Leads and fabric paint

I purchased 40 leads from Eckersleys (online art shop) they come in this smart dispenser. So much cheaper than buying small packets of leads.

Push the top down to center a lead.

After a few pushes on the top a lead will slide out.

If you decide you don't want that lead anymore place it in the hole.

And hold the top button for the lead to fall in.

I also purchased this fabric fixative medium and some black background acrylic paint.

Derwent Inktense 48 wooden box set.

It opens up to lay flat, which has its advantages compared to boxes that only open less than 180 degrees.

Magnetic wooden strip that holds the pencils down.

Any of last pencils need to be slid in from the top or the magnetic strip holder chips the pencils.

The pencils fit tightly into felt covered foam separators.

Painted gold clasps hold the box shut.


In a previous post I reviewed the Inktense pencils in depth and my opinion of the pencil has not changed, this is merely an update that I now own a larger set. 

Palette Knives!

eBay 5 pack of palette knives for $5(AUD)

Pebeo 100/129 palette knife.


I was actually impressed by the eBay palette knives, I was expecting them to be flimsy and poor quality but are the best palette knives I've used. Definitely goes to show that even in art price doesn't equal quality all of the time.

I mostly use palette knives for mixing paints or laying paint down for a large block colour, I still rely on brushes for detail.

Leather sketch book!

I purchased this leather sketch book from USCHA while in Western Australia. Head over to their site or look them up on Facebook.

Refillable pages you buy around 200 page insert for $10-$40 depending on the book size.

Engraved back and front with a unique design.

Press button clasp, there are other types of clasps available though.

Clothing and fabric design equipment.

SetaSkrib and Zig fabric markers are the best, around $6(AUD) each I think, but are the  best for planning out a fabric painting or naming/signing shirts.

Brush tip of Zig compared to the tip of SetaSkrib.

Zig 2mm tip compared to the same SetaSkrib tip as shown before.

Fabric dye available for $4(AUD) on eBay, I find it's easier than the more expensive Idye's available and has a good range of colours.

These silk and cotton fabric paints are great if you already have brushes but otherwise i'd recommend the fabric markers.

Kids fabric Crayola markers are great for someone thinking about fabric art but not wanting to spend a lot of money, these average for about $10(AUD) for a pack of 10.

Glass painting supplies!

For a family friends birthday I painted wine glasses with little scenes, I bought a tonne of different brand glass paints and these gave the best results! Hopefully this helps out someone looking for a gift idea, these also make great gifts for kids, I was given a few as kid.

The small tips allow for intricate designs and surprisingly last very long, I managed to paint 8 glasses and only used 1/4 of the paint!

These glass paint pens were good for a background giving a less solid colour, like a watercolour finish. 

I used these painted on with a cheap synthetic paint brush, mixable colours gave such great palette options.

Reasonably priced compared to some art products in Australia. 

Copic Ciao 12 colour set reivew!

Above shows the flexible brush tip which creates such a great variation in line width.

I scored this 12 pack for $60! Which in Australia is pretty crazy i went to my local independent art shop expecting the usual brands but they had two of these! I've had this set for a few weeks now and still amazed by their ability to blend.

In the pictures below I tried to show how they are packaged, so secure in an acrylic transparent case with end separators which seem like they wouldn't be of much use but make it a lot easier to store these markers you can take one or two out without the other markers moving or falling.

The top swatch set of  each colour shows the brush tip and how it looks applying light, medium and hard pressure, allowing a large range of strokes which is great for tattoo style designs and anime.

Top row of the green colours is the brush tip and the bottom row is the broad tip used on the three different main sides.

Using the brush tip to blend colours.

Top: Blending purple and red. Middle top: blending red and yellow using orange to assist the blending. Middle lower: blending red and blue. Bottom: blending yellow and blue.

Back of the paper used for these swatches even on 200gsm paper the back clearly bleeds through the paper, so DO NOT use Copic markers on the back of important paper! Remove paper from your art book or paper stack and use on a clipboard or dark desk.

I did not take my own advice and marked my desk permanently if this happens on a wooden surface it can be lightly sanded back sometimes even may need to be lacquered. 

After using Copic Ciao for blending for about two weeks even my lightest colour shows no discolouration from the other markers ink.

My yellow Promarker was used for blending with a red Promarker and is now permanently discoloured.

Blending of Promarkers is possible but doesn't produce and nice of results, considering they are almost the same price I would much rather own Copic and Copic Ciao

Pan pastel mixed media set.

Mid last year (2013) I purchased a Pan Pastel mixed media set, this set was not the original colour combination I wanted but I was only buying it off eBay not an art shop, this set was $61(AUD) with $11(AUD) postage. I'm extremely happy with the pigment and quality all round for these pastels but due to the odd colour palette I haven't made an art piece with them, sometime this year I will purchase the 20 colour portrait set from an Australian art website http://www.seniorart.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_480_483_486 I've been looking around for a long time for his set and this site seems to be the cheapest and most reliable. If you have never used Pan Pastel before or even pastel at all I would definitely recommend buying a 5,7 or 10 pack first.

I wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't tried painted, used charcoal or pastel before, but definitely good for people like me that like the appearance of a painting but hate waiting between layers and people that like pastel but hate the dust getting everywhere.

All the Sofft tools this set comes with.

Slide the cover off for cleaning, all cleaning instructions come with each pack.

The cover on for more precise lines.

I could imagine this set would last an artist half a year and the hobbyist anywhere from half a year to two years. 

I hoped this could help out someone not sure whether to splurge on these products.