20 Best Social Media For Artists (2023 Updated)

I bought this collection a while back and the diverse and simple colors are great. They are a good start for simple and complex art pieces. It honestly does the job for me. I did not like the art sticks as much.

Maybe I don’t use them correctly but they are the only things I can honestly do without. One thing I would add to this piece would be a pencil or two for those that sketch. I mean when I think of the sharpener, I think of a pencil.

Besides that it’s a great set of colors and package and does well as a gift for others, or even to just share with my kids. Love prismacolors.

I’ve been using prisma color supplies for years now and I can tell you these are so uniquely beautiful and well crafted to help you achieve radiant artworks!! I love to show the world my artworks being created with these products from Prisma color! I believe everyone should know about these amazing products! I wish everyone all the best knowledge of these products of for future artistic endeavors!.

Great paper especially for the price takes watercolor and ink decently, it wraps but not that bad if you tape it down it reduces it. It also handles acrylic markers well but it does bleed. I haven’t used paints on it but I’m sure it’d handle it well.

The paper did come a bit beaten up in the package but it’s manageable especially since I’m gonna be using this paper similarly to a sketchbook.

Great quality paper. Not the best paper however for watercolor, does not hold up well to water, and takes a long time to dry. It also warps when water is applied. Other medium seem fine

Given the price, I was expecting this paper to be low quality scrap. However, this paper rivals the quality of some of the better multimedia sketch books I have used over the years. Would definitely recommend.

I had been trying to find a good paper/card stock that would allow me to successfully blend my tombow water based markers on. Watercolor paper only soaked up the water and ended there. This stock worked great, markers blend beautifully.

The added bonus was that it was great for all my art needs. Well duh! It is after all a mixed media paper. Highly recommend this paper for it’s quality, sturdiness & smoothness. Receives pencil, pen and markers very well.

It’s a thick stock great for card crafting.

I LOVE this paper. I just bought it recently and its fantastic. It’s super thick and sturdy. I have been using it for charcoal and graphite commissions. The versatility is excellent. My projects came out great and I definitely give half the credit to this paper.

Your work is definitely enhanced so much when using high quality products. Definitely can’t beat the price either. I definitely recommend you give this pad a shot.

The paper is a great product that works for everything from watercolor to arylics. Great size for personal or small art projects. However get it from Michael’s was incredible difficult. I order curbside and after checking in a waiting for a half a hour no one came out.

So I went in and then they say it’s already been picked up which it wasn’t and they found it. Amazon would have delivered it to my house next day should have done that.

I’m not usually a fan of the spiral journals but was looking for a journal with heavier paper. This journal fit the bill. The spiral binding makes it easy to lay completely flat – and allows for easy removal of paper.

The paper itself is wonderful! My first Visual Journal was the smooth Bristol – perfect for ink work, and markers. The Bristol also took Watercolor well. My satisfaction with the Bristol led me to order the sketch version in a smaller size and I am no less pleased with the different version of paper.

This journal also sports a heavy cardboard cover, giving a stiff backing on which to sketch that won’t break down like some spiral journals. I work with children and this product is perfect for little ones! Overall I am thrilled to have found this product and won’t hesitate to bu another when I’ve burned it up!.

I bought the 5 x 7 size of the 140lb. paper for watercolor in this Strathmore Journal. This size fit perfectly in the sling packs for making my granddaughters plein air kits. I have personally used the same journal and like the sturdy hard covers and the paper plenty thick to be able to use both sides of the paper.

I have the small mixed media version, and it is easily one of the best spontaneous purchases I have made. The 90lb paper holds up surprisingly well, with little buckle even with full page washes. It feels like a heavier sheet.

So far I’ve used it with watercolor, acrylic, ink, and gouache, and it’s worked fantastically for each. The paper has a little tooth, especially on the front side of each page, which I really like for giving just a touch of texture and allowing for layering of media.

The back side is a little smoother, which is great for different uses – I use both sides equally. The paper is 100% opaque, so even if I paint the front side black, the back side looks good as new (unless you use markers, but that’s to be expected) The hard cover is fantastic, I can use this little book balanced on my knee or held above my head, and it keeps the sheets well protected.

Seriously, get this book. I nearly swore off mixed media paper after trying the abominable Canson XL mixed media sheet, which was possibly the worst spontaneous purchase I have ever made. Don’t even look at that festering horror, get this one instead!.

The Fabriano mixed media is a nice medium weight paper that is fairly smooth. It seems best for pen and pencil and and held up well with gouache. The surface is pretty smooth, so it was ok but wasn’t ideal for charcoal or pastels.

It’s a a nice thick pad, so great value for your money.

This Product May Work For Other Media Than Color Pencils. The Texture Is More Like Sandpaper, You Will Ware Down Your Color Pencils & Blenders Faster Than You Think. It Just Became A Huge Paper Wait For Me.

The Picture Dose Not Show The Texture Vary Well, Paper Is Very Pores.

Multi liners followed by ink wash. Paper warps slightly and comes back to flat as any paper this weight would do. Backside is slightly smoother than front of pad. Stands up to various inks really well.

The Artist Way is a wonderful book that gets you in touch with your artist child. The person that you were before you got corrupted by being older. It’s an awesome book that I would definitely recommend.

If your on a journey to find your purpose, this is definitely a book for you!!.

Synchronicity brought this book to me. I am in Week Six of Cameron’s 12-week program and already I’m experiencing significant change in my daily routine, and in my energy level. Essentially, I am surfacing into my own life.

This book’s value far exceeds its cost, but Cameron makes you work for your results. It calls for a major time investment of writing, thinking, and writing. Her method hits right at the heart of “blocked” creatives, like myself.

If you know there’s something for you to create but you’re not doing it, this book is the answer to help you get there. She starts at the beginning to help you work out all your issues and objections.

Do not skip the Introduction! It’s worth reading for an understanding of Cameron’s position and philosophy on how the book, and her program, evolved. I could go on for days, but here’s my simple response: buy this book, work the program, smile.

Julia Cameron is fulfilling a “mission” to help creative people reach their potential. Read, do the suggested exercises, and become the (visual, literary, performance, domestic) “artist” you were born to be.

I’m delighted and surprised with the creative steps and interpersonal synchronicity I have experienced since starting on “The Artist’s Way. ” Come along! ~ Dolly Kyle.

I am a long time art teacher and am familiar with oil pastels. They are a great tool for introducing students to painting with less fuss and less mess. I was interested in seeing if oil pastels are also a viable serious art material so I purchased some supposed quality brands to compare.

I got a couple of Neopastels from Caran D’Ache, a small set of Sennelier Pastel a l’huile and a set of Van Gogh oil Pastels, I am also comparing these to another brand of oil pastels which (sadly) are not available through Blick.

Attached is a photo and I will be referring to it. The Neopastels and Sennelier are both absolutely beautiful to use. They are buttery smooth and the pastel can smooth out the color which is great for coverage and blending.

By contrast, Van Goghs are not good quality. They are hard and very reminiscent of the school grade oil pastels I use with my students. The color is good but if you look at the photo you will see how uneven the color came out.

And as you try to apply more color to smooth it out, the pastel actually scrapes out the color already there. The last set, is a less expensive brand from Korea. But same quality as the first two. You will also notice a difference in size.

The Neopastels and the Sennelier sticks are smaller than the other two. Not as small as a school grade oil pastel but, man, for the price, they should be bigger. I do have to commend Sennelier for having a small primary color set that is inexpensive so you can try it out.

The Neopastels I had to buy individually. Still the individual sticks are more than a dollar less than the Senneliers for the same quality, and the fourth brand even less. So in terms of quality the Neocolors and the Sennelier are top quality for serious artists wanting to use such a convenient tool, but there are better prices for quality out there.

The Van Gogh’s I cannot recommend as a serious art tool except for under paintings (to stretch out the expensive sets) and for sketching. #sweepstakes.

Sennelier oil pastels are opaque and soft. They do not mix all that well with other brands of oil pastel because they are more potent than most and will cover marks made by other brands rather than lay on top or mix when applied.

They are, however, perfect when you want to cover up a mistake or if you work on colored papers or boards. Most brands of oil pastel are more translucent, which makes them less effective when you work on colored supports.

This is especially true for the yellows and other light colors–the color of the paper will show through. The only important warning is to keep them covered and in their box, so they do not dry out. They become rubbery when they get older and drier which makes it hard to get them to adhere to your paper or to be precise when making a mark.

This will only happen if you leave them out for a long time. They are the oil pastels that operate the most like oil paint and which look the most like paint once you are finished with a project. If you want to use paint thinner with them you can also liquify your marks and use a brush to move the color around like paint on canvas.

They are soft enough to roll onto paper or canvas like lipstick. They hold up over time if kept clean and covered and do not flake as much as some other brands do. I highly recommend them.

I got a sample pack of this brand oil pastels in an Art Snack subscription box and loved them. I am new to art and specifically oil pastels but after some research I heard these were the best brand. I appreciate Blick having sets and individual so I can buy single colors when I use one up or if I just need one more color.

They are beautiful and easy to use. They arrived fairly quickly and in good shape.

Many readers have used this as a handbook for their new journey into the world of art. It delves into various common problems that face people who wish to enter this realm, but who have all sorts of inner queries with leaving the social herd where earning a traditional living once had priority.

Making personal change has all sorts of inner barriers and blocks, that people first need to understand in order to overcome them. It is an American book which successfully crosses the pond because of its universal agendas and is relevant to British and other global readers.

There are three main parts of the book: a) Resistance, defining the enemy; b) Combating Resistance, and finding solutions, 3) Beyond Resistance, and the higher realm. Each section has many small chapters that deal with detailed issues which could be applicable to a number of budding artists.

This arrangement allows each reader to stop and think about every relevant subject before moving on. The books advices cannot do any potential artists any harm, but is merely a question of how much will each reader gain from it.

Ultimately that depends on the reader themselves.

This simple to read book doesn’t hold back. Stephen Pressfield succinctly explains why doing anything creative is met with resistance. This is more of a ‘why’ book, not a how to. I recommend this book to everyone.

Anyone starting a new website, novel, business, career, anything even slightly creative. This book will change your thinking.

To be honest, I cannot stand the self help book genre. So, when this was recommend to me by friends, I was expecting it to be just as overly idealistic, and patronizing as other self help books that I have been talked in to reading.

But I LOVE this book. It is full of valuable ways of thinking and behaving that truly help foster personal and artistic growth. Though I believe in this book, art is more of a metaphor, as the concepts in this book can be applied to many facets of life.

If you are a reader that dislikes self help books, you NEED to check this one out. And if you are a reader that enjoys these types of books. well. You tried others, now try the best.

I have the gray 12×16 palette and it fits perfectly into my Masterson Palette Seal, which is awesome btw. The reason I like glass palettes is because they are smooth to mix on, easy to remove dry oil paints and good to store excess paint on.

I really like that the New Wave Posh palette has gray backing, much better for accurate mixing. It also has a nice rubber protectors on all four edges so that the palette doesn’t slide around. The unfortunate thing about glass palettes is that they scratch easily and this one is no different even though it’s tempered glass.

At first, I thought my cheap palette knife was scratching the surface, so I purchased some expensive Italian palette knifes that were very smooth and still got a lot of scratches. I am pretty careful when I scrape it off with a blade, but the scratches weren’t in the direction of my scraper, so I don’t think it was from the blade.

I think it is getting scratched from the pigment in the paint based on the direction of the scratches, which is the way I mix my paints. Even though it is suspended in oil and seems smooth, the actual pigment is coarse and therefore prone to scratching the surface.

It seemed to scratch more when I started using Black Oil, which is a thinner oil than the thickened linseed oil I was using, which probably gave it some protection from the coarse pigments. It’s a nice palette in spite of that, but you’re just going to have to deal with having scratches on it.

I’m an acrylic painter. I’ve been using glass from picture frames for many years, but after seeing a couple other artists review this palette on Instagram and YouTube, I decided to give it a try. I was especially looking for something that would fit into the Masterson Sta-Wet lidded palette so that I wouldn’t have to go through paper, and the Posh glass palette is perfect.

I purchased the one with the white background so that I can see colors I am mixing against it. I’m curious how colors look against the gray, and may try that some time. I mix with metal palette knives, and it just feels like the glass is solid and sturdy underneath, so it won’t scratch or chip.

It’s so satisfying to use. I have the 12 x 16″ palette, which is big enough to mix all the colors I like to use without taking up space in my work area. It’s very easy to scrape clean using water and a palette knife or rag, and my colors don’t stain the glass at all.

I’ve been using it daily for a few months now, and it looks and feels brand new. Definitely a staple item for the studio that will probably last my lifetime.

The New Wave Posh Glass Tabletop Palette is well made, stable and solid. You don’t have to worry about getting cut as the edges are smooth and the corners come protected with some type of guards. The guards also do not allow the palette to slip and slide as I mix the paints.

I purchased the gray version, it is easy to get the true sense of the colors mixed. I purchased the 12″ x16″ Palette and it fits very nicely into the Masterson Sta-Wet Premier Palette (also 12″ x16″).

This combination provides an excellent environment for maintaining my Acrylic paints moist while working on a painting and while storing the paints. It is very easy to clean, just mist it with water and wipe clean.

I love the the palette. #Sweepstake.

I originally reviewed these on Amazon and have added photos there. After actually having the chance to use them I noticed that a few of my markers were very dry – especially the palest akin tone and my pastels.

🙁 Ok! I finally got a chance to try these out and if you want to see my video review on Youtube, you can check out my channel, Deliriart. It is the Arteza vs Copic video. These come in a very high quality case which includes a handle and a nice long adjustable strap.

It has a double enclosure of industrial-strength Velcro and clips, which is a bit overkill. Just the Velcro would have been perfect. The inner compartment that holds the markers is velcroed in place and can be removed (not necessary, but I guess it saves on sewing time).

The markers are held very securely in the case by wide elastic loops. It all looks very nice. What really matters: The markers are about 6. 5″ in length and triangular shape. The plastic feels like good quality and they feel good in the hand.

They are labeled with the color (A#???) number and name on the end of each cap. (Someone said that the markers themselves are labeled, but I did not see that. I may have to look again) The caps have colored ends that do a VERY good job of matching the ink color, with a few exceptions.

They are dual ended markers with a bullet nib on one end and a chisel nib on the other. The side with the bullet nib has a color coded stripe on the marker to help you quickly differentiate between nibs.

The nibs are replaceable. What really really matters: The smell is mild and not bad unless you have them up to your nose, same as Prismacolor. Copic smells slightly different. The ink is solid, vibrant and just stunning.

Very similar to Prismacolor (my favorite alcohol ink markers). They blend beautifully and easily. You do have to work in the more contrasty colors, same as with all markers, but even when you think it is not going to happen (as with the purple and red in the photo), it does perfectly.

So here’s the thing. They pic up A LOT of the ink from the other color you are blending with and **** it into the marker, contaminating the ink. The marker is then difficult to clean because you have to paint all that color from within the marker, including color that has mixed with the marker’s ink.

You end up losing a lot of ink while working to get your marker back to its original color. See photos where I did this, and you can see that after coloring with them over other colors I end up with a very strong gradient (like Chameleon markers).

I have a feeling that this downfall is also what makes them blend so exceptionally well. So I have learned to be more careful with how I use them and make sure I clean often so the ink does not soak in too far.

The other downfall is that there is no brush nib. I would rather have had a brush nib than the fancy case. I thought it would not be such a big deal, but it is. I mean, if you have not used a brush nib and are comfortable with bullet or chisel, then you will love these.

However, I have been spoiled by Copic and Prismacolor brush nibs and love them for gently and evenly laying down color and feathering. That said, I think I’m going to be using my chisel nibs more than I used to.

I found them great for placing down thick flat color and blending those gradients. I was not able to get such a smooth gradient with the brush nib in my Copics. Though, the brush nib is better for feathering one color over another seamlessly.

You kinda need both, but can get by with either. I will be coloring in a drawing that I made to show these markers in action. It will be my next video. I will upload the image here once I get that done in a couple weeks.

🙂 Pros: -Affordable, about $1. 07 USD per marker -Free case -60 markers with good color variety -Stunning ink! Vibrant and smooth -Excellent blending and gradients -Low odor -Quality plastic -Nice shape, feels good in hand -The color caps match the colors nicely CONS: -Almost no skin tones -Too few pastels -Markers soak up ink on paper and are easily contaminated Constant cleaning is necessary to minimize this Wastes more ink -NO brush nibs -NO refills -Markers are difficult to get back into the elastic straps in the case -Case side velcro closures stick to elastic straps and cause fraying (see photo) -Deliriart (on Youtube) ;).

So far, this item has been very nice to work with. Though I do have very limited experience with markers or marker art. I purchased these as an affordable alternative to the Copic, Faber Castel, and Windsor Newton markers.

Previously, I had done one piece of commission art using Windsor & Newton Student set of 24 (a tiger). The peice had colored pencil laid over the top for more definition. Now months later, I bought the 60 set with the flesh tones and gray tones.

The grays help me to ‘blend’ while I try to attempt values and tones in the normal area of art I live in (which is colored pencil, pastels and watercolor). Compared to the Windsor Newton, I find these markers easier to blend.

Of course that could be the wide array of grays. I haven’t done a subject with ‘skin’ yet, but I expect nothing less of the flesh tones. Since no markers that I can find on the market are light fast and archival (I read something about Faber Castel, but haven’t had time to research it), But still, I see no reason to pay 4-5x as much for alcohol markers when I don’t use them professionally.

These markers are very pigmented with vibrant colors. I’m sure they will fair fine for the purpose I need them for (friends present and the occasional commission). They are fun to work with and give me an ‘outlet’ in to a different art form! I only wish I had purchased the 120 set instead of the 60 set.

I also wish the markers were available open stock and I wonder if I can refill them with ink in the same way the others can be refilled. The nib replacement looks like it will be a nice feature (when I finally need that).

I store the markers on their side as when I have them up straight, the ink does not flow out as it should (I have to shake them a bit or tap them nib side down on the table) Thank you for your awesome customer service allowing me to return the watercolor brush pens (I have watercolors coming out of my ears.

lol) Becky.

I am a HUGE fan of Arteza! I have 2 of the Expert Colored Pencil 72 piece sets, the 120 set of same, the 100 set of Twi-markers, the 72 set of Fine Liners, and the Everblend Skin Tones set. I have absolutely LOVED everything I have ever tried, and now I’ve been waiting MONTHS to purchase the 120 set of Everblend Markers and they have been steady out of stock! I am constantly seeing artist friends of mine receiving them to review on their YouTube channels, or their blogs, yet I can’t BUY one.

How can you possibly not keep your most popular item stocked and let it go for months at a time as unavailable???Especially when you consistently pump out sets of Twi-markers, Inkonic Liners, Paints, Watercolor and Expert Pencils and more!! How about you stop production on some of your other products and start putting a rush on getting the Everblend 120 set back in stock so people like me who have been waiting for months can actually purchase them! I don’t really want to buy any other markers, I’ve spent a small fortune on Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend & Illustrator, Chameleon, Copic, and more when all I really want i this awesome set that has all the colors I need, that everyone I know who has them raves about.

Now I’m starting to price and compare brands like Art N Fly, Aspire, Touch Five and others to try and find something else instead. Hurry up and get on the ball Arteza before I go broke trying to replace your products!!! Attached is the most recent photo I’ve colored with Arteza Expert Colored Pencils.

Image by Alexandra Dannenmann, imagine what I could do with those markers!!.

The paper is very thick and similar to canvas. My son likes to paint or sketch right in the book. Even sharpies don’t bleed through! This paper works great with watercolors. It doesn’t rip or struggle under the wetness.

I am so excited about this book. My family is going through our fourth deployment since 9/11, and now that the kids are in middle and high school, things are a bit different. They “get it” (or they think they do) more than they did two years ago.

Both of our kids are artistic, are in art classes, and have the ability to draw and paint fairly well. I do not. I bought this for the kids, but for myself, as well. We can sit down together and learn how to draw optical illusions (who am I kidding? They probably already know how.

) Our time working on these will be some bonding time, and a good chance for the kids to tease me for my lack of ability to draw. It is a neat book; I probably would have bought it just for myself, to be honest.

My son (11) got this book for his birthday. He had been exploring the net to find similar drawings, but he can now find inspiration in one place and without the use of a computer. He has mastered a number of drawings already.

Great book.

Very easy to follow. Superb illustrations. A good buy. Would thoroughly recommend.

I have bought multiple things from arteza and typically am really impressed and love the quality of what I have bought and that’s why I’ve been a repeat customer for awhile. Especially their line of chalk markers as they are awesome.

But this order was a different story and I was for sure disappointed on quality control of the products I ordered. I ordered the 152 set of inkonic fineliners, the 120 set of the watercolor colored pencils, and 100 set of the twimarkers and it took some time with pandemic to open and swatch the sets but once I had the opportunity I found that every set had issues.

The inkonic set was missing one marker in bottom tray two had no tips so even cap is loose on them cuz of that and I had a double of another color so I inturn I didn’t have or couldn’t use 4 colors of the markers.

The twimarkers came with 4 markers that the tip was very dry. So couldn’t use them as it just ripped or scratched my notebook, and the watercolor set had a double green in it. So I was missing a color.

The sets aren’t the cheapest as I got the large sets so I expected perfection like I have always received from this company with other orders but didn’t receive it this time. I did give them a 3 as the products were great products to use with great color saturation but just disappointed that I didn’t receive full sets or their was quality issues with some.

So make sure you check your sets and swatch them all right away to make sure they all work or that what came in the sets corresponds with the color chart on the back to make sure you didn’t get any doubles.

So with my experience I can greatly recommend company as a whole but be cautious when it comes to these 3 products.

Ive always loved these pencils so much. I usually prefer a harder, more oil dominant pencil when making my own art, but i dont have enough money to use them every single time I want to do something like sketching, coloring in a coloring book etc.

These pencils are affordable and the quality for the price is outstanding. Theyre a wax dominant formula but they arent overly soft and can hold a point very well. I can still get quite a few layers before seeing any wax bloom which is easily removed anyway.

As a colored pencil lover I understand that breaking tips and leads is kind of just a part of what we signed up for with our medium of choice, but i find myself dealing with MUCH MUCH less breakage issues with my Artezas than with a few other more expensive brands.

And that in itself will help to drastically improve the use to price ratio. My next favorite thing about Artezas is their color range. I think they have a spectacular range, and even more so now that they have the Pastel tones set.

I do a lot of photorealism, portraits and more natural work and I love the tones in here for complexions, hair, eyes, fur, shadows, and browns for nature scenes. I dont think anyone could do better for the price.

I find them much less waxy than another brand that is in the exact same price bracket. These are soft and creamy and what comes off the pencil has pigment. The other brand that I tried in this mid-range was too soft, and had a lot of empty wax, so a lot of wax would come off while using them but there seemed to be a lot of empty wax layers with very little or no pigment at all.

I had a 120 set and had used them up and had only aq 72 set for backup. These were out of stock for some time and I found my 72 set was even down to the nubs. I wrote to Customer Service and they responded immediately and let me know it was due to supply chain issues and that it wouldnt be much longer to wait.

About 2 weeks later at most they were back in stock. I chose to purchase through Artezas site rather than Amazon. My order was delivered like 2 days later. Everything was wonderful and there were no broken pencils at all.

But as I was pre-sharpening them all and making my new color chart I noticed that I was missing 2 shades but I had extras of 2 others. I wrote to the company and asked if I could send my extra 2 pencils back in exchange for the missing shades.

I wouldnt have bothered except one shade (earth red) is very unique and one that I use often. I was told that the shades I was missing werre not available open stock at the moment, but that it was ok, they were going to send me an entire new set of 120 pencils and that I didnt need to send anything back.

!!! Incredible service. I was amazed and grateful. My new set showed up 2 or 3 days later with every single pencil intact. That and the fact that none were broken along with their high quality anyway, I couldn’t imagine finding a better pencil for the price.

I have the Pastel color pencils and the 120 set of Watercolor pencils in the cart for the next time i have a little extra money. Im very happy with my pencils and the entire experience. I highly recommend.

High quality products and services, reliable, worth every cent, and looks and blends do beautifully. What more could I ask for?.

At first I didn’t care for these pencils but I don’t think I gave them a fair chance. Customer service is fantastic and they stand behind their product so I decided to give them a real try out. I used them to color a page out of Creative Haven’s Entangled Dragonflies coloring book with artwork by Angela Porter.

I chose a page to match the cover because I wanted to try to match the colors on the cover. I was very happy with the results. Keep in mind that the cover was printed using ink so you’re not going to get an exact match but it came very close.

The pencils blended well sometimes using up to 5 layers to achieve the color I was aiming for. The colors are nice and vibrant. With all of that coloring, blending, layering and burnishing not one tip broke.

The leads are strong and keep a point which is great for getting into those small spaces. No problems with sharpening. The barrel colors really match the lead color. Great color selection in the 120 set.

I like that the color names, numbers and light fastness are printed on each pencil. There was a little bloom but not much and hardly any debris. I ordered another set because I plan on using these a lot for coloring.

I also like that if there is a color(s) that you use a lot you can order a three pack of that color. A little expensive at $9 a three pack (making them $3 a pencil) but better than having to purchase a whole set.

I actually like these better than Prismacolor Premier colored pencils for adult coloring books because the leads are stronger, they blend just as well, colors are just as vibrant and you can’t beat the price for the quality.

I made my own color chart to use while coloring as the colors look a bit different on paper than they do printed on the tin. I included photos of the completed page, a side by side reference and my color chart.

As far as I can remember, this is the only WHITE mixed media pad I found. It is quite textured, but some people like that. I have not tried paint on it, but as long as it was not very wet, I think it would do fine.

Blending of chalk and charcoal is not the best, and the tooth makes graphite difficult, but that is fine for certain effects. I just looked, and apparently the 9×12 is no longer an option *sad face*.

One the backside is slightly smoother, but doesn’t blend as well. Beware of leaving pigmented finger prints.

Just another mixed media pad. I love mixed media pads. This one isn’t my soulmate of paper. It might be yours. But I have played the field, bought all the paper. Run my markers and pencils and crayons over sheets and sheets of luscious paper.

You know you want to buy it and try. Live a little.

Okay. Sometimes in art supplies you try to economize. I did try with this sketchbook. Part of the problem is I missed understood this product. I thought it would have a hard cover. It didn’t. I also thought with 138 lb paper it would be tough and hold up to Mixed Media, like the cover said.

I watch the video and got all inspired. The example of a nice image with a clean boarder around it. I’ve used other mixed media sketchbook and have been able to mask with tape around the area I’m working in.

This paper, I feel the worst mixed media paper I’ve ever used. I’m really sorry I bought this sketchbook for teaching in a class for it’s performance is irritating! I don’t normally write review, but this time I had too.

I’m really sorry about this product. I thought I was sent the wrong item, but it does not seem to be so.

Requires an expensive special add-on device that we do not have, so it is useless.

I loved this game because you got to move around and draw pictures at the same time and the price was fairly cheap I bought it at Walmart. It was very easy to play in the whole entire family enjoyed it.

when I ordered this I thought the tablet came with it. When it arrived I seen it was only the software and will not work without tablet. I am taking software back and probably get something else, I didn’t want to pay a whloe lot because it is painting and don’t know how my granddaughter will use and enjoy it.

I love working on this paper. I discovered it during the pandemic isolation when I began a daily drawing practice that morphed into a mixed media thing. A subscription box sent a very small pad of tan toned watercolor paper that I loved.

So, I started looking for a larger size. Much to my chagrine, I couldn’t find any larger, so chose this paper as an alternative. I use this when I combine ballpoint pen drawings with wet ink or watercolor.

It’s very absorbent and will stand up to a lot of abuse-erasing, multiple glazings and laers of watercolor or gouache. I especially like the tan toned paper, although I use the gray also. I do, however, use alligator clips on the corners to keep the paper from doing any buckling and making sure it dries flat.

I’ve never had the wetness affect the underlying pages, either. This has become part of my regular supplies. #sweepstakes.

I use this paper with Prismacolor colored pencils and it’s done wonders for my drawings. I previously drew entirely on white paper (various brands. ) I feel like I’ve unlocked a whole new world–my white pencils do so much more now.

My one complaint: I folded back the cover to comfortably work on the first page, and the front and back covers separated from the body of the pad pretty soon after. Not a huge issue as I won’t be taking this out and about, but worth noting.

I ordered the “tan” not the blue and plan to order the “grey”. I was commissioned to do a pet portrait, which I did in colored pencil. I used colored pencil which worked wonderfully. I see so many portraits done in acrylic with a solid color painted in the background.

But I let the paper itself form the background. The paper itself was heavy enough as well as smooth with just the right amount of texture. I took both the toned sketch paper and the toned multi-media to my senior art class.

I did demos using watercolor. Worked beautifuly.

This paper is the perfect quality given the price point. could you get cheaper mixed media paper? Yes. but not that much cheaper. And the paper quality quickly and noticeably declines from this price point down.

The paper has a smooth, firm surface and unlike other mixed media papers it can actually hold multiple layers of wet media such as watercolor. Other student grade/ beginner mixed media paper will only take one or maybe two very light washes of water media before the surface starts to rub off the paper.

And usually they are so thin that they can’t hold thicker paint like acrylic without substantial buckling. Strathmore 300 mixed media is rigid enough to hold acrylics and other thicker paints and many layers of watercolor and ink without the surface peeling off.

The paper will bend and bulge with wet media, but that’s normal with even high end watercolor paper.

When paper is listed as Mixed Media, you expect it to work with a variety of art mediums. The paper is thick and sturdy, but the surface is odd. Slick and smooth, as expected from its noted vellum texture, but if you hold it up to the light and tilt it, you will see shiny speckles, as if the surface wasn’t sprayed evenly.

These speckles become apparent when you use a variety of mediums like alcohol markers or pigment inks – they dry with tiny white speckles showing through. The surface has zero absorbability, so wet mediums like watercolor and gouache just sit on the surface or streak.

Graphite and colored pencil work, but you can only achieve a few layers and blending is a non-starter. As a mixed media artist, I am perplexed as to what this paper is actually intended for. I love most Strathmore products I’ve tried, but this is just an odd duck of a paper.

At least it was cheap so I can move on to trying something else.

You will be very pleased, if you follow my suggestions. 1. Always remove each page from spiral when using charcoal pencils…. also, when ever working with these pencils wear a plastic glove to limit charcoal on your hands and smudges on the paper…2.

Have a soft brush ready to remove any eraser material, because that works so well. 3. If you’re a beginner, please research on line…. how to sketch, watercolor, or paint. I’m certain, if you follow the above suggestions you will be more than pleased with the Strathmore Mixed Media sketch pads.

Juanita Callahan.

I have been purchasing these Canson paper pads and sketchbooks for years as both artist and educator. I have used the Canson Drawing pads with students as sturdy, portable sketchbooks. They have lasted the entire year for students as young as 3 and as old as 16.

I have used this Mix Media pad for several combinations of applications of artistic media. I typically begin with layers of pencil, outlining and shading. Next I might select a palette of watercolors, gouaches and acrylics.

I can work into these sheets with any type of marker, colored pencil, chalk, crayon or paint. I mix and curate a selection of hues and viscosities of paint to work with this paper. This paper never pills, and can withstand significant brushwork with all of my paints.

When working with thin, watered down washes; I can work confidently as this paper does not warp or wrinkle much. I can layer with ease, as this paper has minimal texture. Mix Media pads are sturdy and thick enough to withstand generous paint application.

When working with cut painted paper collage, this paper is thin and flexible enough to draw into with an x-acto pen-knife, and can be easily glued and layered into artworks. On the market at Blick, Michaels, Amazon, and most local artist supply stores in many states I have worked in, this pad is also the most economical choice for artists of all levels.

If money is no object for you, then of course there are individual watercolor and other mixed media papers to buy per sheet, or more expensive pads of paper. This brand has saved my schools and myself tons of money, and the paper has withstood the test of time as archival quality.

For the price, you are getting sturdy paper that accepts a multitude of diverse art materials in infinite combinations.

I was not expecting much from this sketchbook, mostly because the paper weight is way too thin for wet media. I think the minimum should be 190-200 gsm. I haven’t really tried other mixed media papers, but for an affordable option, this is great.

Water-based markers like Crayolas glide across the paper without much streaky appearance. Alcohol markers don’t work for many papers, including this, very fast bleedthrough. I primarily dabble in watercolor, and thought I could use this for wet-on-dry sketches, and it works decently but the warping is quite annoying, even clipped down.

It works well with watercolor pencils, the color fully dissolves unlike another WC paper I have that is too textured. Just like their XL watercolor paper, the sizing makes paint and marker ink hard to layer.

With their XL watercolor paper, I could just prewet both sides of the sheets and pat it dry so it absorbs more, but this paper is too weak and thin to handle a lot of water. Overall, pleasing somewhat smooth texture and holds up to the mediums stated above.

I personally have owned so many Canson Sketchbooks that I have lost track and now I have passed down the love of their quality to my daughter who’s a budding sketch artist that draws mostly people. She was so very excited to see that she had gotten not One but Two Canson XL Sketch Pads! The only thing she doesn’t like is she prefers the ring to be on the side and not the top, but she said that doesn’t change the quality of their paper and durability of the sketch pads.

We are definitely looking forward to purchasing more Canson Brand in the future!! As a Poetry Writer on Instagram I love using my Canson Pad to be able to jot down my thoughts wherever I am and sketch something with those thoughts that may perhaps turn into something extra later on! So a big shout out and thank you to Canson for being our family brand!! 5 ★★★★★.

I have only had great experiences using this canvas pad. It has held up well despite the many layers of oil paint and mediums that I’ve used so far. It is especially a good deal for oil paint beginners and students.

There is no need to prime it, but it never hurts to give it a layer or two of gesso if you plan on painting on the same sheet for multiple days.

This large paper was hard to find, but Michael’s had it! Strathmore paper never disappoints and I am using this for class with great end results. It is so smooth and am glad I don’t have to prep my surfaces anymore.

The large size is awesome.

I bought this Paper a long time ago for water soluble oils. It didn’t seem to work very well for it. Recently I tried Golden Open Acrylics on it and it work beautifully on the surface. The only con is you have to watch about using tape, because it will rip the paper.