Arrtx Coloured Pencils Review

So I bought these Coloured pencils after seeing a friend using them, these are an oil based, Soft Core pencils. These come In there own case where each pencil is standing up Tip down in super dense foam to protect them. They are from Amazon and they came in all perfect no tip for me was damaged at all.The only Flaw is that the pencils are in twos so if you pull out too many they start to fall over but really that is so minor truthfully

This set has a lot of Yellows in it but I enjoy the varieties of Yellow tones as I use them a lot, The Colour barrels don't exactly match but they are close enough to know what your grabbing once you get use to using them. The stand is good to use and makes it easy to find the colours your looking for.
The case makes them not shake around at all. When all inside the foam in the bottom holds two rows together so if you pull a couple out they do move around freely, which is a little pain , But so does a pencil case or storing in tins which is what I do. This set up works really easy for me to play with and it is a thin case which is perfect for me.

The pencil is labeled with the name punched into it but it's in a shiny gold that you have to turn to catch the light  and the pencils Leads are centered really well in a hard wood the couple I have sharpened have not broken and they can get a nice sharp tip. These are a solid pencil, With a thick lead that sharpens easy and holds a nice tip.

This is a super saturated set great for White papers and these blend like a dream 
These have an amazing amount of layering ability too you can do a LOT of layers so Bonus
This is also a translucent set if your using black papers you will notice the colours can feel muted.

Here is a flower I created using them with many layers on it and these would allow me to layer like crazy which is something other pencils don't allow so Big bonus for those that like to be heavy handed. 
They sharpen well holding a tip fantastic 

The package is pretty and I do find myself grabbing these pencils more then the others

Pros - Thick centered Lead 3.8 mm

Layer and blend extremely well
Holds a point really well
Almost no bloom on the page - that waxy look this looks matte

Con- Barrel colours don't match exactly they give you a rough idea

Lots of Yellows and lacking a few other colours. Brighter Reds I would enjoy as the Poppy red has huge undertones of Orange.
The colour are stamped a little small (but the company is fixing that and making it larger)

Package has double holes so if you pull out a lot of colours they will start to fall over

These are not all Light fast so hanging it in a sunny spot they will fade and they will Fade quickly.

Bit of Both
Slightly water soluble so if your sealing your art work do a test first and make sure it's well blended 
but this is also great for blending together without having to buy an odorless solvent but you could use a blender pen in a pinch too 

Light Fast TEST Now this Only applies to Selling Art Work Mainly

These colours if left in a dark place like most at this price range student hobby artist grade will last but left in the sun in a south facing window a lot of them did fade. Now I have tested some professional ones too and the Pinks and Yellow Based colours Fade in a lot of brands so those colours when in use be mindful or spray a UVA/UVB protection over top to allow longer lasting. 
Like most art work SOUTH facing Walls try to avoid Direct sunlight as it will fade most things.

Below is a picture of how mine turned out

 From May 1st till Sept 7th
So as you can see a lot did fade but I compared it to the flower that I did the same day and that looks fantastic still as I have it in a book.
NONE OF THESE HAVE BEEN BLENDED 

Since I have done this light test Arrtx has altered a lot of their pencils 
made them more pigmented and removed or altered some of the ones I have reviewed so this now is

conspired outdated compared to the new ones they have on the market now 

Recommendations
YES!!!

I would Recommend these in a heartbeat 
Why they Layer amazing and Blend so well along with being really great to blend with just a touch of water no need for Solvents.
Can be blended down with a Blender Pen super easy too 

Also they are coming out with a larger set too so Excited about the new colours will get to play with hoping for more REDS 

Update 

they have listened to most of the reviews and altered the pigments in the newer version and come out with a 126 set which is well worth the investment these are my goto pencils still

thanks for looking 
Hugs Nikki 

Koh-i-noor Hardtmuth 24 watercolour Wheel

My sister mailed me this set and I finally got around to playing with it so here is my personal review on it 

 This is one tiny pallet that packs a lot of colours in it. These come all the way from Poland when shipped through amazon and the 24 set doesn't run for that much so these are an not that expensive for a travel set great for beginners you can also buy a 36 or 48 set too.

The 24 set will teach you about mixing as this doesn't have a purple in it but the level with the white the blue and red make a perfect violet together and I did love the warm orange colours they included in this set 

 I would say, or a travel set that you don't worry to much about much space either as this is just so compact. The center in the middle is a great space for mixing colours to make the few that are missing in this set. So it will teach you to mix colours for sure. 

This set has a lot of reds/oranges which does have a variety and would have liked a darker blue to be able to dilute it down.

Just playing around mixing colours together to create this sweet dancing girl for you 

to see.

Pros - Not expensive, Good variety of colours,
fairly transparent which allows for layers 
Great for a beginner and will teach them to be able to mix

Colours do mix well together 

Cons - does have a slight rougher feel on paper almost chalky but doesn't rub off 

thanks for looking 

come back again for another review 

 

Meiliang Watercolour 48 Set

This is Paul Rubens Student Grade Set of 48 colours Meiliang 
36 Vivid colours and 12 Pearlescent set all in One,  This Kit includes a swatch card, Water brush Pen with a fine Tip and a plastic cover that shows where each paint is located really easy for reference.
Comes in a nice metal tin and the area that holds all the paint is plastic with a space for my brush.

The cost of this set is really Reasonable you can pick this up on Amazon 

So how did they swatch up well I took the picture while they where wet but I did like how the colours went down I now am using my swatch sheet for a light fast test so it's now in my window so I know which colours will fade in direct sunlight which, I like to do with most of my paints that don't have it showing. Pearlescent colours are usually use Mica Powders that can be very fugitive so it's good to know when to add a touch of another colour to keep it bold and true to you 1st painted it. 
Student Grade Paints are for you to have Pressure free fun and just play without the worry of using expensive paints and getting it right these are perfect for Hobbyists, beginners and those who love to just colour.

Here are a couple fun Samples I created using the Mei  Liang paints One using more Pearlescent then the other Mermaids just need to shine and I had fun creating both of these girls up

Pros 
Lost of colour to play with and a huge pallet to mix new colours 
Metal Pallet with a good size mixing area 

Once you use up the paints you will get an amazing paint pallet to use (these are full 1/2 pans so it will take a while) 

Ring on the bottom for holding the pallet easy 

Cons
No Pigment info for those that like to know this 

no light fast info

Plastic pallet holds the paint so can not shift them around but it is student grade so this really doesn't bother me at all (It pops out easy FYI, okay I checked was curious lol)

I have always been impressed with this company they take great care in packaging their products to make sure it gets to you along with how well they listen to those that buy their products they really want you to use and love them so give them a try for sure 

Hugs Nikki

Acrylic Paint Pour -Lightwish Brand

 So I just purchased this little starter kit for paint pouring. I have been eyeing all the lovely work that pour art can create. 1st off I need more practice this is my first swipe mix. I over played with it sure but it was fun. 

The Kit Includes 8 paints 6 gloves and 2 drop cloths table protectors ( I did not even realize these where in the kit when I bought it so BONUS !!! ) 

The Colours are bright and vibrant and Poured really easy there was two reviews when I bought these that said they didn't pour but I did not believe them at all and so Happy I did not listen to them 

These poured quickly and the gloves are needed !!! I am a messy painter the paint did wash really easy from my hands which makes you a happy painter :) 

Kit includes White, Black, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple and Red.
 I do see me using the White up first as it's such a nice bright contrast to the other colours 

Pros - They pour easy and are smooth and moved around the paper well
Wash off Easy 
Come with bonus gloves and table cover
Great amount to start out and play with 
Price is a good point for what you get too 
Bright Colours that go together well 
Just good messy fun and Great to use for kids or adults 

Cons - Will use up the White too Quickly Would be great if they sold larger solo containers

But you can say that about any paint lol
Also when I snapped the lid back make sure there isn't a lot of excess paint as it will fly off and hit you as they close up well and tight. 

To Get Cells you will still need to buy another product no matter what paint you Buy 

I tried using a little heat on this so you can see that the paint puckered a little where it was thick 
that is my fault air drying would have created a flat look 

You can buy these paints here on Amazon.ca 

New Blog

 Hi All I've made a new blog just for my art and this will be more for reviews and the odd creation that I make up 

you can find my new blog here --- Nikki's Oddities  Please follow along if you want 

I have really cut back on my crafting over time as I just wanted to change things around and got back into my art of painting t

Pentel Arts - Oil Pastels

 Today I am going to talk about Oil Pastels now these oil Pastels are a great stepping stone into playing with Oil Pastels as they do not break the bank at all you can pick them up for Under $15.00 On Amazon 

This is the 50 Stick Set 49 Colours with 2 white. White is a great blender they are surely the ones that will be used up 1st. The colours are all nicely saturated and the colour on the stick is the colour you will be putting down. 

Blending you can use your fingers which will get very messy but fun too 
Or Odorless blending solution (Gamsol), Old Markers , Baby Oil and a cotton tip to blend.
Paper towels kleenex etc you get the point 

Now my pastels where a gift to me from a neighbour that was moving and they where new but older so I found the package had a strong smell to them but if memory serves me correctly they do have a odor to them. The little forest I did below I used the wrong paper Watercolour rough and the blending felt choppy to me. (Wrong paper to use)

Next on Cardstock  allows finer details and blends so much easier and I did like the way they layered up on each other I didn't use that many colours but I'm pretty sure you can see how much nicer this looks with the blending. I did an ink sketch before hand to start me off.

Cons : this can be messy,
Does have a odor
Will have to spray a sealer over it to stop it from moving around once done
If you have it in a book. 
Not found open stock but does have smaller sets 

Pros : Blends with just your fingertips 
Not expensive 
once you get the hang of them you can do anything great to get you into using them 
Can be blended with found items.
Good amount of colours 
Can be sharpened into a tip which I will do eventually 

Thanks for looking
hugs Nikki 

If you have any questions please ask away 

Fluid watercolour paper

 Hot Press and Cold Press Fluid Watercolour Paper 

Some info about the Paper 
140LB / 300 GSM HOT PRESS PAPER - High alpha cellulose paper, archival quality with the look & feel of 100% cotton , ACID FREE WATERCOLOUR PAPER  - made in the USA 

Hot press is very smooth allowing you for super fine details which is just wonderful to play with
amazing for line and wash work 

Cold press does have some texture but I would consider not very rough with just a slight texture still allowing for fine details too

Comes together glued on two sides which allows you not to tape it down and found it super easy to remove using a exacto blade without tearing the paper. Can take a lot of water without pilling and can be scrubbed back a bit without damage.  For the Price point this paper is fantastic and I have enjoyed working on both the hot and the cold press. It's tough to pick a favourite as my style of painting I like choices and variety so both will be getting again 

Here are 4 Examples of work done on the Hot Press you can notice how the details in the backgound and on them can hold delicate details while they had to have texture added in to them allowing more control. This reminds me much like drawing with pencils but I've used a brush in it all. 
Paint feels like it can slide across the paper so takes a little bit getting use to but well worth it to master it 

These are all on bright white papers 

Examples on Cold Press Paper

Great for landscapes and less holds the colours well 

Thanks for looking 

hugs Nikki 

These are all my paintings you can find more of my work on my new art page
Here Nikki's Oddities 

Arrtx - Portable Palette Review

 Hey All So here is my review on  This adorable small Portable Arrtx Bamboo Pallet
 (holds 12 1/2 Pans) I love stuff that isn't oversized and compact so this checks all my boxes for sure 

Adorable Packaging 

first inspection of it the bamboo is sanded smooth  and sealed.
Fits really well in my hand my hands aren't that big 

Size = 87 by 81 mm or 3.18 by 3.42 inches 

4 strong magnets that will hold the top on really well ,

 has a tiny little indent to help pop it off easier 

Base is bamboo so a great plus will last a long time.

 The top is a piece of 3 mm acrylic so hopefully it will survive it I ever drop it

(I am a klutz so I'm not testing that out lol)

I used my Paul Ruben Pearlescent paints 
to pop in the pan.  They fit perfectly nice and tight as you can see and 

don't fall out 
tried my other half pans and they would fall out easy so I would recommend 

getting a set of Paul Ruben paints to pop in it for sure 

Filled it up with the 1st row of paints 

Afterwords I realized I had limited myself a little too much so I swapped them 

around with some more colours that I love to use and swapped them around

now it's a perfect little portable pallet to play with 

This is perfect little pallet for those on the go and want something portable 
I could toss this in my purse and it wouldn't take up much room at all 

It's not that heavy weighs about 3.5 ounces with all my paints and the lid 

Edit 
After using this for a while, a magnet on the bottom would be great to attach the lid on and perhaps being able to stack them which would make this great for a larger variety of colours or I could have gotten the larger one but I am a sucker for small stack able stuff so I prefer the 12 set 

So I'm off to paint now 
Have a wonderful day and pop in again to see what 

else I'm sharing with you 

hugs Nikki

Where to get your pallet Amazon - Arrtx Watercolor Palette Case 

Koh-i-noor Rapidomatic Pencils

KOH-I-NOOR Rapidomatic Pencils 

 For those of you looking for a super sturdy Mechanical Pencil here is one for you 

You can feel the weight of these with how much metal they have in them the sizes are fantastic. 

Lead Sizes from 0.3 - 0.9 mm size 
0.5 & 0.7 are the most common size you can find 
while 0.3 & 0.9 are a little tougher to find but you can find the refills 

Just realized that the top turns to allow you to say what type of lead type you are using inside... brilliant!!

I love the weight of these and they are so easy to use and fit well in my hand I will say the metal around my hand does remind me of a soft sandpaper which I hope will make my hands super soft lol.
To get more lead you just press the top down and that little top is hiding an eraser which you just pull off the the metal top and voila your eraser is there so handy and kept clean with the cover.

I find me reaching for these all the time, I do have to buy more 0.3 and 0.5 lead cause I worry I will run out very soon from over use

So from my research you can buy them on Amazon no problem

just look up Rapidomatic Pencils and you will see these beauties at the top 

Thanks for looking

hugs Nikki 

PS. I am sharing this review of my own choice I was lucky have won these in a giveaway 

so they don't even know I am writing this 

My Adventures into Art

As a few people know I am mainly painting or drawing these days I still have the Digi shop open so you can still get some of my images Please check them out when you can 

I am now selling my art on Ebay for those of you who would like to get a OOAK piece from me 

Mainly ACEO cards but sometimes larger will pop up too !!

Aceo Card is a 2.5 by 3.5 inch art Card these are highly collectable art at a reasonable price and once you start collecting you will want to create coffee table book for those that visit to look through 

My place on FACEBOOK Is call Nikki's Oddities   The art work is constantly changing I will try to share here also 

Hey if you want you can buy me a Coffee to help out with my creativeness Link in Sidebar !!

Thanks for your Support and for checking out my work 

Hugs All

Arrtx - Oros Markers

 Well I am back to share with you a Review on my new Arrtx Oros Markers - Pastel Set Let's just say this is one company that thinks things through about when you buy a product. I borrowed pictures from Amazon. Here's a link for these on the Canadian site 

The box these come in the 1st thing I noticed was my markers say Hello on the box to me it's super fantastic below is what I got in the kit. It comes with a swatch sheet, thank you card, a postcard, and the part I love the most it comes with a holder for my markers and a tote bag to bring them everywhere. 

I don't have to figure out how to store them like other companies make you hunt down or make something. 

These come with a brush tip and a chisel tip, the brush tip is better then most that I have tried it is sturdy and can get into tight spaces. The drawings below are all 2.5 by 3.5 inches to show you how well these look , I did use some of my skin tone set for some of the faces. The pastel set does have 5 markers that are in the skin tone set but I don't mind as my skin tone set is alps set (Review here) 
The colours can be layered over easy as you can see below I used a bunch to add highlights shadows 

Pros : The Colours Blend together well they do flow easy and are juicy
The lids come off and on really easy - I did own some that need a pliers to open 
The lids are a little brighter then the colours but once dry are close
Comes with a stand to store your markers and a tote bag to carry around
*I do love the alps boxes better just cause I can close them over for a tidy area*
Swatch Sheet no need to print one off 
Thank you card, Stickers and a postcard to mail out to someone 
The price point is amazing for this many good quality markers and all the extras they give you 
WOW !! is all I have to say

Cons : Names of colours not on the markers just the numbers but not a big deal they are on the swatch sheet 
The stand frame that came with mine, I broke by accident 1st day, don't play with it like I did :P
No colourless blender but with markers this light it's not really needed I found 
Plus I got 2 in my skin tone set 

Update Since I wrote this I now have a few more sets they have two Huge sets One of 80 and one of 90 
Along with colour themes sets in colour groupings which is great the big sets do come with blender markers and I have now a link to their store online - HERE Prices are in USD too
They also sell on Amazon too so you check it out if they sell it closer to you they put deals out all the time. 

I love how this is one of the few companies that listens to what we are looking for in markers 

If you have any questions about these ask away 

Hugs Nikki