Arteza Everblend Markers Review Part Four

I tried to do a conversion chart for some of my most used Promarkers to Everblends, but there aren’t close enough matches for that to work with the colour combos I use so I’m just going to have to come up with new colour combos, this is going to be an ongoing process I think but these conversion charts for the colours I use most might be of interest to you and I used it as a starting point.

   

The markers blend a little differently to the promarkers and flexmarkers that I’m used to and I’m learning to use them a little differently because of this. If you’ve watched any of my tutorials you’ll know that I tend to work from dark to light, starting with the darkest shade, blending it out with the next lightest shade and so on. This method doesn’t work so well with the Everblend markers – at least not for me. I’ve found that I get better results by first laying down the palest shade as a base, then going back to the dark to light method. I’m not sure why, but that seems to work best for me. The markers are juicy, but not overly so, so there's a good flow of ink and they dry quite quickly. There's a great range of colours so it's easy to find colours that blend well together. 

Conclusion

So in conclusion.... I like the Everblend markers and I would certainly recommend them, they are a good price, I like the feel of them in my hand, they're sturdy and comfortable to hold, they're juicy without being overly so. There's a good range of colours in the 120 set which includes 3 neons and a blender pen, the skin-tones pack is well worth investing in and has a fantastic selection of colours that suit pretty much any skin tone you care to think of. 

I'll continue to put them through their paces and will share the results on my blog as I go.

You can buy Everblend markers and other products here.

thanks for visiting, 

it's always nice to hear what you think so feel free to leave me a comment 

Debz

Arteza Everblend Markers Review Part Three

Additional colours and sets

So, in addition to the 120 set, Arteza also have a 60 set, a 36 grey set, a 36 skin tone set and they also sell individual colours in packs of 4. I found this last offering a little strange, I’m not sure of the thinking behind that. I can see the benefit of it if I were either a retailer or an educator – if I were to do classes then it would be a great idea to be able to buy 4/8/12 or more of each colour, but to the individual artist/crafter it wouldn’t be terribly cost effective.

The Arteza site has a great chat facility so I was able to ask a few questions about the other sets. None of the 60 set are unique colours, so if you buy the 120 set there’s no reason to buy the 60 set, you’d just be duplicating half your markers. Of the 36 grey colours there are only 11 unique colours, personally I didn’t think this warranted the extra expenditure, however of the 36 skin tones, 32 are unique colours so this was definitely work it.

In total there seems to be 162 colours in the Everblend range, but trying to get all of those without unnecessary duplicates is going to prove a little difficult.

1. I decided to purchase the skin tones,  Because I’d be maximising the number of unique colours I had and  
2. Skin tones are a pretty integral part of my colouring.

I have to admit to being a little like a kid at Christmas when they arrived and initially thought I’d integrate the colours into my existing colour chart. However once I had sampled all the colours and also realised that there aren’t enough slots in my carry case for them all, I decided to make up a skin tone colour chart as a separate entity, you can download it here. I think it will actually be more helpful to me to keep the skin tones separate – time will tell. I may integrate the brown shades at some point as I use those for lots of other things besides skin, but at the moment I’ll just keep the whole set separate. The 36 packs come in a plastic case with 3 plastic trays of 12 markers, not as practical as the marker case and I may have to invest in an empty case at some point but it’s fine for now. Another side note, that’s another plus, Arteza also sell the empty carry cases both for the thicker markers like Everblend that would also accommodate other brands, but also for the thinner barrelled watercolour markers and pens.

Part 4 to follow/

thanks for visiting, 

it's always nice to hear what you think so feel free to leave me a comment 

Debz

Arteza Everblend Markers Review Part Two

Markers

My initial thoughts about the markers; they appear to be really good quality, the barrel is a good sturdy size and being triangular it offers a good, comfortable grip with the added advantage of not rolling away when you place them down – unless you’re on a decent slope obviously :S The white barrel and caps are streamlined and don’t feel cheap or budget in any way, the printing both on the barrel and caps are clear and well done, no smudging and I don’t think they’d be easily removed through normal wear and tear. The ends of the caps are coloured to match the colour of the marker and when they are on the marker there is a narrow line of the marker colour at the bullet nib end – which I think is a great detail, so when the marker is lying flat you get an idea of the colour without having to pick it up needlessly.

As I touched on there, these markers are double ended with one end being a bullet nib and the other a chisel nib – both incidentally can be replaced easily. Being totally honest here, with the type of colouring that I and many other crafters do, I’d prefer a brush nib where the chisel nib is, because I very rarely do use the chisel nib. But I do understand that I’d use that end more if I did more graphic work.

Both types of nibs are replaceable and can be purchased separately.

 Colour

The next thing I did was look for a printable colour chart – unfortunately at the time of doing this review Arteza don’t have this, blank or complete, they have advised that its something theyre working on though. A quick search online, and I found one which I printed off and promptly coloured in – then quickly realised it didn’t suit my needs. So I set about creating my own. This process takes a bit of time and trial and error, but I decided to set the colours out in an order that makes sense to me and roughly follows the format of the colour charts I’ve produced for Promarkers and Flexmarkers in the past. I also set them out in rows of 18 as there are 18 slots in each row of the carry case – yeh, I know, I’m quite anal lol!

So here’s the colour chart I created – if you like it you can download it from here. As per my other colour charts I recommend you print it onto the same paper or card that you normally colour on so you can get an authentic representation of the colours. I thoroughly recommend Conqueror CX22 Diamond White Supersmooth from Papeterie Crafts , it comes in various weights and is manufactured in Aberdeen, Scotland at the historic Stoneywood Papermill.

Colouring the colour chart gave me a good feel for the range of colours, which will blend with which etc. I played around with a few different caucasian skin tones but they all seemed a little peachy for me, so I had to hop back onto the internet and do a little more research.

Part 3 to follow/

thanks for visiting, 

it's always nice to hear what you think so feel free to leave me a comment 

Debz

Arteza Everblend Markers Review - Part One

These aren’t the cheapest markers on the market, but they’re far from being the most expensive, they are at, what I would call, an affordable level.

So I decided to treat myself to the 120 set which comes complete with a carry case, so here goes my review……

 Arteza Everblend Markers

I initially ordered the 120 set – mainly so that I would have as many of the colours as possible in one go. 

Carry Case

They arrived in a custom made carry case that is sturdy and practical and not at all bulky.

The case has a Velcro and buckle closure so there’s no chance of this popping open by accident, it also has a carry handle as well as a shoulder strap so a lot of thought has been put into the design of the case clearly.

Once the case is opened up you find that the sides have Velcro too so you can open these up for easier access to the markers which all have their own elasticated ‘slot’. There are a few other marker brands that have a similar holding system, but this seems to be far superior and better thought out. So as you can see from the photos you can have everything very neatly held together or opened out depending on the situation. There are also an extra few empty slots – I’d imagine for you to expand your collection of everblend markers or even to add in your favourites from other brands. I thought about adding in the colours I use for white skin from my promarkers as initially I couldn’t find a suitable colour combo in the Everblend markers, but I’ll get to that later in my review.

The section that holds the markers can also be removed from the body of the case, it’s all held in with heavy duty Velcro – I have to say, I really can’t fault the case at all.

thanks for visiting, 

it's always nice to hear what you think so feel free to leave me a comment 

Debz

The Daylight Company

I'm sure you've seen on some other blogs, reviews of craft lamps. I've also been asked to review a lamp from The Daylight Company, so I hope you find it interesting.


I was asked to chose a lamp to review on my blog and unfortunately the one I chose had been spectacularly popular and had sold out, so instead they offered to send me the LED MicroMax Light and the Twist portable lamp

So I'm going to tell you about the LED MicroMax Light first because it's a very portable, handy addition for any crafter. I took this wee light with me when I stayed in Glasgow to demo at the SECC in October and I can honestly say it was just perfect. It has a couple of nifty features that I really liked, you can either place it on the desk or worksurface using the detachable cradle which has 4 wee feet that swivel out for stability, or you can take the black cradle off and clip the unit to your worksurface or to whatever is handy - this is terrific for when space is at a premium, or if I was drawing or colouring at an easel for example. The light itself consists of 4 Daylight LEDs on one of it's bendy poseable arms and a magnifier on the other bendy arm - so you can position the light and magnifier exactly where you need them. It also has 2 power settings so that you can extend the battery life, full power gives you 12 hours of light and half power gives you 24 hours of light. This is an ideal light if you travel, or for taking to crops and craft classes, it's small enough to slip into an overnight bag or craft tote and only needs 3xAAA batteries.

Here are some pics of me using it to colour some images while I was at the hotel the night before the SECC demos...

So next up, is the Twist Portable Lamp. I wanted this type of lamp for a reason - being that I wanted a decent sized lamp that I could take on holiday when we go on caravan holidays. Unfortunately we haven't been on holiday since I got the lamp, but I decided to use it to replace my existing lamp...

So here's the science bit....

It has an Easy-Twist 320° head-joint, you can rotate the shade and direct the light exactly where you want. It is mains operated and has a detachable base.

No switch, just flip it to turn it on, it has a 13w Daylight energy saving tube, it only weighs 3lbs so great for taking on holiday.

I get very little natural light in my craft area so this lamp is ideal - I get a sharp clean light which is a must for colouring.

 These 2 shots show the tilt of the lamp - so I can point it wherever I need it....

  

This shot shows how neat it all is when it's closed.

I'll definitely be packing it when we next go on a caravan holiday :)


You can buy the LED MicroMax Light and the Twist portable lamp from The Daylight Company along with any of their huge range of specialist lighting. 

Letraset FlexMarkers - My Review

So, I reviewed the Spectrum Noir pens from Crafter's Companion here and today I'll be reviewing the new Letraset Flexmarkers.


Just to clarify, this review is my honest personal opinion, I have not been paid or sponsored by anyone, including Letraset.

Letraset launched the Flexmarkers at the beginning of August exclusively with Create & Craft tv and the initial launch was limited to 4 packs of 6 flexmarkers.... Set 1 & 2 includes 12 colours that are brand new to the Letraset family i.e. they are not available in Promarkers or Trias, and Set 3 & 4 include 12 colours that have only previously been available in Trias. So if you already have promarkers that is 24 new colours for you.
The next batch of Flexmarkers will be launched in September and will be available at all good art supplies retailers. These include 4 packs of 12 markers - 27 out of these 48 colours are not available in Promarkers.
The point of me telling you all this is to illustrate that these don't have to be an alternative to Promarkers and other brands, these compliment the Promarker range - adding some much needed paler shades and other colours that are "missing" from the Promarker colour chart.
However if you don't have any alcohol markers, or want to try a new brand then these would be a great place to start - there aren't a huge number in the range to collect - I know a lot of people are put off by the fact that there are 148 Promarkers, over 300 Copics or Trias and over 160 Spectrum Noirs, there are only 72 Flexmarkers - so that would be a great set to start with and if you needed to add colours you can select from both the Promarker and Tria range, in the knowledge that they will work perfectly together.


Here's the Flexmarker Colour Chart - the ones marked with * are NOT available in Promarkers

The main difference between the Promarkers and the Flexmarkers is the nib - both markers have a chisel nib at one end, and instead of having a bullet nib like the Promarkers, the Flexmarkers have a brush nib.

So let's move on to what I think...
First impressions... well the packaging of the sets is very clever, I love these new blister packs which double as portable storage - ideal for on-the-go colouring and crafting. 
The barrels of the actual pens have a very striking design, which I personally quite like - it is very distinguishable from the Promarkers and the Trias, the end caps are the same or similar to those on the Trias and like the Trias the colour and HSL value is already enclosed at either end so no need to colour in your own sticky dots like we have to do with Promarkers
The only downsides I can find here are
1. both end caps are identical so you can't tell which end is which, purely by touch and
2. the visual indication on the barrel is a little ambiguous and not immediately obvious.


The Flexmarkers use the same ink that is in the Promarkers and Trias, so the quality is terrific, nice crisp colours. The Flexmarkers seem to be more juicy than the Promarkers, the ink seems to flow from the brush nib far quicker, so you definitely don't want to be heavy handed with them or you'll end up with ink pooling on the surface of your paper/card. 
If you are used to Promarkers then the brush nib takes a little getting used to, but with a little practice I'm sure you'll start to love them. Copic users and those of you who have Trias will already be familiar with a brush nib so will be quite comfortable with the Flexmarkers. The brush nib also allows you to create effects that you can't with the Promarkers, just by varying the pressure you use, I also find it easier to fill in an area that's a little too big for the bullet nib of the Promarkers but not big enough or too fiddly to warrant using the chisel nib, you can colour the area quickly and smoothly with the brush nib. This also makes blending that bit easier - because it's always easier to blend when the ink is still wet, before the alcohol has evaporated.


The introduction of a lot of paler colours is a huge bonus for those who already have promarkers - we definitely needed more pastels and the ones in set 1 and set 2 are just ideal. For those who have asked me how to colour white... Light Fawn and Antique White in Set 1 will be particularly useful for colouring wedding dresses, polar bears, white rabbits etc etc
I tend to use strong, bright colours in my crafting, I'm not usually a pastel-ly type person BUT I'm enjoying experimenting with these pastel shades in Set 1 and 2 for more subtle effects.


Conclusion: I love them, they are exactly what I've been waiting for - the colours Letraset have chosen are clever choices for 2 reasons 
1. if you only have flexmarkers then you have a self-contained but comprehensive range of 72 blendable colours and shades and 
2. the new-to-promarker colours fill many of the gaps in the promarker colour chart
The only negatives I can find are the ambiguous nib indicators on the barrel and some of the end caps are harder to remove than others.

Spectrum Noir - My Review

There's quite a buzz going on with some new markers on the market and I've been asked by quite a lot of people what I think. So this is my honest opinion and a few facts that I have managed to find out. Today I'll be reviewing the Spectrum Noirs and soon I'll be reviewing the new Letraset FlexMarkers.
Now some of you might be sceptical because I'm a pretty hardcore Promarker devotee, BUT I am not an employee of Letraset or any other company and therefore this is entirely my opinion, no-one has sponsored or paid me to do this review either.


I was given 3 of the tonal packs to try out, the Turquoises, Pinks and Purples - I chose these packs in particular because these are the colours I felt I could add to my promarker collection.
My initial impression wasn't good - I thought the printing of the colour names and numbers and also of the product name on the barrel and ends of the markers wasn't very good - parts were missing and appeared to be rubbed or scratched off. But that was just a minor point and is neither here nor there when it comes to performance, however it may make life difficult if it's hard to read the colour name/number.

 

Next I decided to make my own wee swatch cards so that I could see what each of the colours looked like on the cardstock that I normally use for alcohol marker work....

As you can see, some of the colour names/end cap colours bear no resemblance to the colour of the ink - I think the most noticeable is #88 Purple Grey!
I decided to try the Spectrum Noir pens out on different surfaces - I have used 2 weights of Diamond White cardstock from The Papeterie - I will edit with the weight details, I can't remember them off the top of my head - and the 3rd surface was Letraset's bleedproof paper which is 70gsm
here's the heavy (top) and light (middle) Diamond White and the Letraset Bleedproof (bottom)

 

I have also included a scan of the reverse side of each so you can see how "juicy" the pens are. Now this is only one layer of ink. In my opinion the Spectrum Noirs saturate the paper far quicker than the promarkers do and so you can't do as much blending or layering with the Spectrum Noirs before the paper/card is saturated completely with ink and then starts to bleed outwards across the paper/card.


Next I tried some colouring.....

From the waist down I have coloured like I would with promarkers e.g. from dark to light, I used Geranium (15) in the darkest areas, then coloured over it and outwards with Rose Pink (8) - now these two blended reasonably seamlessly and I was quite happy with it, but when I coloured over the whole skirt and then tried to blend the Medium Pink (137) onto the skirt it started to look a bit strange - it looked like the 137 was bleaching out the colour of the other 2 shades in the same way a blender pen would. However, when it dries, it doesn't look so bad and the blending looks quite good. 

I went from light to dark from the waist up, first colouring the whole area with 137, then dotting on some 8 followed by 15 in the darkest areas - working quickly so that the ink was still wet, but this doesn't make for a smooth transition between shades.

In conclusion, working from dark to light, I did get the end result that I was after, but it was quite disconcerting when I tried to blend in the palest shade - I think the end result is more to do with chance than anything else.

 And lastly I thought I would try to illustrate where these packs of Spectrum Noirs would fit in with your promarkers - I've done this because I know a number of you have bought some Spectrum Noirs to add in to your promarker collection. It's obviously not an exact science as they are not designed to work with each other, but this is the best I could come up with....

CONCLUSION: this is purely my opinion, I don't like them - I did want to like them and to be honest I was very disappointed. I was hoping I would be able to fit them into my promarker collection, but I'd rather pay that bit extra for the new Flexmarkers and Trias to fill the gaps in the colour chart of the promarkers :)

Another Reason to Love Promarkers

It's no secret that I love promarkers, and as of yesterday I love them even more. Those clever wee souls at Letraset Secret HQ (not really secret, but it sounds good doesn't it?). Paul sent me a set of "ultra fine nibs" to play with... well my (colouring) life is now complete!
I have a few stamps that have some very fernickity (that's the technical term) tiny details, and although the promarkers have a super bullet-tip nib, sometimes even that is too big to get into the tiniest areas.... well, worry no more!
Here's the science bit...

the nibs just click on, over the top of the existing bullet-tip nib of your promarkers and hey presto, you have a promarker with an ultra-fine nib. What could be easier?


You can see in the picture, from the left is the standard bullet tip nib, then the standard chisel nib, and on the right hand side is the new ultra-fine nib.

So I thought I'd try colouring an image that I've struggled with when using promarkers normally. This image has a lot of tiny detail and the area available to colour is very small - I used the wee Memento dew drop ink pad to give you an idea of how tiny the image is. (Image is Boho Chic from Sugar Nellie)

 With the ultra-fine nib I was able to use my usual 4 colours blended together for the skin tone and 5 colours for the hair. I was also able to accurately colour the teeny tiny details like her irises and her lips.

 Without the ultra-fine nibs I wouldn't have been able to include so much shading or detail, and they are also fantastic for adding tiny dots of colour and tufts of grass.

In conclusion... I'm LOVING these ultra-fine nibs and would highly recommend them. 
So, do you want some? For a limited time from the end of June 2011,  some participating Letraset stockists will be giving away free ProMarker Ultra-Fine nib attachments with the purchase of single ProMarker pens. Click here for more info.