This is one of the first things I ever got from ArtSnacks and it did not disappoint. The marker feels nice and sturdy and the nib is long and almost noodly so it’s great for painterly lines. The ink dilutes extremely easily and is super pigmented so the color holds its depth and vibrancy. I hope they will eventually sell it in more colors.
So when people say smooth I think “glides on nice and smooth” like creamy eyeliner, not buttery smushy soft like lipstick but surely not what these pencils feel like. They feel dry and hard. I’m not a fan of how soft waxy Prismacolors are and expected these to be firmer, but not THAT much. Needless to say they are not what I was hoping for. The colors are not opaque, getting full coverage usually ends with you burnishing the paper, flattening the texture and resulting in a high sheen. So they work best with paper that has a lot of tooth. They can hold a nice sharp point forever though, so excellent for very fine line work, and they are a nice way to add texture over washes of paint. I wouldn’t use them for coloring large areas, just thinking about it makes my hand hurt. Faber Castell makes wonderful products these are just not my cup of tea. For reference I find Luminance and Holbein’s to be the ideal amount of “smooth”, harder than Prismas, but keep a nice point firm and sharp long enough for detail work, and the colors offer easy rich coverage. If that’s what you are looking for, Ploys ain’t it.
So this ink is closer to a super diluted high flow acrylic paint than it is to ink. However it has this super nice satiny finish that has just a hint of shine, reminds me of oil based model car paint. The coverage and depth of the colors are impressive. It moves nicely with a brush and with a nib equally. If you enjoy using inks give these a shot.
Out of all the Poscas I think this is the nicest. The real bristle brush is special. That being said, it’s tricky to keep the brush wet with paint. It has a cool mechanism to prime the marker but at least the red one I got, will saturate the brush with a nice load of paint but it won’t hold it for long. The combination of the bristle material and the viscosity of the paint don’t make a perfect pair, so it will dump a nice amount of paint and then run dry relatively quickly. The opacity of the paint is phenomenal though and the color is nice and bright. So not perfect; yeah you are going to have dry brush marks to contend with , the marker is fun to use and the coverage of the paint is great so it’s still pretty good.
I know it’s just a pencil sharpener, but it’s a nice one! The color is cute, and so is the logo, but the practically of the design is where it’s at! The clear latch door is nice and secure so you won’t end up with shavings everywhere. The option to sharpen to a nice long fine point is the bees knees. What made me really love this thing though, is the replacement blades being so thoughtfully provided AND stowed right inside the sharpener, so you don’t ever have to go digging around for them or have to find a safe place to keep them. Chef’s kiss! Just ❤️
I love this pen. I call it my Fancy Blue, yep it has a name. Never mind that the body is in this lovely rich dark blue color and has sparkles blended into the plastic (girly I know…). This pen writes like a dream, the ink is a nice deep black and the nib is firm with just enough flex to give some variation without sacrificing control. Cuz sometimes you don’t want a noodly brush tip that goes all willynilly.
Yep, these are as spectacular as everyone says they are. One of less than a handful of color pencils that can go on opaque enough to show up when used over really dark colors. Often pale colors will show up white when they show up at all, not these babies! I’ve been looking for pencils that can color and be vibrant even over darks, for ages. These are the best I’ve tried, and I’ve tried them ALL (I’m not ashamed of my art material hoard… I’m not 😶)..The color are lovely too. Wish I could afford a full set.
I wanted to love these, after so many glowing reviews I thought I would. But nah! They NEVER dry, like ever. I tested a swatch I made a year later and it still came off on my finger! Maybe it’s me but I don’t think they are as pigmented as everyone claims either, maybe it’s the binder, but you can rub/blend these out till there is nothing but a whisper of color without much effort. Using water on them makes them disappear. So yeah… swing and a miss for persnickety peeps like me.
They’re very pigmented and nice and bright. Lots of fun for paint pouring and splatter effects. Excellent for regular painting and illustration. I like to use these in tandem with watercolor. The fluorescent colors set off plainer neutrals nicely. They are not the best if you want to use color pencils over them, the surface tends to repel them, it has a satiny sheen finish.
What can I say about these that you haven’t already heard? Yes, the colors are super vibrant, they dissolve with water without leaving the sketch marks behind. A little will go a long way, but they are so versatile and fun that you will find yourself replacing your go to colors indubitably. My one and only gripe is that unless you wet them they remain tacky and will transfer to the opposing page when used in a sketchbook. What can I say I’m a neat freak! If I’m particularly worried about I’ll give it a very light misting of water with an atomizer and let it dry completely before closing my sketchbook. Most of the time that is enough to create a barrier that is somewhat set enough not to transfer. If you are heavy handed when you draw it won’t be enough. Hope this helps someone lol. Cheers!
Got this to see how it compares to Poscas, and I prefer these. The nib doesn’t tear up paper like Poscas do. The mint shade is lovely and pastel and the paint dies matte; just what I wanted. When you do multiple coats they blend into each other nicely allowing you to make bold blocks of smooth color. You can get nice sharp edges with the nib and the angles allow for some options in line with. Also, don’t have to constantly prime it which is nice.
Ok, so this thing is magical! I got the black with the red sheen and Oooh baby is it nice to do anything with. Honestly, I dare you not to spend at least half an hour just mark making for the pleasure of using it and seeing how the ink behaves. Lovely for writing if you enjoy using brush nibs and fun for making funky drawings or just embellishing prints.
These are so much like painting with diluted gouache, but with the control of a soft nib marker (think copics). The paint is fairly opaque, though for 100% coverage it takes more than one pass. The finish is nice and matte, with some texture (like I said, gouache-like). I don’t love that you have to store them horizontally AND shake them up every time you go to use them but it’s a small matter. They are “juicy” so they will tear up sketch and even some mixed media paper. They perform best on watercolor paper, something that can handle scrubbing.
They are exactly what they say they are. Nice and matte and dark. Close to color pencils in the darkest shades.
I don’t use these for lettering (because I don’t letter 🙃), I use them for mixed media drawings and paintings. The India ink isn’t instantly waterproof and I’m my experience just water resistant on some colors. That being said when they are completely dry they can handle being worked over. I do like that some colors mingle a little with what you use on top of them, but that’s me. The colors are intensely vibrant, which I love. They can dry out on you, and storing them vertically with the tip down does make the color come out darker because the ink/pigment settles. Neither of which is great if you are hoarding your supplies more than you are using them, so keep that in mind.
Ok, so I’m not gonna act like this little guy wasn’t an impulse buy. But can you blame me for the price?!?
So you can imagine what a pleasant surprise it was when this baby turned out to be a super awesome pen. Seriously easy to use and the line variations you get are impressive. Trust me, just get it, you’ll see!
The color is beautiful but it takes a while to get the ink to flow and then not consistent while putting ink down.
I love how smooth the ink flows, the matte finish looks so nice. They work well for filling in and for outlining.
These boards are a very good choice for mixed media as well as gouache paintings. I do recommend them to every level of Artist or hobbyist!
I love taking a small journal on vacation. Never know when the urge to make art will happen. This is the perfect size to fit in my travel art kit. Heavy paper holds all kinds of mediums nicely.
I love these pens! I had some artsnacks points that needed to be used up and conveniently I needed some new Copic Gasenfude Brush Pens. I just love how dark and juicey these pens are and they really make my art pop when I use them to outline. Will definitely be buying more.
This is a very good mixed media book and works with gouache as well as most drawing mediums!
& heavy paper! I plan to use it for watercolor and it looks like it will work well. :)