The Art Gear Guide is your one stop shop for the most recent, up to date, honest reviews on all your favourite art supply products.
In the seven years that I have been reviewing colored pencils and other art supplies, I have come to the conclusion that there is a difference between, Artist Grade and Artist Quality colored pencils. Let me explain. In my opinion, a colored pencil that is Artist Grade has been lightfast tested only under the Blue Wool or ASTM system, and you will be surprised at how few there are in this group.
The Faber Castell E-Motion Stained Pear Wood Fountain Pen, as with so many Faber Castell products, is delivered in a classically simplistic, yet delectably eloquent packaging. The materials are made from a smooth yet rugged cardboard, ensuring complete safe passage of product, from vendor to writer or artist.
As this review is in collaboration with Cult Pens, I am ecstatic to tell you that this set, at the time of writing this review, is a crazy price. I don’t normally comment on prices, I just add them and let you decide if the set is value or not, and I would like to re-emphasize that I receive nothing at all from Cult Pens for doing these reviews,
The Techniques section for me is really where Cynthia Knox shines above the rest and her method of explanation is just superb. In this section Cynthia explains the various pressures to use while using colored pencils and has the various pressures broke into sections. When following a project, for a feather, you will actually be told the type of pressure to use and what effect this pressure will provide you.
If you would like to know all the technical details about the Arrtx colored pencils, the core size, if the core is hard or soft, pigment names etc, you can follow the link to my original review. This post however is more about showing you exactly how many new colors Arrtx have added, the type of colors and if any of the colors will have value to your artwork.
I then started to play about with the paints bit trying to learn how they move and react to wet on wet, so I decided to use a new Ron Ronson Hake brush I recently purchased and created a very simple blue gradient wash using wet on wet technique and lifted out some clouds using a clean damp brush. As you can see from the image the effect worked well.
Although I have the full set of 358 colors, approximately 30 of them are still Ciao and when they run out I will of course replace them with Sketch markers, or at least that was the plan. Over the last year or so, I have discovered COPIC Sketch brush and chisel nibs drying up and developing a mould on the nibs.
After I completed the swatch, I wanted to see how the Derwent Tinted Charcoal reacted to water and Odourless Mineral Spirits. I know that Derwent don’t sell the Tinted Charcoal Pencils as water soluble, but lots of charcoal artist apply water to the medium and can create some stunningly beautiful effects.
I really tried to get the best from the Art Track Colored Pencils, I tested them on various papers, various surface textures as well as using Odourless Mineral Spirits, something I never use in my artwork. I think I have said all that needs to be said about the Art Track Colored Pencils, if you would like to watch my YouTube review where there is a small clip of the artwork coming to life, all you have to do is follow the link.
For me personally, after using the Paul Rubens Artist Soft Pastels, I likened them to the Unison Pastels, perhaps not quite a soft, but if you watch my YouTube video review, you will see both pastels side by side and there is very little difference. Like I said, I would say that the Paul Rubens Pastel are a bit harder than the Unison but this is to be expected given the huge price difference.
The Fine Nib or Bullet Nib, whichever you prefer of the Prismacolor Premier Marker is much finer and detailed than most bullet nibs in other markers. A lot of other markers that provide bullet nibs or Fine Nib markers provide much more rounded nibs, the Prismacolor Fine Nib is pointed, almost chamfered at the end allowing the artist to use the nib for the most intricate detail or place the nib on a 15 degree angle and produce a slightly thicker mark.
The Cretacolor AquaGraph barrel is round sporting a gunmetal grey appearance with a metallic silver print. The core of the AquaGraph is a generous 3.8mm, encased within a well balanced and weighted 7.3mm barrel. The core of the Cretacolor AquaGraph pencils sharpener incredibly well and considering a water soluble core, holds its point quite well.
In this review we take a look at the Arrtx Acrylic Marker Pens, both the tradition color set and the metallic color set. As I am sure many of you are aware, the two mediums I have never used or reviewed is Acrylic and Oil paints, not for any reason in particular other than the preparation time and cleaning time required before and after use.
Before we get into this, I have to warn you that this is probably going to be the most boring review you have ever read and if you want to give up an hour of your life, watching the YouTube video were I demonstrate the erasers will really bore you.
In this review we take a look at the Posca Colored Pencils, I have received quite a lot of requests to check these pencils out and provide an in-depth review for them and I was fortunate to have had Uni Mitsubishi reach out to me just before Christmas 2021. I apologise for the long wait but I have had so many projects on the go as well as trying to work through so many products to review.
In this review we take a look at the Etchr 24 Half Pan Watercolour set, we also take a look at the Etchr Watercolour Brushes they also set in a roll. I have to say that I am by no means an expert on watercolors, I have however really worked hard testing various watercolors on the market from artist quality to student quality, travel sets and studio size sets; I have also tested a lot of watercolor papers as well as really working hard on my watercolor skills to hopefully help demonstrate the paints in the best way possible.
I was aware of the Sketchmarker brand about a year and a half ago or two years, there about’s; ever since then I have been desperate to get my hands on a set to test and review. However, despite the company being well established and providing top quality products, their products were hard to get hold of here in the UK and to the best of my knowledge the US.
Over the years of running The Art Gear Guide, uploading reviews and loving art in general, I am often asked by viewers and subscribers to tell them what my own personal top 5 artist quality colored pencils are, or my top 5 budget colored pencils are, etc.
First things first, as you can see in this review I have the full 72 set of Cretacolor Pastel Pencils, if I can I always try to obtain the full set so that I can showcase the full palette. The main tin is covered with this cardboard sleeve which displays artwork completed by the very pastel pencils in the package.
In this review we will be testing and demonstrating the brand new 72 set of Arrtx Colored Pencils as well as showcasing artwork completed with them and hopefully helping you to determine one way or the other as to whether or not the Arrtx Colored Pencil are for you.
