Super Markers

U.S. Art Supply always has the coolest stuff, so I was super excited to try out their Super Markers Set! 

The set comes with 100 different colored markers. They are twin tipped, which means each color has a 3.0mm tip and a tiny 0.7mm fine liner tip.

The set comes packaged in a box with a neat idea for storage. However, it only has a flap, so the two sides are still open. Another downside; almost every time I pull out a marker, the cap stays stuck in the bottom of the box. The box keeps all the markers color coded and easy to find, but it's a pain to slowly lower each marker back into the slot in order to get the cap back on.

I tried to solve one of these issues by removing the outer part of the box, and lowering the slotted section into a box I already had that came with a lid. It's a neat storage idea, but the caps are still getting stuck. I don't know how long I'll keep it like this. I think I'll eventually just dump them into a box. It's a bummer because they look so nice organized.

I sketched out something to color on a nice piece of drawing paper. I colored most of it, but then the flesh tone marker instantly tore a hole right through my paper... 
This is paper I use for painting, pencils, pastels...but the marker ate through it and destroyed my piece. 

I tried the markers on three other types of paper. The markers collected a lot of buildup. What a pain it was to have to wipe the tip off every few seconds or it would ruin my lines. This happened on all types of paper I used, so I think it's a problem with the markers and not all of my paper. 

There was also a problem with a few of the markers arriving broken. The fineliner tips where pushed in, and the bigger tips pushed out with no way to keep them in place.

I had better luck filling in with the fineliners than the bigger tips. The markers seemed to dry out so fast. Even using them for the first time, the coverage was pretty rough. The pieces I colored were much smaller than any coloring page. The ink flowed much better from the tiny tips.

Available on Amazon.

The variety of colors are great, but that is pretty much the only thing I like about these markers. 

I give them 3 out of 5 stars. I think they would be alright for adult coloring books and children, but I would not recommend these for artists. 

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own.

~Crystal Vicious

Mermaid Art with Gel Pens

Summer is here! I'm getting in the mood by making some Little Mermaid art. I am obviously a huge fan of Ariel. Her hair inspired mine. 

Gel Pens are an interesting media. Yes, if you are covering a large area, it's a time consuming process, but it's also very cathartic to draw those lines. 

US Art Supply has an awesome gel pen set. It comes with 2 sets of 60 different colors, so when you run out of a color, you have a back up! Sweet! 

There is a great variety! Classic colors, neons, pastels, metallics, glitter!!! It even has some swirly colored ones, which are fun for writing. I'm having a blast using the 4 different reds for Ariel's hair.

The ink flows out of these great and it stays on the paper...I haven't had any smudges yet, on my paper or my hands. There is a good bit of ink in the pens. This picture is on 11x14" paper and I am going to town with the reds, and they are holding up great. 





There is only one downside. They do not have grips. There is an indent in the pen where a grip should be. It isn't super uncomfortable, but I take breaks before my fingers start to get sore from holding the pens.

 Grab some on Amazon!

These pens are awesome. The variety of colors is great and I love that it's a two pack. They will make a lot of art with me. The ink quality is great. I give them 4 out of 5 stars. If they had rubber grips to protect my fingers, they would definitely be a 5 star product for me. I would recommend them for anyone who likes to draw or write with pretty colors. 

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 


~Crystal Vicious 

Mixed Media Mother's Day Card

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my Mum! 

I made my Mum a neat card this year out of a ton of mixed materials I had lying around my studio. I wanted to share how I made it in case anyone is feeling crafty and wanted a bit of a tutorial/idea for a snazzy little card. 

I used a ton of stuff for this, but this list can easily be modified. 
Materials:
9x12" Watercolor Paper (cut in half)
Book pages
Watercolor Pencils
Watercolor Paint
Scrapbook Embellishments
Beads
Sewing Pins
Stencil and Glue

First, I traced 3 different sized butterfly shapes onto book pages. This "Paul Simon" line just had to make it's way into the project because serendipity and all. I gave the watercolor paper an aged look by using yellow and brown watercolors and then rubbing it with a paper towel to rough up the paper.




I used various watercolor pencils to color the three butterflies. My Mum likes pink and green, so that is the color scheme I chose. I then hot glued (I could not find any of my glue sticks) the square scrapbook cutout onto the top half of the card to use as a frame for the butterfly, followed by a ribbon with a cute little embellishment underneath.

Then, I glued the 3 butterfly cutouts one by one inside the little green frame cutout. I bent the wings up to give them a cool 3D effect. I used my favorite pink glitter gel pens to write out MOM with a stencil, because my handwriting is crap.

After, I hot glued five gold beads (from a broken bracelet) down the butterflies body and I used bent sewing pins as antennae. I'm all about reusing and recycling here. Now these items have a beautiful new home that isn't a landfill. 

Since my writing is awful, I found a cute quote on a piece of vellum that was with my scrapbook supplies. I glued that down on the inside of the card...but still had to write in there a little bit. 

I even had a green envelope that was just the right size for this card. Be sure to slide it in there easily. I really love how this card came out. I spent a lot of time and effort making it, so I know my Mum will cherish it more than any store bought cards. She is a sucker for sentimental stuff. 

Happy Mother's Day Mum! You are the most amazing mom that could ever be and I love you more than words and art could ever express. <3

Love Always,
Crystal 

Everlasting Star Paint Brushes

This set of brushes from Everlasting Star comes with 15 brushes of various sizes plus a carrying case with a pop up stand to help with drying. These brushes have long handles. I tested them with Acrylics and Watercolors. The coating on the bristles was easily removed after soaking in water, but the case absolutely reeked. I washed it twice with soap and water and let it dry thoroughly and I can still smell it from across the room.

The brush types include:

- Filbert Brush - Sizes 9, 4

- Angle Brush - Sizes 12, 10, 5, 2

- Round Brush - Sizes 8, 7, 3, 1, 1/0

- Flat Brush - Sizes 11, 6

- Fan Brush - Size 0

- Rigger Brush - Size 3/0

The handles were very comfortable to hold. The brushes held paint well, and laid the paint down nicely. I enjoying using them. I usually use much smaller brushes, but I kept reaching for these. The didn't lose any fibers and didn't tear up my paper. They were also easy to clean. 

I would recommend these brushes for artists, students, crafters, and kids. I would give these brushes 4 out of 5 stars. I love them and they work nicely, but the case still smells awful.

Grab a set here.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious

Watercolor Pencils are Neat!

US Art Supply has great products at great prices. I love experimenting with new mediums and I have never used watercolor pencils before. I could not wait to try these out.



This set came with 36 watercolor pencils and a roll up canvas wrap. I love keeping my supplies organized, so this was a great idea. 

I was able to keep all the pencils organized by color and could easily roll them up for storage when I was done using them. The range of colors was great. Black, white, neutrals, skin tones, and a few values for each color.

The pencils came sharpened, and the leads were soft. The colors went down onto paper smoothly. The amount of pressure I used correlated perfectly with the amount of pigment that went down. 

Adding water to a watercolor pencil drawing.

I love that you can use these dry for drawing, or paint over them with some water for more vibrant colors. And after adding water, you can even go over again with the dry pencils to add more details or bolder lines. I love versatile things. These were so fun to use. I already have a bunch of ideas for what I will do with them next. 

I give these colored pencils 5 out of 5 stars. I love the colors. I love how they feel. I love how they go down on paper, and I love how they react with water. The storage roll is a great added bonus for those who want to be organized. I would recommend these to artists, crafters, students or children who wanted to draw, paint, color, anything really! These have so many uses and are really neat!


Grab some on Amazon.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious

Music Meets Art with These Rad Guitar Picks

As both a music and art lover, these picks struck the perfect chord with me. Art Tribute has this awesome set of twelve picks, two of each design from Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Munch and two from  Da Vinci. The gift set comes with a cool metal Click Clack box for safe keeping as well as a leather pick holder on a key chain. It's such a neat gift for musicians, artists, and music/art lovers alike. 

The picks are 0.7 mm, a medium gauge. They are not too flimsy or too thick. I prefer medium for just about everything. The picks were comfortable to hold and to play with. I dug the way they played. The printing on the celluloid is amazing! 

I can't believe the amount of detail in such a small place. The seem quite durable. The prints are still perfectly intact. The pack comes with 2 of each print so I will be giving a set to my friend Cat (The Bassist for The Knock Ups) because I know she will love them as much as I do. 

They are really unique, so I don't think she will lose them as easily as plain picks at gigs. Then again, she's going to love them so much, she might keep them at home for safe keeping. I give this set 5 out of 5 stars.

Grab some here, and keep an eye out for new prints.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious