Product Review: Staedtler Watercolor Crayons

I have been really interested in picking up some watercolor crayons since I have looked at other art journals, and saw the amazing work done with watercolor crayons.

I was thrilled when my local craft store, Artco, had the Staedtler Karat Aquarell Premium Watercolor Crayons. I grabbed the pack and happily made my way home to play with my new treasure. I am a huge fan of Staedtler products, so I figured this was a sure bet.

The Staedtler Crayons are very firm, and do not melt in water, so they are quite durable for wet applications. They may be used plain, or colored and then washed with water, or on a wet surface.

I was hoping for buildable, bright, vibrant colors. The Staedtler did not deliver. The dry application was difficult due to the firmness of the crayon. Blending with a water brush took a lot of water, and put more fragile applications at risk of warping, such as coloring in stamps. At best, the application seemed scratchy, and the water dilution was mediocre.
The red and the white on this swatch are the Staedtler crayons. It took a lot of pressure and some reworking to get the color as it is.

The red on the picture to the right shows the diluted application, and a watercolor pan or acrylics would have given a more vibrant outcome.

Overall, buy something else. I'm sorry. I will play with them some more, and if I figure out the right technique, I will re-share. For now, save your money.

Rating 1/5

~Venetia

Product Review- Pigma Sensi Manga Drawing Set

I picked up the Pigma Sensi Manga Drawing Set from Jetpens.com, and I am surprised how often I pick up this set. It includes eight pieces:





.07 Mechanical Pencil
.3 Fine tip pen
.4 BulletTip Pen
.6 Fiber tip marker
1.0 Fiber tip Marker
1.0 Chisel tip
2.0 Chisel Tip
3.0 Chisel tip

 

Somehow I managed to destroy the .3 Fine Tip Marker. My favorites in the pack are the .6 and 1.0 Fiber tip markers. I use them for lining artwork, and enhancing dark lines.

The mechanical pencil is a standard mechanical pencil, with a drafting feel. The pens have a dark black line, and are sturdy except the .3, which would be delicate in any brand. I've used them with great success in mixed media projects, and they mark well over multiple surfaces. The ink is archival safe, and surprisingly there is no bleed through despite the dark lines.

The full set is under $20 at jetpens.com.
Overall Rating 4/5

Product Review- 3M Advanced Tape Glider

I came to the 3M Advanced Tape Glider (ATG) party late. Again, I was still loyal to my Creative Memories adhesive tape runners, until they changed stuff and all mine did was gum up and tear paper.  Then, I was introduced to the ATG by my dear friend Heather, who let me use hers, and it was love.

I was surprised at how easy the thing was to use, and how quickly it laid down tape on large elements. It also showed great versatility at smaller elements. I purchased my own, waiting for a 50% off coupon, and it has been my only tape adhesive since. The tape is strong, which is apparent when I stick something in the wrong spot, and I end up ripping up paper underneath. Luckily, if I run a dab more tape, the error is my little secret! Of course, I love the hot pink color. The handle is comfortable, and the tape lasts a long time to other runners I have tried. Refills are available in regular and acid free.

The ATG is a behemoth, the thing could not be larger if it tried. It also can be pricy at stores, with the regular price coming in at just under $40. Refills vary in price depending on whether you choose the acid free version, and there are many crafty friends I know that group buy rolls to get the price way down. The first few times I put in the refills, it took me forever, so there is definitely a learning curve, but once I got it down, the change time is under 30 seconds.

Pros:
Tape lasts
Ease of use
Refillable

Cons:
HUGE
Inital cost

Overall 5/5

Product Review: Beacon 3 in 1 Glue

I scrapbooked almost 10 years without glue. When I started, I was introduced to the hobby through Creative Memories, and I followed their archival quality suggestions stringently for quite a long time, which excluded the use of glue.

I was introduced at CKC Seattle, when I assisted at the Quick Quotes booth.  Their make and take used the Beacon 3 in 1, and I was a quick convert. The glue is immediately tacky, but repositionable, which I like, because it doesn't destroy a page or project if you change your mind.

My favorite use is to glue down Thickers. They "say" that Thickers (and pretty much any adhesive letters) are adhesive, however my experience is that they only adhere if I either A.) drop them on the page accidentally or B.) placed them in the most crooked way possible. My layouts would end up in albums with titles missing letters all jumbled at the bottom of the page protector. Now, I just add a little to the back, and they happily stay put. This glue is not super wet, so it does not wrinkle paper. It can get a little stringy, like cheese on a pizza, but it cleans up nicely. After a lot of use, it globs up on the cap, but a wipe with a baby wipe fixes it.

Last year, I used hot glue on the science fair board for the letters, and they kept popping off the board. This year, I used the Beacon 3 in 1 and they stayed attached through the trip there and home, even though a second grader carried it about.

Pros:
Thick
Does not wrinkle paper
Repositionable
Strong
Cost Under $6

Cons:
Dries on the lid, but this is an easy fix
You have to cut tip yourself
Can get stringy

Overall Rating: 4/5

Product Review-Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen

 The Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen is another Japanese pen intended to mimic writing like a brush with the convenience of a felt tip pen.  The Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen is available in two brush types, hard and soft. It is a steal at under $3.

Product Review: Stabilo Bionic

 

 

This is my favorite pen, the Stablio Bionic. I adore this pen, despite its flaws. This pen is my go-tothat I miss dearly when I cannot find it at the bottom of my bag or drawer.

Product Review: Ohto Fude Ball Liquid Ink Rollerball Pen

The Ohto Fude Ball Liquid Ink Rollerball pen is a fun pen for sketching, artwork, and crafting. They were designed as a rollerball alternative for decorative envelopes given out in Japan. This, This, and This  are great blog posts explaining traditions with gorgeous examples. Typically, these are decorated with a brush pen, but the Ohto is supposed to give a brush look to a rollerball. This pen is a very thick 1.5mm, and the ink is dark black.

I wouldn't suggest this for anything but an art/craft pen. It gives beautiful lines, but it is so large that you really wouldn't want to use it for an everyday pen, unless you write extra large. To give perspective, I tend to write pretty large, and it was too bold for me for daily use, and I rarely say that about pens.

Pros: The ink flows nicely, and I think the lines are gorgeous. 

Cons: I dislike the grip on the pen, but it is fine for artistic and occasional use.

Rating: 4/5

How to use a sketchbook

I use sketchbooks.  I have found that the work, ideas or messes I leave in sketchbooks eventually grows into something else. Typically I use a plain paper book, and a quadrille (graph paper) book.  I have a hard time using my plain paper books because I decide they are “too nice” to ruin. I don’t mind destroying my composition notebooks, so I use the two in different ways.

Stablio Point 88 Fine Tip 0.4

Stablio Point 88 Fine tip 0.4

The Stablio Point 88 from JetPens.com is a great little workhorse for the price… less than $1. The Point 88 has a smooth line that writes well on the tip, but not as well if you angle the pen much (about 75 degrees from the paper).  Expect a solid fine line, and surprising versatility in the line width. 

The pen performs well with both large and small print, and is appropriate for both general writing and pen sketching.  I would hesitate to use the point 88 as a pen with any sort of watercolor wash, as it is a water-based ink, and will smudge slightly if wet.  There is no smudging with normal use. The pen does bleed through on normal weight paper, especially when building up color. I would caution anyone who needs to work on both sides of a paper.

 

The pen is light, and has a hexagon shaped barrel that feels like a pencil.  This is a good choice for ruler or stencil work, as the tip is protected in a metal case.  I accidentally left the pen out for quite a few hours, and the tip did not dry out.  The pen also withstood the preschooler test, which involves a sort of write/pound/scribble gauntlet. The tip did not demolish after the preschooler test, which comparable pens like the Sharpie do not survive (RIP brand new red Sharpie).

Overall, at $.88, this is a great little everyday pen. I recommend this for people who love or need a bold line. If you are one of those organizational wizards who like to color-code everything, the point 88 comes in 25 different colors. If you forget your caps, or lose them like I do, the point 88 is a very forgiving pen. For scrapbooking, cardmaking, art journaling, or drawing, this is a solid choice, due to the lighfastness of the ink. The pen does not make claims to be acid free, and I am not suggesting it is.

Overall Rating 4/5

This pen was provided for review by JetPens.com