Jacquard Lumiere Metallic Silver ( 2.25 Oz 5)
5/06/2025
Derwent Inkense Blocks (Tin of 36)
I love the tin box quality and design, which is great to keep the blocks safe and neatly stored. If I remove the inner holders, I can use it for other purposes. I love the "crevasses" on the sides, which are perfect for broken or half pieces.
Having
used the Derwent XL blocks and XL coloured graphite blocks I can
honestly say that I prefer the two first to the Inktense Blocks.
However, I love the quality of the bright lines and accents I can get with these blocks especially when I don't mix them with other products,
as they're vibrant and make any piece standout. They're very bold as watercolours.
Are the Derwent Inktense blocks/pencils
lightfast? According to the company, "87% of the range is lightfast, however, once water is added, lightfastness ratings will be different
depending on how much each colour is diluted." They also state that
these blocks are made using different binders and wax blends, which
affects the lightfastness of each colour. As mentioned in other cases
for similar products, you need to use a medium to seal the colour if you intend to work with liquid media after using these blocks. The same can be said if you use them on you painting top layer. Furthermore, once the piece is
finished, you can protect it by using an UV protection varnish and, of
course, by keeping the artwork out of direct sunlight.
If I had to buy them now, knowing as I know, I would buy the Inktense pencils, which will have the same quality pigment but are better for me. So, in short I like these ones but I don't love them.
MIND
The blocks are quite thin and break easily while exerting a bit of pressure. Handle with care.
TouchCool 3pc Acrylic Marker Set (White, Fine tip, 0.8mm)
I paid little for these three acrylic gel markers. I was not hopping much from them because they're from a brand that I don't know and there were no reviews when I purchased them. Glad that I had no expectations because these markers are just OK.
The first issue is that it takes a while for the ink to come out. When it does, it's really fine and clean. However, the ink doesn't always flow effortlessly, especially when working on mixed media, so that's the biggest let-down.
The second issue is that these markers are sold as waterproof and they aren't. Just today, I painted some lines on dry acrylic paint. Then, I came with a damp tissue and the marker lines went off easily. I'd say they're OK for school and crafts purposes, but you would need a sealer of you want them to be waterproof. .
The writing on the exterior gets off easily as well, but this doesn't bother me.
Paul Rubens 6-pack White Soft Oil Pastels
Mont Marte Fluoro Oil Pastels 12-Pieces Set
I cannot stress enough how beautiful these oil pastels colours are in real life. I haven't been able to find anything similar in good quality brands, so I decided to buy this set just because it was cheap and Mont Marte is a good brand for student art supplies.
The colours didn't disappoint; actually, they blew me away. Perhaps the red isn't the best fluoro red out there, but is still beautiful. These aren't soft pastels, but they are still creamy. They blend OK with quality soft pastels and well with themselves. Having used low, medium and high end oil pastels, these cannot compare in the amount of pigment they have or the level of coverage. Yet, they are still decent and a pleasure to use as highlights over soft oil pastels, or on their own on the top layers of mixed-media projects. Most fluoro pigments aren't lightfast or aren't super lightfast, so I don't expect this to be in the list of light-resistant list. Yet, this doesn't matter if you just want to use them on art journaling, sketchbooks or in small projects that won't have the artwork displayed on any wall.
4/19/2025
Moleskine Art Watercolour Pocket Notebook (black)
The cover is really good quality. The binding is fabulous and I can open the notebook fully flat. Besides, the stitching has no holes, so the paint doesn't bleed through them, like cheaper notebooks I own do.
The 200 gsm (135lb) watercolour paper is smooth and a pleasure to work on. I use mixed media, with plenty of wet media, and these pages stand everything. I prep them with a coat of clear gesso to make them more resistant, but I own other journals where the gesso is not enough for the same use. So far, none of my paints, inks or watercolours has bled.
I love the elastic band as the notebook tends to stay self-open after having the pages full open for a while, so, it helps correcting that. Also, it's necessary as most notebooks increase volume when fully painted. I'm not a fan of inner pockets placed looking towards the binding, like in this Moleskin, but it comes handy nevertheless. I miss the notebook having a bookmarking ribbon, something that I always like and use.
My notebook came with a quality control ticket in the pocket, something that I really appreciate.
Any watercolour Moleskine is expensive, but I was lucky enough to grab this one heavily discounted. I often look up for catches like this on Amazon, so I was ready to 'shoot' when the sale popped up.
Meeden Portable Paint Brush Washer (Large, 11D x 11W x 12.6H cms)
I have a similar small washer, which I love, and I was looking for a container as large as this one. However, I couldn't find anything affordable till I found this Meeden washer.
This washer is as large as described on the Amazon product page, not less not more. It's made of good quality sturdy stainless steel and its design is perfect for indoors and outdoors, for acrylics and oils.
I can carry this outdoors thanks to the handle and the locking system, which allows me to hermetically close the jar. Sometimes, I use it on its own, without its inner grate insert, and others with it. The grate is perfect to rub the brushes and help removing stuck paint. If left for a while, the solid parts of the paint deposit on the bottom, so I can empty the water and wipe out these solids with a napkin and dispose of it in the rubbish.
The container box looks great and is really good quality, so it's perfect for gifting.
