Showing posts with label art supplies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art supplies. Show all posts

3/01/2025

LENNART Drawer Unit (30x34x56 cm)

I have three pieces of this Lennart drawer unit at home. I bought it because of the sweet clean simple design and great price. I store my acrylic paints tubes and inks in them and I can put them under my desk or like a mini furniture piece on the wall. I store A4 notepads and loose paper sheets and scraps on the top shelf. Despite its feeble appearance, this unit holds a lot of stuff and weight, 5 kilos per drawer, and a bit extra on the top. 
 
Personally, I'd buy a different drawer unit if I wanted to store office documents or have it in a home office that receives visitors. However, this unit is great for arts and crafts storage, especially if you're on a budget and you expect paint splashes to fall on it. Said differently, I wouldn't cry if this got ruined by my paints.
 
Assembly is  relatively easy, and the resulting unit is light, cute and compact.  

I suggest reinforcing the drawers base with thin cardboard to make it stronger. 

DOWNSIDES
  • > The unit only has castor on the back legs. 
  • > The castors aren't the best, so they aren't mildly helpful when the unit is fully loaded.
  • > The front lowest side has a lot of empty space that could have been used to place another drawer.   
  • > The back crossbar doesn't properly protect the drawers rear. The bar is meant to act as a stop for the drawers not to fall off backwards, but the crossbar is a bit too thin and on the short side; shorter than they should be, I think.  
  • > Some of the screws that link the top shelf with the structure bars don't screw fully with a manual screwdriver. 
DESIGNER Jon Karlsson.

SANNAHED Frame (White, 50x50 cm)

This Sannahed frame is the largest of the line and is made of a sturdy fibreboard conglomerate coated in matte white. It comes with an enclosed acid-free paper mount, a glass-like glossy plastic cover, a back rest flap and wall hook. It's easy to assemble especially if you follow your intuition and not the confusing assembly leaflet! 
 
This frame is really large but still looks amazing. Like the rest of the line, it's minimalist, stylish and contemporary. I cannot stress enough the compliments that this frame gets me. I placed it on an easel with a painting of mine, and it looks like taken out of an art gallery.

The thickness of the edge is the same as that of the smallest frame, 6 cms. That being the case, I wouldn't place this large frame vertically on its edge because would tip-over. Use the back flap, an easel or hang it from the wall instead. 
 
MIND
> The 'glass' cover is coated with a thin piece of removable self-adhesive film that you have to remove before display. 
> This 'glass' is very glossy, so mind the light source and where you place the frame; otherwise, the glare would ruin the display. 
> If you use the mount, you can only showcase a 30x30 painting/picture; or a 50x50cm painting without the mount.
> Frame overall sizing is 52x52 cms.  
> Instructions leaflet isn't the best.

DESIGNER  Who knows.

ASSEMBLY LEAFLET

 


SANNAHED Frame (White, 25x25 cm)

This Sannahed frame is made of a solid sturdy conglomerate coated in matte white paint and comes with an enclosed acid-free paper passepartout (mount). The 'glass' is actually a translucent glossy plastic. The frame comes with a resting back flap and a wall hook attached to it. 
 
This frame is perfect for both small paintings and dimensional art projects (light boxes for example). It looks classy, stylish, contemporary and professionally made. I cannot stress enough the compliments that this little frame gets me. People are surprised when I tell them that this is from Ikea and the price I paid for it. 

My preferred display position is not on the wall, but resting vertically on its edge on a shelf, console or similar, something easily achievable due to the edge being 6cm thick.  You can easily recline it by using the back flap.
 
THINGS TO MIND
> The 'glass' cover is coated with a thin piece of removable film that you have to remove before display. 
> This 'glass' is very shiny, so mind the light source and where you place the frame, as, otherwise, the glare would ruin the display experience. 
> If using the passepartout, you can only showcase a 13x13 painting or picture; or a 25x25 painting without the passepartout.
> The frame overall sizing is 27x27 cms. 

DESIGNER  Not mentioned.

ASSEMBLY LEAFLET

2/22/2025

Lightwish 100%-cotton 300gsm/140lb Watercolor Journal (4.7x4.7 in)

This is such a cute watercolour journal. It is not only affordable, as most Lightwish products are, but also has a good-quality 300 gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper. It's perfect for both watercolour painting and mixed-media. The size is ideal for travelling or as a carry-on sketchbook.
 
The paper has a bit of tooth to it, so it's a bit rugged. I've tested it with acrylic inks and paints with and without priming. The results are quite good. The paper takes a lot of water in. It buckles a bit when wet, but it recovers its flatness once dry. I've also tried it with  the same materials, adding clear gesso and the inks and paints run more smoothly and I can work the paper harder. 
 
The binding is excellent and I can open the pad almost flat without the stitching coming apart.  However, the colour tends to bleed down through the stitches holes. That might not be a problem if you don't paint the full spread or just focus on motifs on each page, do zentangle or drawing. Painting an inks drip down. Yet, for the price, this is a fab mini sketchbook.

Due to slightly textured surface, the use of fine white markers and Posca pens is not the best, unless the paper is totally dry and they go over a very dark colour.
 
The cover has a fabric-like texture in a beautiful turquoise colour. I like my journals to have the cover in different colours as this helps me easily identify different journals. This is important to me because I use them to explore different colours or materials.
 
The elastic band is a must because, once you start using the pad, this won't close fully. Besides, once the whole pad is used, the band will help close the notebook properly. 

Finally, the pad has a ribbon bookmark, something I really love.

2/01/2025

Kinbom 6pc Detail Paint Brush Set (Red)

These medium-quality affordable detail brushes are better quality than expected. I've now used them for several months.
 
The set has two items of each size (5/9, 3/0, 2/0) and, although they are not liners, they make good lines, shapes and fine marks. They're great for corrections on small areas, for mark-making and to fill in small areas or corners in a journal. I use them with flat or soft paper surfaces so I don't know how they would react with canvas or wood panels. I always use them with acrylic paints/inks and no issues so far.
 
I tend to forget my brushes submerged in water for too long, from some hours to a couple of days. The bristles tend to bend and lose shape while left in water for a while, but they recover it easily by drying t hem with a paper towel and, at the same time, pressing them into their straight shape with my fingers. I initially feared that the red handle would lose its colour or break open, but that hasn't happened. So, I think these brushes are better quality than they look like. On the other hand, they look like a downgraded version of the brushes depicted in the product page photos.
 
Although unimportant, the brushes colour is more like burgundy, definitely not the beautiful red in the photos. I just wanted any coloured handle to differentiate these brushes from other small ones I own, so any colour would do.  

In short, an economic student-grade set of detail brushes that are sturdy, durable, and versatile.

Aymorder 10-piece Nail Art Liner Brush Set

I was lured by this 10-piece set of nail art brush liners due to the variety of sizes and the good price. I risked the purchase as they could have been terrible. But they are not! Sure, they aren't a professional artist set, but I didn't want to spend a little fortune on a professional set. I wanted this to start getting familiar with this type of brush and to work on art journal and small paper projects. They're befitting.
 
I use them with acrylic paints/inks and they work well overall. They would have been better if they had slightly thicker bristles but, you know, these were a bargain and are not intended for artwork. They make good long flat and curvy lines with ease but, due to the bristles not being strong enough, sometimes the lines aren't clean. It might be me, as I'm just getting used to them. They're perfect for people with small hands and they're good quality despite the bargain price and the fact that they were intended for nail art not painting.  These brushes work better on flat paper (e.g. art journal pads) or on surfaces that have none or little texture (e.g. cold pressed watercolour paper).  

The brushes are easy to clean and can be kept in water for a long time without worry. The 'crystal' handle material hasn't deteriorated at all despite my tendency to forget brushes in water all night or for several days. The synthetic bristles get bent when left in water for long, but they recover their shape easily by drying them out with a paper towel and pressing them back into their flat shape with my fingers. 
 
I haven't used these for nail art, so I cannot comment on how they work for that purpose.

Yitexin 20-piece Alphabet Stencils 4x7in (18x10cm)

This is a generous set of alphabet stencils made of good quality stencil material and with different lettering styles, so you can use them on different projects. Due to their size, these stencils are great for art journaling, scrapbooking and school art projects. The quality of the cutting is good. However, there are some design inconsistencies within each template, something that bothers me. Good priced.

Uni-Ball Signo 1mm Gel Pen -- Gold (UM153.25)

This Uniball Signo metallic gold gel pen is fantastic. It produces clean lines and is great for accents on craft and painting projects. However, this is not a lightfast or permanent marker, so you would need to use a fixative if you want the colour to stay. The gold colour is on the greenish side, not bad, but not my favourite tone of gold.

1/13/2025

Ohuhu Mixed-Media Spiral-Bound Art Sketchbook (120lb/200gsm, 210x226cm)

I had my hesitations about a 200gsm paper being good for mixed-media. However, after using it, I can confirm that it is. 
 
I tested the paper first without gessoing the page to see what the paper would stand. It was great for almost everything, except for the fact that scratches for textural purposes show on the back and there is a limit of liquid that you can use before the sheet warps.
 
This paper didn't react well to my lifting masking liquid with a normal eraser (which would not lift anything), with my fingers (lifted just a bit), or with a hard rubber (which lifted the masking tape and the paper as well). I think it's a combination of both the masking tape being too thin and the paper not resisting much friction. 

On the other hand, none of the materials I used bled (acrylic markers, inks and different paint viscosities; water soluble pencils, among others).

My second test was done after applying a coat of liquid gesso to the page I worked on. I was able to do a bit of more stuff on it but, again, the paper wraps if you use a lot of liquid or flow paint. It still did not bleed and stood some of my rubbing a bit better. A thick gesso coat would improve workability but it would also add weight, and that would be counter-intuitive. 

The pad comes with a silicone protector to place between the sheets, something that is extremely handy and prevents transferring of any bleed onto the page underneath. On the other hand, I'd have loved this silicone sheet to be 1 cm longer on each side so that it protrudes a bit and protects the edges of the pages underneath, which were totally stained. For the rest, this silicone sheet is really good and it can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth under running water.
 
The pad sheets are micro-perforated, just in case you want to use any to create specific pieces of artwork, not just as a sketchbook.  Unless I was drawing or using dry materials, I would not want to cut the pages out for anything.

The back cover is thick and sturdy, and this is a great support to the bulky pad. However, the front cover it's too thin to my liking and not strong enough to keep the pad well protected or hold it properly. Yet, this pad is really good priced for what you get.  

1/06/2025

Asnabyya Half-Face Reusable Respirator Mask & glasses

I got this to use with spray paint or when I use a art sealing sprays as they smell awful, are very toxic and, even if you go outdoors to spray, the wind can bring the spray back to my nose. This is a complete respirator affordable set that contain a pair of large acrylic glasses, a respirator adjustable mask, and several replacement filter pads for the breathers.

I have a small face and prescription glasses so this set is not the best for me. Firstly, as my face is small, wearing the acrylic glasses and the mask at the same time has proved impossible, because there is not enough room on my face for both to coexist. Besides, as I wear prescription glasses that I need to wear to see, even if I don't put the acrylic protective glasses on, they sit on my face awkwardly because the nose part of the respirator doesn't allow them to rest on them properly. So, this is a respirator set perfect for men or for big humans in general. For the rest, I haven't been able to properly click in the plastic pods over the filters pads, no matter how hard I tried. Assembling the other parts was simple and straightforward.

I've used this respirator several times already and I can see/notice the difference, as I cannot smell anything even when I can clearly see the 'fumes' close to me.

In short, this is great respirator if you have a big face or a re a man or don't wear prescription glasses.

12/26/2024

Stabilo Woody 18 Assorted Colours with Sharpener and Paint Brush

I've been dying to get my hands on one these sets for years. They're quite expensive, but I got this half price on Prime Day. The set contains 18 beautiful bright colours, an XL sharpener (which is great to have as these pencils aren't standard size by any means) and a good quality brush.
 
Stabilo Woody pencils used to be cheap, as they were a product created for children. This was until artists noticed their quality and versatility; then, prices rose to match artists' pockets. They are non-toxic and can be used on paper, cardboard and glass.
 
The pencils are chunky, have velvety great-quality pigments and are water soluble. They are a hybrid between watercolour pencils, crayons and oil pastels.  This set has a great selection of vibrant colours, two metallics, and three neutrals, which is more than I need. They work wonderfully as watercolours, and they dissolve and spread uniformly. Besides, the colours keep their vibrancy once dry.
 
As per my photo, all the pencils in my set have their lead point deformed. The points look like a volcanic outburst. It's a bit annoying as I wanted the point to be pointy obviously. The set seems to be part of a faulty batch, and this might explain the price reduction. For a second, I thought that the set might be forfeited, but after using the pencils I'm sure they're genuine due to their pigment quality and workability.
 
It was not crystal clear to me from the packaging whether these pencils are lightfast or not. After some online browsing, I've found that some of the colours are and others aren't. The lightfastness rating is shown as a number of stars on the pencil barrel after the colour number. This being the case, I'm inclined to use them in sketches and art journaling not as much on anything that I might consider precious. If you work on mixed media, you'll need to seal the colours with matte/gloss medium so that they don't smudge when applying a layer of any other material on top of them. UV varnishes also improve the life of any paint.
 
The pencils original box is great for shipping as the wallet holds the pencils tight. After an intercontinental trip, they arrived in perfect conditions, not damaged or scratched as I feared. At the same time, the wallet is bulky, not really storage-friendly, so I've binned it and put the set in a small fabric pouch. 

Anhow A4 Artwork Display Frame (White) (8.3x11.8in)

This is such a cool idea. Initially designed to hang up children's drawings, I bought it to store and display some of my small artwork at home. It has a storage back, behind elastic bands where you can store several A4 items. It comes with 4 different types of passpartout, which are ideals to display paintings with narrower or wider margins; besides, they make great viewfinders. The magnetic 'buttons' clip  on/off easily and keep everything secure. I can display the frame horizontally or vertically, or hang it from the wall, all of which makes the frame very versatile. The cover is real semi-glossy glass, which makes everything looks great and it isn't too glare-ish.
 
Having said that, I want to pinpoint a few let-downs. The first one is the fact that the hinges are really visible and chunky, so this rests finesse to the display, and makes  the frame unfit for main areas. Yet, it's alright my studio or in a child's room  The second let-down is that getting the items behind the elastic bands is something tricky, because they tightly fit the storage space but, due to the elastic bands acting as resistance, getting the paper out without damaging the edges can be tricky. Needless to say, this might not be relevant if you store not valuable stuff.  Finally, the coating is not good quality paint and not thick enough, so I can already see that the edges show some tiny imperfections.   

I bought this heavily discounted but I think that the average price is a bit too high for some of the flaws mentioned.  Ikea's frames are way cheaper and better quality; yet, they aren't the same versatile design.

Maped Essentials 17cm Scissor

I got this to have in my office drawers. These are terrific cheap all-purpose scissors. For the price you don't get the best quality of materials, but the blades are still made of stainless. This pair is not for professional purposes but great for most office and school purposes. I find the handle size perfect for my small hands and the overall length good for most purposes. They are very light due to the handle being made of cheap plastic. They have a 2-year guarantee, which is impressive for a $4 pair.  
 
I don't get the brand bragging about this pair being made of 60% recycled materials. Really, if you have to brag about anything, brag about having your products made of 100% recycled. That would impress me. 
 

Expesumas 6-piece 30-ml Needle Bottle

I've had two types of needled bottles before getting this set, the original expensive brand and a generic brand. However, this Expesumas set is my favourite by far. These little bottles are fit for both glue and paint, but I only use them with fluid/flow acrylic paint, for which they are great.
 
The bottles are good quality plastic with three indications of ml levels. Each bottle comes with a luer-lock cap (connector cap) where to insert the needle tips, a cap for this lock, plus the 4 different needle tips sizes (3 items for each size).  
 
I use the connector cap as a controlling dispenser to use small quantities of fluid acrylic paint; this allows me to do this without leakage and without blocking the pout. This saves me product as many of the flow acrylics I own squirt out of the tub on their own, wasting product and even staining my hands and clothes. So these bottles are awesome to store those paints, dispense them properly and prevent spillage. Filling them with paint is also great because the only thing you have to do is unscrew the lock cap and them screw it back.
 
One of the main issues with other needle bottles I've used in the past is that the acrylic paint/ink tends to dry inside the needle, clog it, and eventually ruin the whole cap system, which ends either in wasting the bottle or having to pay for new caps. However, these needle bottles' locking system is great. These needles are easy to "plug"/"unplug" and easy to clean, so you only plug them when needed.

Good value for money, as well. I've already bought two sets.

12/23/2024

Generic Artist Viewfinder

This is a generic viewfinder or view-catcher made of great quality plastic, as good as the original but at a fraction of the price. Viewfinders are great for open-air painting to frame the image you want to paint, or to select the best composition by framing the view and moving  the finder around till the composition is of of your liking. The holes allow to isolate colours on the paper and on the view being captured. The viewfinder can also be used on small to medium sketches to single out areas to find the best composition. One of those tools that every artist needs.

10/29/2024

Canson Montval 300gsm/140lb Cold-Pressed Watercolour-Paper Wired Pad (20 sheets, 5.5x8.5in)

I love Canson watercolour paper pads as they're always very decent quality, affordable and perfect to use as sketchbooks. I've been using this pad often, and the paper quality is good  for mixed media, which is what I bought it for. I haven't used it with watercolours yet; mostly with acrylics paint, acrylic inks, crayons, pens, Posca ad Pitt Pen markers and it stands most things beautifully even without previous gesso priming. I love the pages micro-perforation as it allows me to use them as stand-alone sheets, or keep them  as a pad.
 
On the flip side, this Montval series is more like a student pad, so worse paper quality than other Canson pads I own and also re the quality of the front and back covers, which is quite bad. Besides, the paper doesn't handle rubbing well, and sometimes the paper sands off if not primed. That being the case, now I gesso the pages that I intend to rub or scratch. I would not use this pad paper for professional purposes.

For the rest a good affordable study or student watercolour pad with decent quality paper.

Maydahui Canvas Pencil Roll Wrap (Vintage Plate Number, 48 Slots)

I bought this medium-size pencil wrap just to store some stand-alone pencils and markers. The canvas quality is stupendous;, sturdy, and better than another wrap I own. The printed design is cool and vibrant and very good quality printing; I'd say that the motif is genderless. This wrap rolls well despite the canvas thickness and it can be stored vertically. I love these wraps as they protect the pencils tips, can be stored vertically, something I usually do to maximize storage space, and are perfect for travelling. Good value for money, too!

10/26/2024

Uni- Ball Signo 1mm Gel Pen -- Silver (UM153.26)

This is my preferred silver marker among the ones I own. I don't lime most of my acrylic silver markers. However, this one won me over for many reasons. The metallic silver colour is really noticeable and the colour it should be, not too dark not too clear, just a beautiful silver tone. Also, the ink flows effortlessly and cleanly. The marker draws crisp neat lines,  which makes it perfect for highlights or accents on any acrylic paint if the pieces are dry; Otherwise, it would smudge and the nib would get ruined. The marker is made of good quality material and the to cap fastens well.Well priced, too.

Ain't sure about the pigment lightfastness  but the information I've  found online seems to indicate that is more so than other types of markers. It is not a waterproof marker I would say but it gets fixed using a fixative once it has completely dried.

9/29/2024

Amscan Plastic Rectangular Tablecover, Frosty White

I wanted something simple and inexpensive to protect my work table from paint splashes and stains, so this seemed befitting.The tablecloth is XL size, so I decided to use it double to add an extra layer of protection.
 
I was re-arranging my stuff on the table after placing the cover, and it got damaged by bare friction. I am very conscious about my plastic footprint. I don't have a problem with plastic as long as it's durable and good quality, but this is is neither. The material is paper thin and terrible quality. More like one-use cloth for parties and functions and something temporary on my table until I buy a good quality cover. It got torn and broken on the first day of use. 
 
I guess you get what you pay for.

9/08/2024

Montana MXA324048 Acrylic Marker 2Mm Fine, Empty Marker

This is a very good quality refillable marker. This marker is easy to fill in/refill and has a metallic ball inside to prevent ink thickening. It is lightweight and the ink is easy to pump out. I used a mini funnel to fill in the marker and it worked perfectly. If I didn't have this funnel, I would have used a syringe. The bullet point works neatly and is very similar to Posca's.
 
Montana ink is great but also expensive, so I'm happy being able to use other acrylic inks that are less expensive and as good. Refillable markers are a need for me as I feel self-conscious about binning good-quality plastic empty markers. So I love that I can use this over and over.
 
A bit pricey for an empty marker, but happy to have it.