I love acrylic paint and now, thanks to Arteza Watercolour Real Brush Pens, I am beginning to fall in love with watercolor paints too.
This review will be of 3 items:
Arteza Watercolour Real Brush Pens ( Set of 96 + Organiser Case )
Arteza Watercolour Pad, 32 Sheets, 22.9x30.5cm
Arteza Glitter Shaker Jars - Set of 54
Just to make it clear, I am not being paid to make this review but I did receive reviewed items from Arteza for free to test.
Let's start with Watercolor Pads. I have bought watercolor pads in the past but oh boy, they have never been that thick. They came in packs of 32 sheets but were almost double in thickness compared to pads I usually get. Very sturdy paper - holds water perfectly, doesn't get destroyed even if you scrub it for a while (and I must shamefully admit I tend to overwork the same painting area sometimes).
Front side of the paper is quite textured, backside is smooth. Not sure if you're supposed to use both sides but I did and found both great - depending on the effect you're trying to achieve.
Real Brush Pens.
I have never used watercolour brushes before, only standard watercolor paint and brushes separately. I got used to it quite quickly though. Brush Pens came in an organizer case - super handy especially if you want to travel. Brushes inside were firmly attached and there are even empty spaces in case you want to add extra brushes. It came with a special brush that you fill with water and then use to spread/blend elements painted with colour brush pens.
There are 96 colours inside the case... absolute heaven! I felt like a child in a candy store haha, which one to choose! All brushes are numbered and named and also colored at the bottom which is absolutely awesome because it makes it so much easier to find the exact one you're looking for.
I have painted rough shapes with brush pens, blended with the water pen and then added more paint with brush pens. It's quite therapeutic.
What I loved about those pens is the fact that you don't need an extra cup of water and don't need to clean your brushes after each color, you can paint on your brand new sofa if you want and not be scared of ruining it. That's what I did actually - I was painting while sitting on sofa and watching movies. All you need is a piece of paper towel that you can wipe your water brush with from time to time.
They blend beautifully. I'm not a watercolor pro but those brushes made me feel like I was in total control and made me want to create more.
Brushes produce very rich color so if you want to soften it, water brush is perfect.
Bristle is very flexible, even if you butcher it and press in various angels, just a bit of water and they are back to their original shape (believe me, I know how to butcher a brush).
Only downside is that one of my orange colors came almost completely empty, brush produced tiny bit of color and then died on me. Not a biggie since I had 95 other colors to chose from (and few other shades of orange). Also my black color started bleeding from the brush tip - it dyed my hand, but once I cleaned that brush it didn't happen again.
EDIT: After seeing my review Arteza contacted me and will replace that faulty brush pen since they guarantee 100% satisfaction. I didn't expect to be contacted about it so they positively surprised me <3
Glitter Shaker Jars.
I'm a big fan of glitter, add a bit to any paint and you gain that extra gorgeous depth. I was honestly shocked by the amount of colors in this selection. I knew it was 54 colours but when you actually see them live... it's really jaw-dropping. There are holographic colors and even a glow in the dark one!!! I tested it, and was so excited to see that even the cup I used to mix glitter with resin was all glowy in the dark. Honestly stunning. Colors are very vibrant and sparkly, I love every single one. I used it already in my acrylic paint creations, but also I'm going to hand paint some cards and decorate them with glitter. There's never too much shine and glitter in one's life.
The packaging is really great. You get a box that has holes cut out so you can store your glitter vials securely. The only con is that you have an additional seal inside each vial so you have to open each one, remove the seal and then you can use it. I mean it makes sense to have them - glitter won't spread all over your box but some seals got stuck in the vial cap so it got messy when I tried removing them. Mini tip: do it in a bathtub haha, that's what I did - remove all seals and any glitter that gets spread around can be washed off with water. It's not one of those annoying glitters that you just caaan't wash off. It comes off quite easily.
I'm a massive fan of Arteza not only because their products are always top-notch but also because they are so super supportive for the art community. Honestly, not many companies are like them. Again, I was not disappointed and I can't wait to create more with my beautiful watercolor set and gorgeously sparkling glitter!
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post,
please go check my social media and etsy store <3