Art Supplies Reviews and Manga Cartoon Sketching

Testing testing - haven't posted in a while

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Found this picture of my pencil collection. Faber Castell makes a good chunk of my coloring options for artist grade wax and watersoluble pencils. Both Polychromos and Albrecht Durer lines offer good color saturation and quality construction. Pencils sharpen well and leads are quite resistant to breakage. For a portable coloring kit, I would favor the versatility of a set of 30 watercolor pencils organized in an easy to carry canvas pencil roll. I tend to leave the full sets and pencil tin cases at my home studio. Really not a good idea to walk around with a set of 120 pencils. They are a pain to organize if you were to accidentally drop them.

Oct

The Sad Fate of Many Quality Art Supplies is to Vanish - Only defense is to search and stock up before they disappear

Looking over my collection of art supplies, I can't help but notice that many are no longer available neither at the retail level nor even at the secondary market (Ebay, auctions, estate sales). Often economic forces eliminate innovative products despite its virtues, high quality, and uniqueness.

For example, the Caran D'Ache Museum watercolor leads have now been replaced by their wood-encased pencil version.

Jul

Maped Croc Croc 2-Hole pencil sharpener

Another find from my sourcing trip to Peru. A children's pencil sharpener with 2 different sized holes in his green head.

The waste canister firmly attaches to the sharpener head with a satisfying click.

The green ridges provide an adequate grip for disassembling the sharpener. This cute little green and blue bug will live on my desk for the foreseeable future. It embodies the favorite colors of both my nephews.

Jul

Unboxing of Derwent 50th Years Anniversary Special Edition Watercolour Pencils set of 36

Still wrapped in its original shrink-wrap, found this gem in the now defunct Pearl Art Supplies store in Miami.

Sliding matchbox packaging containing 36 watercolour pencils.

This 50th Anniversary special edition features color coding of the entire pencil barrel length which makers color selection while working far more efficient than the current modern version of just color coding the tip of the pencil ends.

Folded brochure included in the set features a brief history of pencil making.

Jul

International Pencil Spotlight: Layconsa Lapiz Especial Negrito Graso

Found this box of pencils I picked at a Tai Loy stationery store on a trip from Peru and misplaced upon returning stateside.

This dozen of drawing charcoal pencils (oil base) was made in Peru for artistic drawing applications.

Close up of the charcoal cores reveals that some of them were glued slightly off-center.

Thus when sharpened the pencil tip is a bit slanted. They sharpened well enough in a standard taper sharpener.

These round pencils are painted black with silver markings.

Jun

Latest refill pack from JetPens

Had a few items dwindling in my working kit, so it was time to put together an order of refills. It just got here. During summer camps, I go through several refill ink cartridges for my Pilot Board Master dry erase markers. They are simply the best performers from beginning to end. Always yielding an uniform bold stroke until they ran out. The Mitsubishi Uni 2B lead is another favorite for drawing sample drawings during class.

Jun

Found a New Art Supplies store in Town

Our guest artist, Jamal Walton, at my last Art Teen Intensive Camp at Durham Arts Council clued me in to the existence of this neat art supplies store in town: ArtPost on Iredell St.

Just a couple of blocks away from the Whole Foods store. It has been there for the past four years, but it is new to me.

While in a smaller scale, it did remind me of Askew Taylor for the selection of goods hailing from different parts of the world.

May

Latest batch of Japanese Goodies arrived today

Thanks Caro! I love this latest batch of Japanese goodies sent by my dear cousin. Souvenirs from the Ramen Museum, Ghibli Museum, and Evangelion store. The pop-up postcards from the Ghibli Museum, recreate the site in 3-D. The pewter-finish figurine looks like a female Kamen Rider, and it came oddly enough from a corner vending machine in the Ramen Museum.

Cutest set of mechanical pencils I have ever received.

Feb

Parakeet Overload: Punilabo Stand Pen Case and Budgerigar watercolor sketches with Faber Castell Waterbrush and Tombow Dual Brush Pens

I could not resist getting this Punilabo Stand Pen shaped like a parakeet from JetPens. I used to keep and raise budgies at home. Also finally picked up a Faber Castell waterbrush from Jerry's Artarama

Just like the Smart Fit Red Pen case, this budgie pen case will not take up too much real state from your desk while looking pretty sleek.

Its larger volume animal head features an elastic loop for holding accessories like a compact eraser block.

Jan

Caran D'Ache Mixed Media Discovery Wooden Box Gift Set of 27 Neocolor II crayons and Supracolor II Soft pencils

Found this Caran D'Ache Mixed Media Wooden Set of 27 pieces arranged in a beech wood tray with mahogany finish and Plexiglas sliding cover at Jerry's Artarama. This set contains twelve Neocolor II watercolor crayons, 12 Supracolor II Soft watercolor pencils, 2 pans of Gouache, and a number 5 pony hair brush. Quite an elegant presentation and useful introduction to three product lines from this premium Swiss brand.

Dry sample swatches drawn on watercolor paper and black paper.

Art Supplies Reviews and Manga Cartoon Sketching

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