5/26/2024

JanYun 150D Leather Sewing Waxed Thread Cord (1mm Diameter, 8 colours)

This is a true leather thread in a beautiful array of neutral colours in long-length bobbins. I bought them thinking that it would be more like a cord or thicker, so, in that regard, they were a bit disappointing; however,  I'm the only one to blame as I should have read the description in full before purchasing. Yet, I've fallen in love with these bobbins and material. I use the thread as cord for my art tags or as texture elements in my mixed media works. The colours in the photo match the colours in real life. I haven't sewn with them, so I cannot comment on that.

5/15/2024

JBL Tune 500 Wired ON Ear Headphones Black

I wanted to replace my old broken laptop headset with something affordable and wired to use with my laptop and had a great experience with other JBL products in the past.

GOOD
> I bought this almost half the original price on a lightning deal and that is a bargain, something that always makes me happy.
> Good looking. The set looks expensive.
> Good materials.
> Head band soft padding.
> Integrated cable with volume micro-button.
> Plug and play, no drivers or set up needed.
> Good quality sound with my computer. I haven' tried them with my mobile.
> Flat folding, which makes the set great for storage in drawers and for carrying in a medium sized bag.

SO SO
 > I agree with other reviewers say on the tight grip of the headband. I have a small head and this is nothing that I honestly feel is too much, unpleasant or uncomfortable. At the same time, I don't use these for long periods of  time.
 
NOT SO GOOD
> The leather-like sleeve covering the ear padding is paper thin. What's the point of making the rest really good quality and the most important part really subpar? I don't get the thinking behind this, to be honest.
> Length of the cable it's a bit short for my needs as I tend to twist and move a bit away from my desk/laptop and it unplugs itself.
 
OVERALL
A great wired headset at a very affordable price made of good quality materials. The only downsides are the headband being a bit tight on the head if worn for long periods of time, the ear-pod padding sleeve quality being not good, and the cable being not long enough for my needs. I will update this review in the future, if needed.

5/01/2024

Edward Tools Paint Stainless Steel 12" Trim Blade

This is a great tool to get straight lines in my paintings. The sizing is perfect to work on paper medium size pieces, 12x12" for example, as it is not too large or too short. The sizing also allows me to store it easily or to keep it in the same holder as my large brushes. 
 
The blade is really sharp, so much so that I cut one of my fingers with it. I love that is made of stainless steel as this makes it durable. I clean it with a wipe or rage and looks as new every time.
 
Nothing fancy about the grip area, but it's strong enough, and it's getting nicer now that it has different splashes of paint on it. 
 
Good value for money.

Strathmore 400 Series, 12"x12" Cold Press Watercolor Pad, 12 Sheets

Strathmore watercolour paper has always impressed me because of the quality of their products and the good quality/prize ratio. This is also the case here.

 This pad has a great size for beginners, not too big or too small. The tone and texture of the paper are excellent. I use it mostly for mixed media, mostly working with acrylics, and I do nasty things to the paintings (rubbing, scratching, wiping). Yet, the paper resists almost everything and it is very forgiving. I always gesso the paper before working on it.

Perhaps not as good as other brands, but this is one of my watercolour paper pads staples.

4/25/2024

Quill A4 Visual Art Diary, 110gsm

I use this notebook all the time not to draw or paint but to clean my brushes when painting on good paper. This allows me to save paint and create unintended pretty interesting collage papers that I then use in my artwork.
 
I also use the pages with my Gelli print to create collage papers The results are great and better than using printing paper.
 
If you want to use it with acrylics, you need to use dry brushes and heavy body paint because the paper is not made to hold liquid or semi-liquid acrylic paint or inks. and the pages stick to each other if the paint is semi-wet and break off parts of the page. Needless to say if the paint is too liquid, it will bleed.
 
Probably designed for drawing with pencil, pen or charcoal not for paint/. However, the pad is cheap and good enough for my side painting needs.
 

4/21/2024

Mont Marte Tracing Paper Pad A4 60gsm 40 Sheet

I purchased this pad not for drawing  or tracing, but to use it as part of a wet palette system. I had used thinner tracing paper before this and it was not working. This pad is affordable and the tracing paper is good quality, thick enough to resist moving paint with different kind of brushes on it without tearing apart. It lasts several days on the palette, so it is value for money.