusually small for Lawn Fawn! I hate to say it, but I fear I am beginning to see a trend in online reviews--when there are only a few (in this case, 12), I need to start wondering if truthful reviews like this have been deleted in order to sell the item! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Still needs some work. Great pens, however I did struggle between giving the markers a 3 or 4. In a perfect world, it's a 3.5 out of 5.
Still testing them out, however they can use a bit of work, but I'll start off with the positives first.
POSITIVES
Markers came in a little package that can easily store and take the markers on the go. Overall, it gets the job done. I use these markers for all my illustrations currently. I ink my cartoons and they provide a good variation. Look awesome on bristol board. Faber-Castell gives you 4 different pens that do have distinct line weights.
NEGATIVES
Switching between pens can be a hassle. They are markers afterall and DO smear! Boo! When erasing pencil from underneath it does take away some of the ink with it. I also use a white gel pen to add nice highlights, however, these markers seem to soak up the ink. The white ink turns into a light grey. No bueno. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Overview of a rather unique color set. <div id="video-block-R2SN02U9NUB82Y" 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/E1yXuig-hbS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1Wh6-81HyS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> I received this decadent pies watercolor set new as a gift , the colors are half pan size and are pretty unique in this palette. More muted tones, when asking for this palette I had not realized that one of the colors included is a standard white, had I known I may have skipped this one, but Im glad I didnt. The tin packaging is a joy and pleasure in the hand right out of the box I must say.
I did have an issue with one of the 12 colors. The second shade called Earl Grey, which is a more metallic silvery shade. When first unwrapped I noticed that shade didn't fill up its whole pan, or had shrunk. Then when swatching I had issues rehydrating it enough to get any color to pick up and once it did it was very gritty and granulated. Leaving me to believe I got a faulty Earl Grey as the other colors all worked beautifully. I plan to contact prima about this issue.
These colors are more on the opaque side of sheer, like a gauche. The green key lime shade is a stunning shade that really makes this set shine for me. The gold metallic is also quite nice.
The final verdict, its a solid 4 Star palette and a wonderful value at its price point. This was my introduction to this brand and I plan to buy more in the future. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works well. I've had this for about 6 months now and this is my first heat press machine. When it first arrived, it was slightly damaged with a huge dent in the back and the mat on the inside was also loose (seemed like the glue that was put beneath it didn't hold very well). I contacted the seller and they offered us a $40 refund back for the damages.
We ended up putting some caulking beneath the mat to make it more stable, and tried to use the heat press anyway, even with the dent in it. It's works, and has been working fairly well. It's very loud when you close it. A loud thump/bang noise from the lever hitting the screw. We ended up putting some cork material where they hit to decrease how loud it was. This may or may not bother you, but it is very loud to me.
It heats up fairly quickly, so that was a huge plus. Not really any downsides to a heat press like this one. It is a good beginner one. Of course for $250, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles.
You can set the time and temperature fairly easily with it's digital function. Once the time is up, it beeps repeatedly to let you know it's done pressing.
Overall, works really well and does the job. Great money-saving buy. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It was completely even and looked beautiful. The color was also on point. I bought this to dye a white t-shirt dress for a cosplay. I didn't quite follow directions in that I used hot water from the tap rather than boiling water and I didn't actually really measure anything. I just put some dye in the water, put the dress in and stirred it around with a wooden spoon for about half an hour. The dress came out perfectly. It was completely even and looked beautiful. The color was also on point.
I later received some plain white sheets with stains on them and decided to use this to cover them up. I again didn't use hot enough water and just put some dye in without measuring. The sheets came out a little worse due to the difference in fabric, however the I know it's nothing to do with the dye itself. I took advantage of it by splashing water with more dye in it to create dark streaks and made a kind of ocean-y or space-y feel to it. The dye has not faded from either the dress or sheets with use and I still have some dye left for any future projects. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Bad Quality Silhouette Hook...dull tip and awkward tip angle. I have an original Silhouette hook which has a square rubber handle, it is a well-made tool which makes my vinyl-peeling job very easy an satisfying...can't live without it. I wanted a second one so I can do smaller job just in front of my computer, as I kept the original one in my workshop where I usually work on the bigger project. This new Silhouette hook I received from Amazon has a new design to it. The handle is round and made with mostly plastic and only the small hand-held part is wrapped with gray rubber. It is a little lighter compared to the original one. I can live with the lighter hook and the no so comfortable holding plastic material. But my biggest complain would be the hook tip and the tip angle. The tip is DULL, not as sharp as the original one where you can peel the vinyl easily, The DULL tip makes the vinyl-peeling process difficult and not so enjoyable. On top of that, the angle of the tip is so setback that I have to hold the hook in an awkward position in order to peel the vinyl properly. Overall I am very dissatisfied with this New Silhouette Hook. For now I will stay with my original Silhouette hook. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Best Face/Body Paints. My aunt who is a professor at an art school in Boston gave these to our family as a gift when I was a child. She said that they were ideal for face painting and they are!!! We played with our set often for years and the pastels are still in good shape and we now use them with my children. I just bought my own set to have at my house and I anticipate my grandchildren playing with them. I LOVE these pastels. They are easy to use and as mess free as face paints get! We were able to use them unattended in grade school (age 6 or so). We loved coming downstairs and showing off our face creations to our parents. My mother is an artist and enjoys using them on paper, alas I did not inherit the artist gene and my only experience is with face painting. I highly recommend them! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Essential to any acrylic artist's toolbox, but not an alternative for "open" acrylic paints. Frustrated with the lighting drying time of acrylic paints, I figured I would try a retarding fluid medium to see if this made a difference in working time. I already use a "stay-wet" palette that keeps my paint blobs fresh longer, so I was more concerned with having a longer "open" time to blend the paint on the canvas. First, I just added a few drops to the paints on my palette, but this did not seem to be much help on the canvas. Then I poured some of the Slow-Dri into a small mister bottle and used it to spray the areas on the painting that I needed to work on longer. This seemed to do the trick for me.
I love Liquitex mediums, and I own several other types from the same line. I gave this medium only four stars because while it can help extend blending time, the extra minutes would not be enough if I were doing large portraits. I suspect I may need to try the new open acrylics from Golden for such projects. Artists looking for a cheaper alternative to the pricey open paints may be disappointed with this particular medium. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Darice 80 Piece Art Set in Wooden Box. The set exceeded my low expectations, although I should have read the reviews before purchasing. Bought during a lightning deal, the price was modest so I assumed this set would only be suitable for a young child but after using it for a while, with limitations, even older children will find things to enjoy
The wooden case is attractive and useful for storing the many small pieces, but it should probably be handled with care to avoid stressing the small metal hinges. And, note that the colorful paper that shows the contents of the case is partially glued directly onto the wood. The glue sticks stubbornly, so it took time and effort to remove without damaging the wood.
Regarding the quality of the art supplies, the oil pastels are crayons they do not respond the way oil pastels do. The colored pencils have quite hard lead, so they are good for drawing small details but do not work well for coloring larger areas, which require softer lead.
The watercolors were probably the most problematic of the group of supplies. The squares are inconsistent -- some of them worked well and others just did not release their pigment no matter what I tried or how long I swirled water on them. So, sometimes there was nothing but a hint of color on the page. Also, the color selection was not varied enough.
The small accessories were surprisingly useful. I had no problem with the pencil sharpener and even the eraser worked well erasing marks made by the two included lead pencils. And, the two brushes, although clearly inexpensive did an adequate job with the water colors. This is not a bad set. It makes a nice presentation but the water colors warrant replacing, and if oil pastels are desired, rather than crayons, they too should be replaced. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Greatest thing since bubble gum. When I opened the Amazon box and lifted the machine out (make no mistake this is a machine) I was concerned about how heavy it was until I remembered you don't lift it while operating it. I make square dance dresses sometimes with yards and yards of ruffles. This whipped thru 8 layers of good cotton/poly or blends of rayon/poly with ease. It looks bulky and weighs about 6 lbs, but with the rollers on the bottom plate it is very easy to control on curves and straight cuts resulting in neat and accurate cuts. The size and weight are NOT a problem. This is worth the price and it comes with a complete assessory pack. This is perfect for the casual sewer or crafter too. Saves time plus eases the wear and tear on your hands. I paid full price for this and if I didn't like it, I would tell you without hesitation. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Dry out and stop working in s short time. EDIT 6/29/18: The company was really nice and responsive and offered either a full refund or a replacement to mine. I opted for the replacement markers because I love the pigment on these. My advice would be to find a way to use them on horizontal surface rather than holding them up so that the ink flows better through the markers. i use them on my classroom chalkboard.
The markers do work on my classroom chalkboard and come out looking nice, however, even when stored carefully with caps on, I have found that they dry out/stop working within a month or two. It makes it a little frustrating to update my chalkboard monthly when last month's marker is no longer working. I was pretty disappointed with this aspect of the markers. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Lets really break this down, shall we. Montana markers have recently been ushered into mainstream craft supply stores (to clarify, I mean chains like Michael's, and soon to be Hobby Lobby, I am sure), and thus pushed out their primary previous competitor, Zig (IE: "Posterman"). Basically these are the exact same markers in terms of width, opacity, and low-gloss matte type finish, but not the same in price, tips or color range.
Tips: There are some key differences between Montana and the Zig brand, in that the Posterman (Zig) were sold in multiple tips, predominantly a tapered chisel tip, and less commonly a round tip like these Montana. I will admit that the actual material of the Posterman tip, combined with the chalky pigment, can cause a bit of a particle accumulation issue, but that side-effect combined with the tapered chisel shape created a very nice brush-like point.
Paint: The paint is for the most part no different. It is very opaque, and has a very slight almost eggshell shine, but is mostly very flat to the touch, to the eye in most lighting, and in terms of response on top of various other mediums (on top of slicker/plastic-like surfaces they both come out more shiny than normal). However, Montana's designer-type color selection has almost no shades in common with Posterman, except black, red, silver, and white. The dark and light blues, the pink, the yellow, the orange, the greens, brown, etc are all varied from not just Posterman, but also varied from Elmer's "Painters" variety, and also varied from the other brands (which are mostly higher gloss enamels and not what is commonly referred to as "acrylic" or "pigmented ink"). For this reason, I think it's a shame that they seem to have pushed out Zig "Posterman." It's also a shame in terms of price. Both brands, however, will hold their color very well after years of exposure to indoor lighting and low levels of natural light, but fade considerably if left in the elements (direct sun and rain) for months, years, etc. But, with some kind of sealant they may retain their pigment a lot longer.
Price: While I admit that this 12 pack is economical, the craft stores sell these as individually priced, and even in a 6 pack they come out to about $5 each, whereas you only have to buy an 8-pack of Posterman to get the same per-marker price as a 12-pack of Montana.
Overall: I recommend that this 12-pack of Montana round tip acrylic markers is a sound purchase, but I also recommend that you get an 8-pack of Zig Posterman chisel tip (they come in multiple tip shapes) pigment ink markers at the same time. This will expand your color palette, as well as your nib shape variety, and provide you doubles of the common white/black/red colors. The two types of paint, although labeled as different, are really no difference at all. They blend into one another seamlessly. However, buying 6 or less Montana at a time will cost you (in many cases, but not all) twice as much per marker as any other option I mentioned.
Footnote of other brands and refill ability: As I mentioned, the Elmer's brand "Painters" markers are also excellent and the most similar paint to these two brands I primarily discussed here as far as not being enamel and thus not having much shine. The Painters come in a more slender casing, but they, along with the brands above, at least fill that casing as much as possible with plenty of ink. I cannot say as much for the Sharpie variety. Although Sharpie provide a metal casing and lower gloss than the classic Decocolor (the ones they should really lock up from taggers more than Montana), the Sharpie paint markers seem to come only half-filled with paint. Montana is the only brand that advertises that their markers are refillable, and sells those refills (in somewhat questionable quantities), however, all paint markers can be refilled and there are plenty of people on Youtube excited to tell you how (it involves a pair of pliers and little finesse). Not only that, but there is a science as to what types of ink and paint can go through what types of carburetor, and it has a lot to do with just experimenting to get the result you want. With a little rubbing alcohol, you can get many paints to flow very well, such as On The Run brand Soultip paint (their silver black is an essential), Molotow All-for-one (I do not like Molotow markers messy carburetors because they don't take other brand paints well), Ironlak (who make a very uniquely chalky high-alcohol acrylic), and even some paints that are closer to enamel, like Grog (which is very shiny but fades very bad), or even some alcohol-based inks like Marsh 88 (available in large cheap quantities, but can be a bit runny in paint markers, and only comes in a few colors).
In closing: Most people who were familiar with Montana prior to their recent craft store take-over, are very aware that the world of refillable paint markers is one of the most experimental areas of street art style supplies. With spray cans you just have various tips and pressure levels to experiment with, but with paint markers you can try anything that you feel is cut with a similar smelling alcohol. I have even attempted blending ink with nail polish in a narrower "Painters
" marker, but to make any experimental blend ideal, you will need to try a cutting agent like rubbing alcohol, and yes there is some risk of toxic effects, but it's NOT like mixing bleach with ammonia because essentially most of these just use variations on alcohol. If all of this sounds scary to you, don't worry, because Montana and Zig Posterman are both zero fumes in their native blend. It's only once you start scouting for refills that you will need to consider ventilation, etc. Both this Montana 12-pack, and the Posterman 8-pack are by far the most economical options in markers that can be refilled, and their wider bodies makes them hold a lot of paint both when they are purchased and when they are refilled. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
High-quality tags in lovely colors. I needed a simple attractive way to label some bins that held my infant son's clothes. I saw these beautiful jewel toned tags on Amazon, and despite the absence of reviews, decided to give them a shot. I was pleasantly surprised.
Pros:
-photo is true to color, and the tags are lovely and vibrant
-high quality thick tags, not flimsy
-great variety of shapes and patterns
Cons:
-minor, but be aware that the tags have a definite "right" and "wrong" side due to the embossed patterns stamped on them. The back of the tag is attractive enough, but if you're nitpicky it may bug you that they aren't quite as pretty on the back. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good Family Fun. My kids (5-13) have been playing with this for two days straight. We haven't broken a single crayon and they are truly having fun with it!
Here's the skinny:
1. The pack comes with templates only for small sized crayons. If you want to use it on larger you will need an expansion pack.
2. Crayola makes a product that has safety in mind. If you try to carve anything but a new crayola-sized crayon the safety mechanism will not engage (.and....keeping my 11 yr old son from carving his finger!)
3. The wrapper slicer does a great job... but it also leaves a big groove down the side of the crayon. I recommend just peeling them the old-fashioned way.
4. Have fun with this!!! What a FUN toy! (I'm ordering the expansion pack for the Jumbo crayon now!) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Read the reviews and take note. I read the reviews prior to purchasing this product. There is quite a divide between 5 stars and the rest. Those that gave it a 1 or 2 star rating are exactly right. I followed the directions precisely. I purchased this tube of Fray Block to seal the threads of serged seams for heat pad covers. The product pours out of the spout making it uncontrollable. The directions have you run it under hot tap water for 3 minutes and then shake it for 30 seconds prior to use. 2nd try: I changed it to 2 minutes and put it in a cup the second time as the original directions wasted water. No difference in outcome as it still was uncontrollable. Placing a drop and spreading it with a popsicle stick worked. It does dry clear on the cotton fabrics as if it was never used. The CA cancer warning was very clear on the package. It was delivered late. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Best shooting in the West. I agree with the positive reviews on this product. I purchased my unit from Belletto Airbrush Make up...and after careful daily cleaning...after 2 months, it finally stop working...I was hoping to get it fixed or get a replacement...but they don't sell replacements:( I did contacted the company and was informed that I was out of warranty. I so I started my quest and found other similar brands on Amazon.com. I got'em in a week and quickly tried them... I did notice the difference right away between both guns and my original gun felt cheap:( Really sad...but very happy I found a replacement on Amazon.com and for a better price! The worry is that will it fit w/my existing tube...but no worries...it fits perfect! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
glow forth. Color pictured is vey accurate, in that this has a bit of a blue cast to it, but it really reads as white in comparison to "traditional glow in the dark green" or when used with other of the more blue pigments. I love that Glow Inc has specifications for all of its pigments so you can contrast and compare their initial brightness and brightness decay.
I didn't go with a water-based product because the solvent-based products are brighter, but note that solvent-based products are extremely strong smelling when applied and can take two days to dissipate. I'd have a ventilation plan in place before you apply this to an indoor wall, and I'd do it early in the morning if someone was planning on sleeping in that room at night. For maximum effect I'd apply at least two coats.
I used mine for a star field and was greatly helped by the purchase of a UV bulb and a clamping shop-light so I could see where to place "stars." | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Multi-purpose, high quality, high priced. I'd recommend Golden matte gel medium without reservation for paint extension, glazing and collage/altered art. It's high quality and high performance.
This gel medium has a variety of uses:
> extends acrylic paint colors; reduces gloss and viscocity while maintaining hue. Will hold moderate peaks and preserve brush characteristics.
> increases the transparency and clarity of already transparent colors in glazes and washes.
> archival quality ground, gluing agent and sealant. Full-bodied, dries clear, leaves no tack. Plus, it won't crack, change color or turn milky over time.
Of the many mediums on the market, I've used Golden, Liquitex, Winsor-Newton, Grumbacher and Talens. I've found one is prefferable to another depending upon the application. For color extension, I prefer Golden or Winsor; for adhesive, collage, and altered art, Liquitex, then Golden.
BTW, online I've found big price variations for gel mediums. For example, 1-gallon of matte gel medium ranged from $51-85/GOLDEN, $47-55/LIQUITEX, $31/UTRECHT, and $23/NASCO. Caveat emptor. Shop around. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cheap. Another reviewer stated it perfectly, These are extremely cheap quality. The pencils almost transfer no color. Even normally vibrant colors such as red or blue look extremely pale on paper with these colored pencils. Neither are the build-able If continuing to go over an area, the color stays pale. The pastels have almost no color, either. The paint is decent watercolor, The brushes are really cheap. The sharpener works well. The case is very cheap wood. The locks work well.
I purchased to use for adult coloring books. I definitely wouldn't recommend for that purpose. A child under 10 may enjoy these. if they;re not really into art..just wanting to have a little fun drawing and painting. If the child is really artistic, I wouldn't recommend these | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Returned (thank you Amazon for your wonderful return policy) and bought HP-CS. Every dollar well spent; wow, just wow. I am new to airbrushing and went for relatively economical and 'user friendly' single action Paasche H. However, could never get it to work to my satisfaction. Returned (thank you Amazon for your wonderful return policy) and bought HP-CS. Right out of the box, (and after running little water through it), three drops of Vallejo air black acrylic and one drop of Vallejo acrylic thinner, and it worked like a charm. Yes, I need to practice, practice a lot, but still managed to get thin enough pre-shadings on 1:72 plastic model aircraft. I cannot be more happy with this purchase. If you cannot afford this fine airbrush right now, just wait, save some dollars and buy this decent airbrush. For less money you'll only be buying frustration, waste of time and expensive paints (yes, airbrush paints don't come cheap). | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I opted for the Badger brand because I picked up a badger brush and liked the quality of it and was pleased that it's . I've been using this compressor lightly for a couple years now. I wanted to learn how to airbrush bodies for radio controlled cars and wanted a small compressor that had a tank and was relatively quiet. I opted for the Badger brand because I picked up a badger brush and liked the quality of it and was pleased that it's made in the USA. (The compressor, however is NOT. China, I think.) Overall I'm pretty happy with this compressor.
It's relatively lightweight for it's size and the carrying handle makes it pretty easy to move around if you need to. It has four rubber feet that help keep the vibration to a minimum when it's in use. It's moderately quiet when it's in use. I'm not going to say it's "near silent", it definitely makes some noise but nothing like you'd expect from a multi-purpose or tool compressor. Basically, it doesn't startle me when it kicks on so that's a plus. The tank fills in about a minute or so and will hold enough pressure to shoot for about as long at around ~30psi. I never feel any pressure fluctuations whether the tank is filling or not, so the regulator seems to do a good job of keeping everything stable.
Speaking of the regulator, it's a little bit wonky. Mine was mounted at a pretty extreme angle inside the case rather than straight up-and-down like pictured. This doesn't affect the performance of the unit at all, but it is a little weird. Otherwise it works very well. The knob on the top adjusts your working pressure and it immediately shows on the dial what you're working with. Again, since mine was mounted kinda crooked it makes reading the dial a little difficult sometimes. I'm sure I could loosen it up and straighten it out, I just haven't bothered to yet. The included moisture trap does its job well, too. The glass is very transparent and it's immediately visible just how much water it's trapping, which is nice. The water trap has a pressure relief valve on the bottom so you can empty the tank if you want.
My biggest (and really only) complaint with the unit is the placement of the power switch. Like other reviews have pointed out, the switch is on top of the motor, which is on top of the tank, which is on the underside of the cover. You literally have to slide your hands under the cover and dig around for the power switch and move it forward. People with wide hands or sausage fingers probably can't even reach the switch. I find that it's relatively easy once you've done it a few times but it's incredibly inconvenient. I think if you really wanted to improve the unit you would remove the switch and re-wire a new toggle switch to the outside of the case. Honestly, that's what Badger should do...
Overall, it's a great little compressor that's small, has a good tank, puts out little noise and gets it's job done well. It has a few quirks but I find them tolerable enough to continue using it semi-regularly. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love, love. I purchased these for my 9 year old budding artist of a granddaughter, and we both love them. The colors are vibrant and easy to color and shade with, and the way they are packaged puts all other colored pencils to shame. Each little box in the package contains 12 pencils in that particular color range, and you just pop the pencil you want out of its little slot and pop it back in when you're done. This makes it so easy to be neat and organized. Contains every color you could want, and no more missing, messy pencils! You know exactly where the color you want is by what's on the box -- I'm not exaggerating when I say that the storage system here is revolutionary. Get these pencils. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love these. I'm not an artist but am enjoying adult coloring books for the last few months. I have 2 sets of Staedtler pencils which I really like for hard-lead pencils. Next I bought 6 open-stock Prismacolors for certain colors that were lacking in those sets. But I don't like the rough appearance of color even after blending & constant breaking lead & inability to get a sharp point. Even the hard Staedtlers blend better than Prismas! Then I made the jump to these. What beautiful pencils, too pretty to use lol! They color so easily with hardly any pressure. I use a pencil blender or the white pencil to blend and smoothen colors. In the tin of 60 I was afraid of too many yellows, but they are each truly different. This set includes the most beautiful primary and unusual shades I've seen. Personally, I don't see the need for the set of 120. I'm SO glad I splurged on these beauties! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not for watercolor. Don't buy this paper if you're planning to use it for watercolor......it's definitely mislabeled and will not work at all for that purpose. It's got a very rough surface and all liquid soaks immediately in like cardboard, but worse. I thought that this was going to work perfectly for smaller paintings-- birds, feathers, butterflies.....and upon my first sketch I was surprised at the coarse texture.....I couldn't even get a clear line with a pencil because the texture was so rough. Some don't mind that, but that was not the real issue.....that came when I put my brush to the paper for the first time.....I may as well have been painting on a paper towel! Even a light line with the thinnest brysh with the least amount of water possible spread so horribly and was immediately absorbed and unable to spread. This holds pen well however , so I will have to use it for some little pen drawings that I don't want to color in | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfectly pigmented portable paints. This is an amazing set of watercolors and the fact that it highly portable is even better. The case and organization is very convenient and efficient. Each color block is organized by its color spectrum (as most sets are) and is spaced with about 3mm between each block which is plenty of space for fast messy painters like myself. The clean up is hassle free since there is no overlap. Additionally, there are 2 small wells built in and 3 large wells that make the case cap, which fastens on quiet firmly so it won't randomly open up. The construction of the case is made of a tin like material, so it is sturdy and perfect for traveling/protecting your watercolors. There is a slot for a brush, which is provided but I will probably switch out for one of my own. To be completely, I feel like THE PROVIDED BRUSH MASKS THE QUALITY OF THESE WATERCOLORS. I highly recommend using your own or buying another, but for beginners it works fine though it doesnt seem to suck up much water. But either way, the quality of everything else is well worth the price.
Working with these watercolors was a dream! In the past, Ive been restricted to the watercolors that elementary school use (I believe it was the washable Prang set). These watercolors are SO PIGMENTED and wonder full to work with. They blend beautifully wet on wet and don't bleed when you paint over dried portions. For people who really like precision, this set is a godsend. I find that the variety of colors provided is great for all levels of expertise; as an art student, I haven't had to buy any additional colors. I've attached some doodles, but please ignore the terrible flash card paper i used ;-;
I also wanted to mention that the seller is great to work with. I was in communication with Stephanie, and she would check in to make sure everything was in great condition and up to my standards. In addition, she sent me a tips sheet, which I definitely appreciate since I am always looking for extra water coloring advice! I really appreciate it when sellers make sure that their products meet expectations because that kind of customer service is rare nowadays.
Overall, this is a highly portable set of pigmented, beautiful colors that are easy to work with. The price is beyond reasonable for the quality and I hope everyone has the same great experience that I did using this set! Even though I received this at a discount, everything that I wrote comes from my honest opinion. Ill update this review if I find that my opinion changes! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good but not great. I purchased this to use with an Iwata HP-CS. Overall, it's a pretty nice system, but I've noticed there's a small ding in the air compressor, which may have to do with the main problem: It is leaking from the gasket on the top of the device very slowly. While it's barely noticeable, I think it's sufficient enough to keep the tank from holding as much air as it should, resulting in the air compressor having to be on for much longer than it should (and it get's HOT).
[UPDATE] After owning it for a year, I must admit I am surprised it has held up so well. While it does run hot, often, it has never failed me, and has kept itself together despite being dropped once on the floor. I've changed my rating to a 4 star -- it's not a really great air compressor, but it certainly gets the job done. I should have returned it when it arrived with the defect, but I had neither the time nor the money, and it *was* still a large inconvenience for me -- but I won't rate them 3 stars because of it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Did Not Work Well For My Cuttlebug. It was very hard for me to get a clean cut with these and my Cuttlebug. I had to put a lot of paper as a shim to get it to cut through. When it finally did cut through, it really messed up my top cutting plate (not just the bottom where I would expect marks). As a result, things I die cut now have a messy embossing of these flower dies all over it. I ended up returning. I don't think these are a good quality and they did not work for me. I now have to replace my top cutting plate as well. Very disappointing. I would not recommend if you use a Cuttlebug. Maybe it would work with another die cutting machine. I did like the magnetic backing which holds the dies together. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
All the colors. This is a lot of paint! There is almost every color you could think of and if you mix paints for color, the possibilities are endless.
The packaging is great too. The box is really sturdy so I'm keeping the paints in the box when not in use. The tubes are packed in the box on trays (kinda flimsy), but the colors are grouped so you can pull out the tray of blue/purples or white/black/gray or red/pink/oranges or green/yellow/brown to use. I pull out the tray for the color palette I want and leave the rest in the box until I need them. It is a really nice set of paints for a beginner.
The only thing I can think of that would improve it is to ditch a couple of the lesser used colors (like gray) for more white. I go through white like crazy and there is only one tube of titanium white in the box. I've had to buy more white, but the other colors are lasting a very long time.
If you are starting to paint and don't already have paints... you must get this. As you learn what colors you use the most, you can replace individual colors, but to buy all these paints individually would be very expensive and I'm finding that besides white, many of the colors I thought I would use more are not the actual colors I'm using. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Very nice set of round brushes! Good for an artist who needs more round brushes in their kit. I'm a professional artist but while I primarily work with digital media, traditional paints are often the veggies to my digital meats. I have to eat them sometimes or else I'll get sick!!
It was really great getting to try out this set of brushes. They arrive well packaged, and have a huge variety in size! All of the brushes ARE pointed round, however, so you'll definitely want to substitute some other varied sizes (like a flat brush and a few liners) to have the most versatile set, but these still offer a vary nice variety just through size.
I wound up testing them using gouache paints, to see how they handle the wet medium. First of all, the brushes seemed to hold paint and water rather nicely, as I didn't have to constantly re-apply pigment as I was painting. Also, even though the smallest brush is still rather large, I was able to get a rather thin line using the pointed tip if I was careful! Definitely it's easier if you get liners to go with these brushes, but they still can do quite a lot on their own!
The brushes were comfortable to hold, and painted rather well. They were also easy to wash and store.
Honestly the one thing I WISH there was was a bit more versatility in this set (different types of brushes) but that's no ding on the seller or manufacturer. If you already have the other brushes and just want to add more round brushes to your set, than this is just fine!
I painted a lion to test them out. I mostly used the smallest 4 brushes, but I did use the larger ones to lay in the base body color and for the sky!
I appreciate the opportunity to review this Artist set of round paint brushes at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I was in no way required to provide a positive review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
AMAZING! So easy to use. I received the Cricut Explore 2 machine as a gift. I love scrapbookint and
I received the Cricut Explore Air 2 Machine as a gift. I love to make cards, scrapbook and do crafts but I was skeptical because I'm not great when it comes to using technical gadgets. But I decided to try it. I was amazed at how easy it was to use and set up using the app on my IPad wasn't complicated at all. I watched several videos on how to use the machine first and that was extremely helpful in helping me familiarize myself with how it worked. I went to the design page and completed several projects in less than an hour. The Cricut Explore Air2 allows you to create endless projects and then it does all the work! I was amazed at how professional my finished projects looked. Can't wait to start my next project. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wonderful, colorful brush pens. These are everything you could want from a brush pen and then some. The tip is a true brush, with soft bristles rather than the usual pointed felt-tip "brush" and comes to a fine point, allowing you to lay down very thin lines of color if you don't bear down on the brush. The colors are clear and vibrant and the color selection is great. I love watercolor brush pens vs. watercolor tubes or pans. They're portable; non-messy and you don't need water to use them. I've tried every brush-tip marker out there and these are my favorite.
UPDATE: I still have these and, with the exception of my favorite, frequently-used colors, they're still going strong. The tightly-fitting caps have kept them from drying out all this time (nearly 2 years later!). The colors are just as vibrant as when I first bought them. Love them! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Worth the effort. I had a big, empty wall, and wanted to add a little bit of "fun" to it, and these things did the trick.
Now, if I were allowed to post different "stars" for different aspects of these things, this review would be quite interesting.
For assembly: One Star. They are touchy, and they fall apart if you breathe on them wrong, but once you have them together, well, never mind, because once you have them put together, that may, or may not stay put together, depending on whether or not they stick to the wall, or if they hit the floor. Hitting the floor helps them to fall apart. This is not a good thing.
For sticking power: Maybe, if I'm feeling generous, I could give them Two Stars, because some of these things actually stayed assembled, and stuck to the wall, exactly where I stuck them...THE FIRST TIME! The majority of them hit the floor more than once. I could sit at my deck, across the room, and listen to the butterflies dropping. It was kind of sad, when you think about it. Every morning, for the first two weeks, I would find dead butterflies on the floor, right inside the front door of my bookstore. My solution? I had picked up a bottle of Elmer's ProBond Advanced, to stick my wooden letters to the wall, and I figured that if the glue could hold heavy wooden letters, it certainly should be able to hold a paper butterfly to the same wall. For the most part, it did. The problem, it turned out, was the "sticky dots" provided to attach these things to surfaces. Maybe if I had been sticking them to glass, there wouldn't have been a problem, but I wanted them stuck to a wall...When I used the Elmer's on the stick dot stuff, the sticky dots seemed to want to no longer stay stuck to the butterfly, leaving a white sticky dot on the wall, and a dead butterfly on the floor. I fought with them for several weeks. Eight month's later, I still encounter the occasional falling butterfly, but for the most part, my wall design is still in tact, and looking as cute as ever.
Durability: Three Stars. These things are made from something more than paper (like I had assumed by their appearance). They don't tear, no matter how angry you get with them. On the other hand, the antenna come off easily, and are a real bugger to try to reinstall. For this reason, I suggest that you purchase more than one set, if you have a large area that you want to cover. The baby butterflies seem to be the easiest ti kill, and they are the cutest, and the most necessary, if you want your design to look like they are actually flying.
Are they cute? You bet your boots they are. No, they don't look like real butterflies. I didn't expect them to, after all, they are plastic. Even real butterflies don't look real sometimes.
I got two sets of pink and a set of blue, primarily because pink and blue just so happen to be the primary colors of my bookstore walls. I'm glad I did. I have a mess of left over butterflies, but that's OK. I figure I will use them to replace any of the ones currently stuck to my wall, if they fall apart when I attempt to clean them for the first time. I will let you know how that goes.
In the meantime, I love these things. They were a pain to install,but they sure look cute on my wall, so I figure they were worth the effort. Actually, I had a lot of fun putting these things up. I even got my customers involved in the process, and in the end, I even sat a butterfly on my "logo's" toe, and it get's compliments and giggles every time somebody sees it for the first time.
They may have been a pain to work with, but, personally, I think they were worth the effort....But I will let you see for yourself, and decide:
I've included a couple of pictures, which Amazon has decided to flip and mutilate, but you can see the butterflies, and that's all that matters.
UPDATE: Picked up a package of ZOT-Dots (used for scrapbooking) and discovered that they do a much better job of holding my bugs to the wall than anything else I tried. Amazon sells Zots, but that are readily available in any craft store, in the scrapbooking isle. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
not messy so I'm happy. I have become obsessed with adult coloring books. I like having different mediums to try because each one can make a picture have a totally different look. I am really enjoying these markers. The colors are bright and make the pictures pop. My favorite thing about them is they dry quickly, so they don't leave ink all over my hands or smear on the page. I am much better at using the fine tip when using my coloring books. I can't stay in the line very well with the brush end. I am excited to try the brush on canvas though. The markers also came with a printable 16 picture coloring book. That allowed me to print out a few for the kids without them having to fight over pages in my books.
I received the double tip markers at a promotional rate for evaluation and unbiased feedback. My review is based solely on my experiences coloring with the markers over a period of several days. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
New favorite craft - what else can I etch. This stuff works!! I was hesitant to buy it as it is quite expensive for such a small amount however you have use so little that I doubt I will ever have to buy more. I used it to mark/decorate bake ware for Christmas presents and the family loved them. I used sticky stencils without a problem. Follow the directions and it is easy.
Firmly place your stencils and smooth out the adhesive well to avoid any bubbles or areas that are too high. Apply the paste thick enough to cover the intended area and walk away. It won't drip or slip. Rinse with some water and voila!! I think I waited 10 minutes but I was so anxious to see the results I couldn't wait longer - that was long enough though. I will caution to completely remove the paste with water and pat dry - wash a little longer then you think is necessary. I rinsed and dried then left them for awhile to come back and remove stickers later. I had a couple extra lines (hardly could tell) on the sides of my letters where water, since it is thinner, seeped under the stickers with a little etching cream. In hindsight I would rinse really well and probably remove the stickers under water to rinse again and avoid that happening. Happy crafting!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but I thought that was too good to be true anyway. So far I have 5 stars on this compressor. I have not painted with it yet, and will update this later once I do but,,,
My first impressions are:
* It is extremely quiet. I was right next to the thing in tests and it was not loud at all. I imagine someone in another room with the door closed would not even hear it.
* The motor stops as soon as you stop pulling air, but does run continuous as you spray (no tank here which would have helped this)
* You can drop the pressure as low as you want. No air bleed here to get the real low pressure.
* It gets to max pressure in just a few seconds (40psi)
* It does NOT come with an airbrush as the pictures above show, but I thought that was too good to be true anyway.
* It DOES come with a thin rubberish hose (mine did), approx 6 ft. Enough to get you going and to determine if you want a longer or different hose. The one provided has a "coil" to it which would probably straighten out with use, but I prefer a braided hose that is harder to kink.
* Pressure was able to get to 40 psi (idle pressure)
* Working pressure for me (max) was 24-25 psi. I was using the IWATA Eclipse HP-CS brush which has a 0.35mm needle. I think smaller needles will give me higher working pressure. But not sure. I am very new to these things.
* Its very light and with the handle very easy to move around.
* Bleed valve to release excess water in filter is just a matter of pushing the bottom valve on the tank with your finger to release the liquid. (air comes out so be careful) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not all glitter but fun anyway. My gel pen crazy is still going strong, so I was waiting by the door when UPS showed up with this fun set of gel pens. I recommend this set -- the color selection is particularly fabulous -- but it may be better for some people than others.
What I like:
* 59 unique colors gives you a lot to work with
* Ditto with all of the different finishes/inks: classic, glitter, metallic, neon, fluorescent, pastel & rainbow
* Storage cases (2) are could be used for travel or long-term storage: each holds 30 pens and is manageable in size.
* 1mm tip (on the finer side) is flexible -- works well for detail coloring and for writing
* The pens seem a bit wider than others that I have used recently, which should mean more ink (just my impression here)
* Finish on the glitter pens after they dry on the page is shimmery -- absolutely perfect
One of the most important things about glitter pens is how easily the ink flows from the pen. I can't provide an overall description of the "flowiness" for this set because there is so much difference between the pens of each type of ink/finish. The glitter and metallic pens all delivered ink smoothly and consistently through the pen tips onto the page. The classic and rainbow pens were my least favorite to use for coloring because they ink flow felt slow. (If you just used the pens for writing or outlining, I doubt this would be noticeable.) Either the neon or the fluorescent set worked great -- but I'm not sure which is which.
There are a few drawbacks to the set as a whole that are worth knowing about:
* Ink does not flow slowly through some of the pens at first. Not uncommon, but it did take a few more priming strokes than usual with
these pens. If you give this set to a child, I recommend priming all of the pens before giving.
* It is somewhat difficult to push the caps back down on top of the pens, and the "pocket clips" on the pen caps feel like they'll break as
you pull off the caps when you're ready to use the pens.
* I noticed some smearing as I worked with these on an inexpensive 72 lb. drawing paper. The drawing paper does absorb inks faster
than a coated paper can. So plan to be careful working with inkjet printer paper, less inexpensive coloring books, and so on.
* The product name for this item was "60 glitter gel pens." To be clear, not all of the pens in this set are glitter --only about 15 of them.
The glitter pens that are included are pretty awesome, though!
This item was provided to me at no charge in return for my writing this unbiased review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
No Point, No Spring, Not Worth it. I ordered these brushes a while ago, when I first started painting, and was frustrated because these didn't paint the way everyone said they should. I didn't know what a good watercolor brush felt like at the time, but now I can confidently say these are a horrible brush. I wouldn't spend $10 on this set. None of them ever held a point, even when wet and properly shaped. This is especially disappointing because they will hold every other shape imaginable. Try a brush stroke? Because these have no spring whatsoever, the bristles will stay flat and bent. They don't hold as much paint as they should, and they don't release what they do hold very well.
They're absolute crap. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent Product. I needed a good, stable easel and flipchart holder to take to presentations.
I initially looked at heavier, more expensive easels because I wanted durability and stability.
However, I chose this one due to the excelent reviews and how light and mobile they were.
I was truly surprised by the quality and stability of these easels! They are:
-- very light and easily transported
-- excellent construction and function, especially for the relatively low price
-- easy to use and very stable, especially considering how light they are
-- the flip chart pad holder clamp on top is very functional: quick and easy to
use and holds the flip charts securely.
-- the small, black "arms" on the easel legs that fold out to hold posters boards
also fold up to hold the flip chart pad securely. However, one caution: pick
flip chart pads that are 30" in length OR SHORTER otherwise it will not be as secure.
I liked this easel/flip chart holder so much that I have ordered 2 more!
By the way, Amamzon sells a carrying case that fits this easel PERFECTLY! it is the "Quartet
156355 Display Easel Carrying Case for QRT41E... zippered, black." (about $33) The folded-up
easel slides right into the case which has a handle and an over-the-shoulder sling for easy
carrying.
OR
You can carry several of these easels PLUS up to 4 flip chart pads together in one of the
Carry-All Soft-Sided Art Portfolios (sold on Amazon) IF they have the gusseted sides.
Because these easels are so light this can be a convenient way to move your easels/flip
chart holders and the necessary flip chart pads! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I'm Impressed! They even thew in the screwdrivers for assembly. I ordered this model primarily because it looked sturdy, could easily be tilted to a true vertical for oil painting, as well as lay flat. I also liked that it is on wheels allowing me to move it about my studio. The box arrived on time, albeit a bit beat up (but thats not Amazons fault), however all the parts were there. When I opened the box, each wood piece was individually wrapped to protect it from scratches and rubbing on other pieces in the box.
When it came to assembly, it took me about an hour, and there are LOTS and LOTS of parts. BUT. I was very impressed with how well everything was labeled. The wood pieces were all numbered, and the parts bags (screws and knobs, and related parts) were clearly labeled with letters (A, B, C, D, etc). They even threw in screw drivers (flat head and Philips) as well as the ubiquitous hex key. The instructions were pretty straight forward no matter what language you are most comfortable with. Each step indicated which numbered pieces and which lettered parts bag were needed. My only gripe would be that it would have been more helpful for the instructions to be printed more clearly and on a bigger piece of paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Turn simple glass into gorgeous gifts. I have a vinyl cutter and decided I wanted to try glass etching. This stuff works fabulously!
My process was to cut my design in adhesive backed vinyl, weed out the parts of the design I wanted to etch, apply clear transfer tape to the front of the design, peel off the backing paper on the vinyl, apply it to the glass I wanted to etch, carefully peel off the transfer tape, apply a thick coat of the Armour Etch Cream using a foam pouncer, wait at least 5 minutes, wash the cream off with running water and then remove the vinyl.
Here are some tips to get the best results:
1. Make sure the glass is very clean. I wipe it well with rubbing alcohol to ensure there are no oils that would prevent the etching cream from etching evenly.
2. Rub the vinyl hard to make sure every edge is completely adhered to the glass. If it isn't, the cream can bleed under the edges.
3. Apply the cream thickly and as evenly as possible. I pounce it on rather than brush it to avoid brush marks in the etch. Make sure it's so thick that you cannot see through it at all.
4. The directions say to leave it on for 5 minutes but longer is fine and makes a deeper, more frosted etch.
5. Work on a covered surface and wear gloves. If this cream gets on anything else, it will etch it, too. Remember, this is an acid that is strong enough to etch glass! Also, I suggest working in a well ventilated area. I do it on my front porch.
You can etch all sorts of things. Some I have etched are glass tumblers, mugs and steins, glass dinner plates and platters, glass bakeware, mirrors, canisters, jars, bottles and window glass. Etching your name onto platters and bakeware ensures it gets returned to you. Etching names and monograms onto simple glass mugs or plates turns them into fabulous gifts.
This is a fairly big bottle of etching cream and even applied thickly, it will etch a lot of glass. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love the markers...hate what I got. These markers are amazing, I never used alcohol markers before and these are a great introduction to the medium. the ink was smooth and easy to blend. however, my warm grey 1 is basically completely dry only after a few days on using it, and i didn't use it that much. a few others are starting to get a bit dry to, i store them on their sides and everything, theres no reason why would dry up like that. the packaging wasn't damaged at all, however, the product description and the package itselfs promises a warm grey 4 and a warm grey 5, i didn't get a warm grey 5 and instead got 2 warm grey 4's. i now have to purchase 2 markers, one to replace the dried out and one to replace the colour i didn't get. i really wish i could give this product a full 5 stars because the product itself is amazing, i just wish there was better care taken in ensuring the markers in the package were all filled with ink and there were no accidental doubles. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Raffine by Marco pencils - Yes! Tin Case - No! Seller - Responsive and fair, if issues. Edited: I still stand behind my original review that the pencils are great quality and definitely meet my expectations while the tin case is not usable at all. But, I had to up-star my review to 4 because this vendor went above and beyond to address and resolve my issue with the tin case. I place a lot of importance on fair and honest sellers and I highly recommend this seller as a responsive seller that you can trust.
I ended up returning this set, but still gave it two stars because I truly did love the pencils. The pencils (at least the ones I received) are a Raffine set made by Marco. I am new to adult coloring and had just bought some cheap pencils to start. But I was disappointed in my first picture and wondered about the appeal. Some online research indicated that a better quality of pencil makes all the difference, so I snatched this set up at a great discount on Amazon Prime Day. I decided to "upgrade" to the tin case because it didn't cost much more, but I could tell right out of the box that the case was going to be a problem. The tin case does not latch at all. It appears that there are supposed to be some grooves on the outside of the box to latch it in place, but maybe they had a problem on the assembly line as those grooves did not make it onto the front of my box. It's basically just a 'flap' rather than a secure top (the lid is attached at the back of the box with a hinge). Within the case, the 72 pencils sit in two plastic trays - 36/tray - that are stacked on top of each other. But either before or during shipment (not due to Amazon because the item was packaged well in the shipping box), the pencils (which are clearly numbered '501' through '572') were all jumbled, even with some of the 1-36 pencils in the bottom tray and vice versa. And one lead was broken as well. I naively spent a good 15 minutes putting the pencils in proper order only to have the tray shift and several pencils fall out (and the rest get jumbled) after moving them the first time.
The plastic trays also leave something to be desired. They are super-flimsy and, while there are grooves in each end to help you lift out the top tray (as long as you can fit a finger in the groove and your thumb between the end of the tray and the tin box), the tray is just so flimsy that the pencils will still shift unless you are extra careful.
Before 'Operation Pencil Jumble Part 2', I DID actually use the pencils to color part of a picture and compared it to a picture I had colored with my cheap pencils. The difference was astounding! These pencils have such vibrant color and, even though I have almost zero natural artistic ability, they make me want to learn some coloring techniques to make my pictures even more lovely.
In the end, I had one broken lead out of the box and another one when the box shifted upon moving it and I decided I need a set I can move around and also travel with. I could just buy another case, of course, but it's the principle of paying for an "upgraded" case and getting this one.
For those still interested in this set, I believe this same 72-count set comes in a cylindrical cardboard box (which even costs a little less than the tin case set cost on Prime Day) and the reviewers on that one seem to like the box and say it is sturdy. But just make sure you are getting the Raffine pencils by Marco with it because those are really good pencils (at least for a hobbyist like me!) I think this Ohuhu company just makes the cases and buys the pencils wholesale, so make sure you are getting a good set of pencils
Next time I'm just going to buy some pencils (still considering some Prismacolor ones) with no case and just shop around for a really nice zippered case (that I can see in person before buying). While the cardboard box would travel well, I like keeping the pencils in color-order too much to settle for that. But to each his own... Good luck and Happy Coloring! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Rating for Blush/Honey Editions. I purchased 2 editions of Project Life Core Kits, same concept different color/themes. I was waiting for these editions to become available for purchase online so I was surprised to find them in local craft store. I was very excited and didn't hesitate to purchase because I was able to use a coupon. I'm very glad I purchased them. I'm reviewing because I was hesitant to purchase due to slightly negative reviews that I believe were too harsh. Here are additional details I wish I'd known and I would not have hesitated to purchase at full price. These are acid free as mentioned in Becky's blog. The packaging specifies acid free on the back of the box. I really like the package (box) because it's perfect for storing all the pieces. I read a lot of comments that the papers were thin. I believe they feel like a decent cardstock weight. They are not thick cardstock but they are not copy paper thin either. There are a total of 60 4x6 cards in 20 designs (3 of each design). There are a total of 40 bifold 4x6 cards in 10 designs (4 of each design). There are 500 total 3x4 cards in 50 designs (10 cards of each design). I plan to use them with We R Memory Keepers photo sleeves for a traditional photo album style with some simple scrapbooking designs. Quality of WRM sleeves appears better than Project Life Pocket Pages. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Save your Money! Unless you're a Beginner with limited resources ... See UPDATE 8/26/2015 . I'm always looking for things like this for my students. The "Colour Finder" is useless. Buy a color wheel! The other 4 are useful if, you don't own any of these. However, for the price (even the convenience of them) they aren't worth the money or the 3 weeks (or more) it will take to receive them in the mail if you live in the USA. Do yourself a favor ... if you own a computer and a printer ... make your own! Buy a good Color Wheel and buy "transparent ink paper." There are many programs (paid and free) that you can easily make the other 4 "finders" yourself. You can also make them far bigger and more useful. Most of these cards finders are very small & won't be helpful in real world application, unless you're a beginner and have limited resources. Then yes, I would recommend these to start off your art tool collection.
I bought these from "the Society of Artists." They are in the UK. The UK use to be in their name and read: The Society of Artists UK (it still does so on the paper work). Along with dropping the UK from their Amazon Store Front, it seems they've dropped good customer service & a timely mailing service. I hope they go back to the way they use to do business, as recent as last year at Christmas; yes I've bought things from this Co. in the recent past. Until they do, this was the last item I've purchased from them.
Please don't confuse the grief I have with the item and the seller. I don't hold the Society of Artists responsible for the poor item itself (that's on the manufacturer: Daler Rowney). However, I do hold them responsible for the price, description of this product, shipping & customer service which added injury to insult, of this purchase.
This is based on my opinion and my experience. If you choose to buy this item, best of luck!
UPDATE 8/26/2015: In regards to the seller "Society of Artists UK" ... They have contacted me and openly apologized for the delayed shipping. I have ordered from them before (Jan. 2015) and normally, I've never waited more than a week 1/2 to 2 weeks shipping. I am pleased that they took the time and reached out to me to make things right, which they did. I would and most likely order from them in the future. I'm still not a fan of the product but again, that's not their fault as I previously mentioned. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Amazing. Every artist should own a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. These guys are going to become your workhorse of your inkwork. They are smooth, well priced, and long-lasting. I've had mine for two years, and it has held up. I just buy refill cartridges, or more recently, use a syringe to refill an empty cartridge with brown ink (my preferred lining color). These brushes give you a wide variety of line weights coupled with a brush tip that can hold up to abuse. The brush fibers are synthetic, so they don't fray (at least they haven't yet for me.)
If you're an artist, no matter the age or talent you perceive yourself to have, consider purchasing one of these pens. They will be your new go to ink pen. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Lots of pastel sticks broken in pieces, not happy. I found this set at the local art store with the price $94.00 something, so when I found this on Amazon with 54.99 I was really happy to buy it. However, the order arrived today and I'm totally disappointed, well not because of the quality of the pastel but the condition they are in. Lots of them were broken in pieces, yeah I mean pieces, not broken just in haft or three. I just wondered that is it because of the packaging or u just get what u pay for? Pastel is soft and easy to break, and for this set they come in a cardboard box, not the metal tin one, so I just don't understand why amazon.com don't put it into a box with some protections around instead of just wrapping a piece of cardboard around them then ship for a long way. Totally disappointed with this. I really thought that I would never go wrong with amazon inc. Now I DO. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I've got a BAD feeling about this. I just ordered this from the original company - Should have known better - I researched it a bit - but not on Amazon - my mistake. The price is just barely tolerable without shipping - Shipping (for 2 - 3 week service!) is above 2day UPS rates. Red Flags all along the way. Typos on the website. The FIRST THING asked for is your CREDIT CARD number. There is no ability to navigate back to fix or change things - no option to review or correct your order before finalizing (MINE had WRONG quantities!). Refuse the Upsale and they renegotiate price! I suspect any 5 star rating is from the company.
Wish I had searched Amazon reviews first. Now I have a negative view of humanity going into the Christmas season. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It Took 3 Weeks To Get One That Worked. The first spray booth that I ordered took a week to get to me. It was defective right out of the box. The cord retractor was broken, and the fan, and the power switch was also broken, and did not work. It looked to me as if whoever assembled it broke it when they tried to assemble it at the factory (wherever that is). I emailed the company but didn't get a reply. They don't have a phone number listed so that their customers can call them. I called Amazon and they sent an email to them. The company immediately replied to me, and told me that they would have the defective unit picked up, and a replacement sent out to me as soon as FedEx picked up the defective one. They didn't ship the replacement immediately like they said they would, in fact it took an additional 4 days before they finally did reship the darned thing. All and all it took a total of 3 weeks to get a spray booth that works. I had seen several other models like this one that have an AC/DC adapter instead of a 110 volt power cord, and the 110 cord like this one is what I wanted, that's why I decided to let them replace the defect instead of just refunding my money. I guess the booth is ok, .. it works...but I don't think that its worth what they charge for this imported thing, cheap plastic, and cheap parts, and slack response time. About a year or so ago they sold for half of what they are charging now, and $40.00 is closer to the actual value of what it really is. In closing, if your just messing around at home and airbrushing a model or two occasionally and your on a budget, and money is tight like it is with me, I'd probably buy one. But if I was a serious modeler, and did this for a living, or showed my projects at modeling competitions, I'd either build my own booth, or I'd buy myself a really nice down draft booth from a company that has a phone number, and quick response....Oh and by the way,.. as far as an extended warranty.....There wasn't anything in the box that said anything about any kind of warranty.....whatsoever. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Atyou Spica Glitter Pens. Ive bought several sets of glitter pens so I have experience with a lot of the ones on Amazon. These Atyou spica pens are nice for writing, they don't skip and they handle well. They are more of the scratch type of tips rather than the gliding gell, or ball point pens. A lot of the reviews mention that they are not Copics and I just wanted to note that the package they come in do not mention the word Copic at all, only Atyou spica.
Another thing of note is the glitter. Some people say there is glitter, some say there isnt. There is glitter in the ink, but you need to hold the paper at an angle towards lighting to see it well. If you look at the writing head on you're not going to see the glitter well.
If you are looking for glitter pens, I would recommend the Sargent Art pens, they write fantastic, have excellent color and you can see the glitter well. I would also recommend the Sakura Stardust Meteor pens as well, both of which you can get here on Amazon.
Ive taken pictures of all of the colors and Ive tried to zoom in on a few at the right angle so that you can see the glitter. Hope this helps. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
STOP - don't use with blue to fix blue jeans - red based black, not blue. Back does not exist in the dye world - really dark blue does, and really dark red does. Infrequently really dark violet - but we have enough trouble with violet that it's almost always red or blue.
This is a really deep red. Not a problem if you're going for a pure black color, and your garment is already in the black family and you're touching up.
However, I had 2 packets of blue to 1 of black to fix up some faded blue jeans and the whitish areas of the jeans, the areas that were really faded, picked up a strange reddish hue after the rinse out of excess dye. I know a lot of blogs are going to say mix black with navy blue. Don't. Just stick with more blue if you're looking for blue. If you want that kind of soft grey blue that isn't a good dark blue by all means, go with black. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I was really looking forward to using this die as I loved the looks of what it would be. Received this order reasonably soon. I contacted the company because when I tried to use it, it would not cut the paper. It wouldn't even do a decent embossing!! They told me they would ship me a replacement and an envelope to return the one I had. I have not received either from them. In fact I have not heard anything more from them at all! I was really looking forward to using this die as I loved the looks of what it would be! I would advise not buying this one at all. In fact I may not buy anything more from them, as I am afraid I would be ripped off again. I intend to throw this unusable item in the garbage as it just takes up space and is good for nothing else. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
my pencil tips would sharpen to a really nice point that I could never achieve with the other. I bought this sharpener in order to sharpen my Prismacolor pencil set. I had another pencil sharpener that didn't seem to get the point as sharp as I wanted. When I received this, the actual sharpener that is inside this unit seems to be identical to the one I already had. After using this one, my pencil tips would sharpen to a really nice point that I could never achieve with the other.
There are two holes at the top. I found that if I used the larger hole first and then finished it off on the smaller one, I would obtain a nice sharp point to the pencil. I also figured out that if I put very little pressure on the pencil and rotated the sharpener instead of the pencil, it would not take off so much of the pencil itself.
I am very happy with this and I know it is extending the life of my expensive pencils! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wonderful selection of colors. Easy to take anywhere. Everything but paper is included! . You can't go wrong with these paints! They are convenient and fun to use. As and artist, I am occasionally caught pulling it out of my purse during church! One Mom saw me in our Women's class (Relief Society) and asked me about it. She ended up buying it for her 12 year old daughters birthday, and her daughter loves it too. I will try to add a photo later of just what it can do. I am pleased with the vibrancy and purity of colors. While I do use my professional set of tube watercolor paint, I use these to make quick cards for friends and family- and I'm never ashamed, because the colors are still a wonderful quality!
I have seen these sell for as low as 16 dollars. My favored price range. But I have myself generally purchased it at around 24 dollars. Either way, it's still a worthy investment. (And, if you have young children you need to get quiet during church, meeting, etc.. these are so easy to take out!) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Excellent Airbrush. This airbrush is fantastic. Working as a professional artist, I've used every airbrush out there. I primarely use detail brushes (sotar 20/20, H&S Infinity, Iwata CM) for the majority of my work. Detail brushes like these mentioned are difficult to use, as they require high quality finely ground paints perfectly thinned.
For areas the do not require extreme detail, the Neo shines. It fits into the category of so many other .30-.50mm airbrushes (like the Iwata Eclipse, the Badger patriot, Paache Talon, etc.) for a fraction of the price. There is nothing I cannot do with this airbrush, that I cannot do with my Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. Like all Iwata airbrushes, the trigger tension is a bit tight. No different than that of the eclipse, which is more than double the price. Disassembly of the neo is a breeze and makes cleaning nice and easy. It has an interesting ball joint in the trigger mechanism, that makes taking the trigger in and out a simple task. Another plus is that this airbrush dozen't clog easily either. I've had mine for a few years and it works just as well as the day I purchased it.
I would not call this an entry level airbrush. It is a high quality .35mm that will do the same quality of work that any other quality .35mm will do. Skill comes from the hand of the user and knowing how to properly clean and take care of the airbrush. It sprays beautifully/evenly and has great atomization. If you are a fine artist, modeler, or airbrush enthusiast the Neo is a must have. There is little that this thing can't do. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Ugh. This paint by number is one of the most annoying that I've bought. It requires color mixing (which a lot of paint by numbers do), but it is not intuitive at all. The numbers on the "canvas" are in a handwritten type font, and are almost impossible to read. There's no guide like most paint by numbers have, just a reproduction of the "canvas" on the packaging. The paint pots are difficult to open, and don't appear to have much product in them. There are some spots on the canvas that are just completely blank, with no way to tell what color they should be. In the smaller spaces an arrow is used to indicate color, but if you paint the larger areas first (as recommended) you'll cover them up. And lastly, in order to achieve the look on the packaging, you'd need to do a lot of painting even after filling in every space. I'm not a fan of this paint by number at all. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not Pleased. The 8oz tin arrived with a label covering the entire top, the inside had debris and scratches in it, and the bottom also had signs of wear. It is a good weight and the lid fits snuggly. This tin is actually a tin used for EncausticsPaints.com custom wax color paints and can be found elsewhere - like (<[...]>) for roughly half the price. This was purchased as an "add-on" item, but it is clear to me that half of the price I paid was built in shipping costs, despite the fact that as an "add-on" product, it got thrown in with the other items I ordered. Not pleased that I now have to remove the unwanted "surprise" label inorder to make it functional for my purposes.
Have not contacted the stated seller as I went to the Eucaustics Paints website and they do not sell directly - only through 3rd parties across the U.S. so there is really no way of knowing who is the actual seller. This can be had for $2.89 at Blicks, item number: 03415-2808 where at least they provide a picture of the actual tin - label and all. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I'm in love. I've been painting watercolor for years. I know crappy paints well because for most years, I didn't bother splurging. I'm usually the kind of person to get really expensive paper, and alright paints. I was doing my thesis and thought maybe it was time to buy something nice for myself and MY GOD, these are my favorite watercolors I've ever used. They're so beautiful and just rich. I feel spoiled now because I literally never want to go back to any other brand ever. These are professional quality, and honestly if you are new at watercolors might be too pricey and not worth it. But if you know what you're doing, and down for a treat, seriously. Treat. Yourself. The only thing you'll regret is not buying the bigger pack. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Rookie rather pleased. I found these great fitting all-cotton inexpensive turtlenecks that didn't come in enough colors, so I bought a few extras in white and dyed them. One I did with Rit Sunshine orange and the other with Rit Aquamarine. I had never dyed anything before.
The orange came out beautifully, almost exactly like the label shows, bright and rich, not as bright as "safety orange" but warm. The Aquamarine was a big disappointment, nowhere near as vivid or saturated as the label, very washed out, like a powder blue. (I even tried immediately re-dying it with the second half of the bottle, but alas, still wan and boring.) Both items were in the dye bath in the washing machine for the maximum time.
The process is very easy, but if you're reading this you have internet access and should go straight to the website mentioned on the bottle rather than using the bottle label directions. The web directions are more detailed and clear, and include the technique of adding salt for dying cotton items (and very step by step rather than the haphazard layout on the bottle). I had no issues with cleanup either.
The only funny thing to add is that my turtlenecks dyed in one funny way... the necks are double layered while the body and sleeves are just one layer of material. The necks took the dye much better, possibly because these areas could hold the dye longer, so both sweaters have necks noticeably darker or more saturated looking than the bodies. The result was totally tonal and looks fine and intentional - just mentioning this for anyone who may not find such a result ok. Overall, I am pretty pleased, and owing to the simplicity, would certainly do this at home again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
THOUGHTS FROM A NOVICE PAINTER. UPDATE:
I HAD TO CHANGE MY RATED SCORE FROM A 4 TO A 2. AFTER USING MY PALETTE ABOUT 9-10 TIMES IT COMPLETEY CRACKED IN HALF, RENDERING IT USELESS. WHILE I LIKED MANY OF THE FEATURES THAT I MENTIONED BELOW (viz. SIZE, CLARITY) I FEEL THAT THE MAJOR ISSUE WITH THIS PRODUCT IS THAT IT IS NOT THICK ENOUGH.AFTER SPEAKING WITH MOE ARTISTS I FOUND THAT MANY OF THEM USE THICKER PALETTES. I WAS NOT ROUGH ON IT ALL, DESPITE INITIALLY BLAMING MYSELF FOR SOMEHOW HOLDING IT WRONG. BOB ROSS PRODUCTS THAT I HAVE USED HAVE BEEN GOOD BUT THIS ONE SIMPLY DOESN'T HOLD UP AND IS NOT WORTH THE INVESTMENT IMHO.
I have never been very good at fine arts but I've always wanted to try my hand at painting after I started seeing reruns of the "Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross. Anyway, after watching a few I decided to give wet-on-wet technique a shot and haven't looked back (as an aside, would highly recommend trying it if you find yourself in a similar situation). So I purchased this palette for this technique which uses thick oils. These are my thoughts and experiences and I hope they may be of use to someone else.
Cleaning: TIPS FOR OTHER NOVICES LIKE ME: DO NOT TRY TO CLEAN THE PAINT OFF WITH SOAP AND WATER ALONE! It was a nightmare. I was trying to conserve my thinner at the time but it was not worth it. What I've found to work best is to use thinner with a soft sponge to loosen the thick paint then follow up with paper towel and water. Clorox wipes work well as finishing touch to 1) remove any remaining oil streaks and 2) to remove any of the slippery residue from the thinner.
Size: palette is certainly very large and allows for enough room for mixing (although I'm so messy I still somehow manage to run out at times). This has been very helpful as a I couldn't imagine how much more inconvenient it would be working on smaller palettes.
Durability: I've used it over 1/2 dozen times so far. Unfortunately, a crack did develop next to the thumb hole but in fairness that probably has more to do with the fact that I was holding it in an awkward way when I was cleaning it.
Material: I like that it is clear as it allows a unhindered view of the mixing and values of the paint. I also like that it is plastic. Glass would be too heavy and break easily. Wood would be an even bigger nightmare cleaning and would not be clear. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great gift idea. I bought this set for my grandson for his third birthday. I also bought more easel paper and additional paints. I like the variety of the brushes. Paint is really very cheap and a great way for children to express their creativity. He loved the set and generated beautiful pictures that day. I like the storage/travel bag. Fun for visiting with friends who also have easels to be able to bring your own brushes and paint. This was much better than some "fad" toy that will sit in the closet. I am very happy with the purchase. Bringing extra paints is an inexpensive way to bring "a little something" when grandma comes to visit. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I found these markers fantastic. They absorb quickly into the paper and leave . I purchased these colors to color in my own coloring books that I publish right here on Amazon. I have tried many brands, both for professionals, and those on an average ranking. To my surprise, I found these markers fantastic. They absorb quickly into the paper and leave very little if any streaks. As an artist who publishes adult coloring books, I love these markers and highly recommend them. OH! Be sure when using to put a piece of card stock or heavy cardboard paper, like those from a cereal box to keep the markers from bleed through. However, that is exactly what you want your markers to do. The picture attached is my own artwork colored with these markers. Please not the brightness of the colors. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Looked better than it really is. I received the kit last week and already worked on a couple of projects. When I got it, I was very excited, everything looked very nice, I couldn't wait to start working with it. I should mention that before ordering this kit I read the reviews, so I didn't expect the quality of the products to be very high. As soon as I started working with it, I realised that it looked better than it really is. Instead of the paints, mentioned in the description, I received Reeves Acrylic Paint set of 24. The tubes are even smaller - only 3.4oz (10ml). This is definately not enough, especially for primary colors, like titanium white. The paint itself is quite thin, so you'll need to do more layers. Some of the brushes are OK, but as the beginner, you'll definately will not need all of them. You might also want to get yourself a palette knife, which is a useful thing for blending colors and this kit doesn't have it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Like this 72 pack of colored pencils. Adult coloring books are the new big thing and it took me a while to get into it, but my kids love coloring and so I finally caved and bought my first grown up coloring book. I had been using just regular Crayola brand, because I already had them. But I am enjoying these coloring pencils. I am a budding artist who has already sold several paintings and here lately I have been blown away by some of the colored pencil art I've been seeing. The ability to create such amazing and lifelike portraits and pictures is incredible.
Of course it's going to take me more time to really learn the different techniques but I think with these Marco Raffine fine art pencils I've already got a start in the right direction. The 72 different colors are all very beautiful. There are definitely more colors available than in my previous childrens set. The box does smell kinda weird but I had no broken tips and all were sharpened to a perfect point. I like the shape of the pencils because they won't roll away from you. They feel good in your hands.
Since I've never actually seen or used a really amazing quality colored pencil, so I don't have enough information to COMPARE it to that. However, these colored pencils didn't seem to shade over each other to my liking. It also seems like with any type of moisture the color just lifts up rather than spreads more evenly than a different cheapo brand I have used. They are a step up from Crayola but I don't know how many steps.
There's a lot of "lines or streaks" I still see coming through even when I press hard or go over it several times.
I do like them. I like that the variety of colors is vast and the ones included are very pretty. For the grown up coloring books I've begun using with my kids, I think they do a good job. I would probably purchase a more quality pencil as I get better with colored pencil art. But for what these are and can offer, I do recommend them to others.
Disclaimer: I received this product at a discounted rate for my honest review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Horrible! Nothing like my older Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils. This is so disappointing. I purchased several Lyra Rembrandt pencils out of open stock back in January. All stores (Amazon, Blick, Jerry's Artarama, etc) were all out of the 72 set of these at the time. I ended up getting another brand, but did like these and hoped to eventually add the 72 set to my collection. My ORIGINAL Lyra pencils were smooth and just soft enough, gliding across the paper with ease. They were easy to put down in really light layers, blended like a dream, and were all in all fun to use. The only thing I didn't like about them is that the pencils were thinner and they don't hold a point extremely well, so they do have to be sharpened fairly often. (That makes them run out sooner.)
I finally got around to ordering the 72 set. They are NOTHING like my originals from less than a year ago! These pencils are super scratchy and feel almost abrasive on paper. I tried them on smooth cardstock, standard printer paper, slightly toothy/textured sketchbook paper, and a standard coloring book. No matter what I did, they felt unpleasant to use and I had no desire to keep coloring with them.
I thought at first it might be some weird coating on the lead put on to protect them, since they come sharpened. I sharpened one enough to remove the outer layer of lead, and it was still scratchy. When I held them up side by side with my old pencils, the lead color from the exact same colors was slightly different and so was the color swatch on the end of the pencil. I know they were out of stock/production for several months earlier in the year, so I can't help but wonder if manufacturing was changed or moved. These are obviously not the same! Mine were returned because as much as I love the few I already have, I would never use these. If you can't afford Polychromos, buy Prismacolor! Either of them will perform far superior to these. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Really good for the price. I will be honest, I bought this set because of the price, I had a coupon of 15 dollars that I won, this were the only watercolors I could buy, and I can say they are great so far, they arrive almost a week before the estimated date and in a wonderful state : new and well packed.
I was surpriced with some colors (that phthalo blue is incredible!), since it was my first set of watercolors tubes, I didn't know well how to mix the paint, but I managed....Something I notice right away is that most part of the tubes I opened had some kind of ugly liquid that came out just like dirty water...
This alarm me because I'm pretty sure that's not normal... The tubes that I had this problem the most where all the greens and violet, also the browns, I'm pretty sure that this was because they travel a really long way to me (to chihuahua, Mxico) and the weather at the time was really hot, so I assume it was because of the heat... Because of that the colors I mention before where horrible to put on paper, when I tried to mix the paint with water and apply on my drawing for some reason I got a lot of "pieces" of paint that didn't dissolve in water... This discourage me a lot, because I really wanted to start painting with them....
After I time I got a small palette (pretty ugly and cheap) and I was able to pour paint and letting dry, I got rid of some of the "pieces" in paint that I mention before but not completly... I struggle a while but after I got all that dirty water that was coming out off the tubes I could use the paint really well!.... Finally this year I got a proper plastic palette and pour the colors in it, thanks to this I got to the paint in the middle and the problem with the dirty water and "pieces" in paint dissapear... I can say I'm pretty satisfied with this watercolors, the phthalo blue has an incredible picmentation! Also all the range of warm colors are just amazing... The greens are not that amazing, just ok! I have had these for more than half year I didn't used them that much because of the problem with the pieces of paint! But like I said, I was able to get rid of them and know I am reallyyyy happy! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A Standing Ovation. This is my second one of these workstations. They are well made and easy to assemble. Every piece and part is numbered and the numbers correlate correctly with the illustrations
The instructions are clear, but you do have to pay attention to orientation of two of the pieces. The two pieces have the same part number (sorry I don't recall what it is) and are used under the desk surface to facilitate adjusting the angle. They look symmetrical on casual glance and can be installed in one of two orientations, but only one of them will work correctly. The difference is that one side has a hex opening and the other side has a round opening. I know that's not very clear, but pay attention to the illustrations and you'll get it right the first time. If not, you'll get it right the second time.
I'm tall (6'4") and I wish that the work surface could be raised a bit more, but I manage. As I said, this is the second one I've purchased. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
ELEVATE YOUR CARDS WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL DIE CUT. Beautiful details! I use with a Big Shot. Sandwich on standard platform (or magnetic if you've got it, especially if using 2 die cuts), cutting pad, 2-3 pcs card stock to shim, die cut(s) blade up, card stock, top cutting pad. If existing pads are warped, I highly recommend investing in new pads, there are a LOT of details being cut out. This is an A7 card size, NOT standard A2. You might benefit adding an additional sheet of cardstock under the die to shim or running the die with a sheet of aluminum foil folded over on itself several times if details aren't completely cutting, followed by cutting through waxed paper several times. You may need to use a stylus to help release the cutout. I bought the Spellbinders Labels Four as a beautiful complement die cut as well. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Paints for landscapes..READ MY UPDATE . The good...Well made heavy plastic. Construction is such that it is very robust and sturdy. Will not open by accident as cup that holds water slips over the folded paint set as a sleeve. So set can not open no matter what until cup/top is pulled off. Brush is pretty nice. I found paints to be fine.
The bad....Small brush does not wash sky very well. So it useful only on 6" x 8" size or smaller. If you want to paint big, you will need a bigger brush. Paint colors are suitable for landscapes/outdoors.
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UPDATED REVIEW TWO MONTHS LATER......I just couldn't get by with the small brush. I ordered from Amazon "Retractable Travel Brush Set for outdoor Painting" for about $40 bucks. Really nice brushes and make for much better painting. In fact I highly recommend just getting a brush you like and using the little brush that comes with set as a back up. So far paint quality has been fine for me.
If I had know though that I was going to have to carry a separate brush ( or brushes). I would have bought one of the flat travel pans with 16 colors and more mixing space. Now I'm carrying all my travel paint items in a small bag. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
the one I received is the "graphics" pack and the one I really would have liked is the "classic" pack that has sanguine. This set is a sampler pack of various Conte pencil types, it is not necessarily a matched set for drawing. It contains two grades of graphite pecnils, a carbon pencil, a charcoal pencil, a standard Conte Pierre Noir black pencil and a white clay type pecil. As far as I know, this set is offered in two versions, the one I received is the "graphics" pack and the one I really would have liked is the "classic" pack that has sanguine, sepia, black and white pencils. I found this out after I placed my order. I can't complain about this set, Conte makes high quality top of the line art supplies, I just don't really use charcoal and carbon pencils for sketching, I already have Perrie Noir Conte pencils which are great and it was nice to try their graphite pencils, which are supberb, but I'm full up with graphite pencils. So, it is really best to buy a product that is fully descibed which this offering was not. You can buy these sets elsewhere that are fully described. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
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