All things cheap and fun….

Japanese watercolor?

This is my favorite set of watercolors….then again, I only have two so yeah.

This set has a total of 40 colors. It might sounds like alot of colors but out of that 40, 8 are shimmering metallics and 6 are neons. So you only get about 26 normal colors. However it does have a black and white. These are actually full pan, big enough for you to dip your brush in with no issues. It’s removable so you can just grab what you want to use. Comes with swatch inside the large tin.

The colors look very different in pans, so make sure you do the swatch sheet provided. I personally love this set alot. It’s not as bright as my Arteza and it takes longer to dry. It’s a Japanese style watercolor paints so it is used differently.

I was testing it out and it was quite nice overall. Wash looks so smooth and nice, easy lifting.

Testing out and the colors are kind of muted and I do like that alot. It’s a cheap set to start and actually quite nice overall. Not really travel size because they are quite large, but for normal use, it’s great. On top of that, 6 neons for bright colors and 8 metallics to use as little details…..Really hard to go wrong with this set in my opinion.

What’s your type??

…rough or smooth? Of paper to use? I always thought it does not make much different and I was more stressed out when I was using my blue 0.5mm lead and it was not dark enough. However I found out it’s the paper I was using.

I was using a 70lb drawing paper by pro-art for the left drawing. I can’t seem to get the color dark enough and it was like wax. I almost gave up but I really like the pose so I suffered to the end. Just a few days ago, I was using the same lead to draw my love for mushrooms and found out it has more depth when using with my Canson 140lb Watercolor paper. Much easier to use, however it does take up more lead because it has very rough surface…or more tooth. You can see the difference between the two by using different papers. I did not even press hard on the mushrooms sketch either.

The above is of three different lead colors from the same brand. The text was on 80lb Blick drawing paper, while all the mushroom sketches were done on Watercolor paper. While it’s a bit better than the 70lb one, it is still very light, especially the Mint color that you can’t even see the writing.

It’s very hard to know which one is good or right for you. It’s harder since you usually have to buy a pack or pad/book rather than just a few sheets. That was the reason why I bought mostly very cheap ones or when they are on sale. I do have a good amount of small sizes up to 9×12 if anyone wants to try some before buying…..or take my writing for it instead.

To ink or not to ink…..

…that is a very important question if you plan to TATTOO the faces of Mickey and Minnie to your behind! However finding a good ink is very important for many things……

Dr. Ph. Martin’s India ink. This ink covers so many things…it dries super fast, permanent and waterproof. The waterproof part is very important and I tried it myself. It does not bleed and gives you a clear line. I used it with a dip pen. You actually only need the 3 primary colors to get every single colors you ever need/want/existed. To make it lighter, you can add water. If you want a light pastel or dark shade, get white and black for that …plus for writing and details. So all in all, you really only “need” 5 total and they will last you a very long time.

These weird mushrooms ink drawing above was done with one color. Originally I did not have any of the primary colors so I mixed Turquoise and Crimson trying to get some kind of Violet and got the above. It was so pigmented it almost looked like Black color to me. The great part is it dries quickly so you have a less chance of smearing all over your hand. also if you water it down, you can use it as a permanent watercolor. It won’t be as smooth and you cannot lift it but it gives a cool bg. Over all, I only used a few drops for the whole thing. Worry about mixing? just drop a little of the colors together, move it around a bit and your are done…yep, that easy.

I have been tea-dyeing my BJD clothing I make so I decided to test out with this ink. It spread like no tomorrow, so be careful. However it does give you a nice bleed/blend. If you want it a bit smooth like the blue skirts, rinse early before it dries. I only put ink at the 1/3 bottom and it spreaded all the way to the top.

The orange-brown above was rinsed when it was nearly dried. As you can see, it gives a much more permanent color near the very defined line. Depending what you are going for. I was testing out a few. This was also a mix of two odd ball colors.

Beside all the things the ink can do, you can also draw/paint on fabrics. It works amazing and fast on Textile fabric especially. These are wings I was working on for Moths and Butterflies.

I personally love this ink for all it can do, easy to use, and comes in many colors or you and mix any yourself. A few drops go a long way for the cheap-arse like me. If you decided or have them, see what else they can do….XN

Which one is better?

When it comes to sketching, having a mechanical pencil so you do not have to sharpen constantly is a good thing. I have two and love them so much….but which one is better, do you need a really nice one to draw and sketch?

Both are in 0.5mm. I load them with color lead for drawing. The Delguard had the purple lead and the Graphgear 500 have green lead.

Zebra Delguard: made mainly in light plastic, non-sharp tip and very light. Lead does not break and great for a long time usage, especially writing. I bought two when they were on sale and my kids have them both now. Great price, long lasting and very light. Price: $1.50 (for pencil and tube of lead)

Pentel Graphgear 500 is the lower end drafting pencil. Its body is plastic and bottom part is metal, making it heavy bottom. If you are lazy and needs your pencil to stay on the paper then it’s great. It was great for shading and barely have to move it around. However the tip can be dangerous and fragile, so for traveling, put a pen cap over the tip for protection all around. It is a bit more expensive but I have to say it is a great pencil for drawing and drafting. Price: $3.70 (for pencil, tube of lead, and a stick eraser)

This rough drawing was done completely with the Graphgear 500 on Watercolor paper. As you can see, the drawing/sketch is roughly the height of the pencil so it does give you good details. The color lead never broke even once, so it’s a good thing.

ARTEZA Watercolor Review and love….

First off, Arteza Watercolor is between Student grade and professional grade in price, but what about quality? They have 36 colors, 1/2 size pans and I have been eyeing it since I decided to try watercolor. I have not drawn anything in 13+ years and just decided one day to start again. I was searching and found watercolor to be kind of fun to try.

Price: this set will run you about $35 new. I found a barely used set for less than 1/2 of that so I decided to try it out.

When I got the box, it was all over the place so I had to do my own swatches. You get a good amount of blues, and more blues, and browns. Yes, you will have a hard time picking which blue and brown to use. However it does not have a white, if you want lighter shades, you will just have to add more water instead I guess. My swatch of the colors is on the lighter side, it has more pigment once you start using it.

The tin folds out and gives you a palette on both sides. You can also remove each of the pans or the whole thing and use the middle part as a palette also. However it has a metal hook for the handle under so water will leak through. I used on my desk so never tried it. It gives you so much room for mixing and you will not have to clean anything while painting.

I did painted one last night and didn’t realized how rich the colors were. I never done watercolor painting before, and only draw with color lead pencil so this is quite new. I kept painting on wet surface and messing it up. I also kept smearing the wet paint with my hands. So if you are used laying/shading on dry media, you will need to watch out. Also you will need patient because you will have to wait for one layer to dry before adding on. I was so upset I almost tore up the picture…..my fault I know.

Well, the paint is very easy to activate, rick pigment, and dries very fast. I rushed this pic to see how the paint works and was super fast and easy to do.

This was the original, “detailed” sketch I did for the painting. You will need to have lighter lines for the watercolor to cover them up. I have some very dark ones and you can still see them on the watercolor after it’s done.

Do you need really good paper and brushes, maybe. For me, and those who like to try out only, you can do the same. The brushes I used were these 5. They cost $1.50 for the set of all 5 brushes. For the paper, I used Canson XL series watercolor paper pad. It cost about $3.98 on Amazon when I first got it. Not the best and does curl up a bit but for beginners, this will do just fine.

So all in all, it’s very easy to use and if you can afford it, I would recommend this set. It has many colors to choose from and fits nicely in a tin. Did I mention it came with a water filled brush so you can bring it along. However since I got my box pre-owned, it wont close so not sure about about a brand new box. Tie it down I you have to travel I guess…..

By : Xuan Nguyen

About me….I guess

Hello everyone, I am very new to all this blog/site thing so I am not sure where to start. I love craft, art, sewing and many other things. I have learn from many people online and also have things I like to share with those who have the same interest. I also like to my thoughts on what I have tried and learned.

I did not know where to share and my sister told me to start a blog to review and share my cheapness. Did I mention how frugal or cheap I am when it comes with buying things….you will see that in my posts. Does not mean it’s bad or the things I use are not good but they are affordable, that is all.

Where are my stuff??

On Etsy, for all handmade BJD things, plus art related things

On Artpal, for all artwork related, all my painting, drawings are on here.

On Swan20designs, this is my official site and everything..however it’s always the last place I update…not sure why???

All items I sell online at Bonanza, I collect way too much stuff.