Welcome to 2016
been awhile since I've updated my blog. been so busy with painting and sketching. I wanted to drop by for a quick hello and share one of my favorite urban watercolor sketching products with you, the
Sakura XNCW-24N 24-Piece Koi Assorted Water Colors Field Sketch Set with Brush by Sakura.
Sakura is Japanese for cherry blossoms and like the story of the cherry tree George Washington cut down as a boy I can not tell a lie - it is BY FAR my favorite art supply. I get asked about it and complimented on it all the time and have been recommending this box for years to friends and family members. At only around $25 - it makes a perfect gift for anyone from grade school children learning how to paint to professional oil and watercolor painters looking for a great, inexpensive light-weight portable box for sketching to older adults who have never painted more than color by number before who want to take the next step up from the popular adult coloring books. Sakura was a Japanese crayon manufacturer founded in 1921. They invented the first oil pastel which was patented globally as CRAY-PAS which to this day are the most popular oil based pastels in the world used by many elementary and high school students throughout the world. In the 1980's they launched the PIGMA marker pens which were used by many comic book artists, illustrators and calligraphers and also invented the first Gel Ink Ballpoint Pens (which make great sketch tools).
The Field Sketch Set comes with 24 vibrant half pan water colors - I've tried several other brands of student grade and professional grade watercolor pans and these are the best bang for your buck. They mix well and are easy and fun to use. There's a removable / movable mixing tray which you can move to different locations on the box depending if you are right or left handed or working standing or sitting at a table or desk. The bottom of the box has a fold out finger or thumb clasp to make it very easy to hold the box with one hand. Using it with my thumb, I can have my fingers free to hold pencils, pens or my sketchbook and have my other hand completely free for painting. The waterbrush is my favorite one out there - it is sturdy and collapsible with a fairly large, easily refillable reservoir that lets out a smooth amount of water based on your finger pressure with well made synthetic hairs that come to a straight point. For the price (usually between $23 - $28 on Amazon, the brush and the box are EASILY worth it but you get the 24 half pans too! All this inside a sturdy light-weight box which fits easily in your purse, jacket pocket, sketch bag. All you need is some watercolor or mixed media paper or sketchbook and water. I keep my brush full of water and it does not leak at all like some other waterbrushes I've used. Run out of water? It's very easy to refill in a second or two from a sink or from a waterbottle or drinking fountain.
The only drawback I have with the design is the way the waterbrush opens. Instead of screwing in clock-wise to close/tighten you have to screw it in counter clock-wise. My guess is they engineered / designed these in Asia and they don't believe in lefty loosey / righty tighty but it's not a big deal at all.
In my list of 10 things I need to take with me in my bug out bag in the event of a zombie apocalypse this baby comes in at #3 between nutella and a firestarter kit.
been awhile since I've updated my blog. been so busy with painting and sketching. I wanted to drop by for a quick hello and share one of my favorite urban watercolor sketching products with you, the
Sakura XNCW-24N 24-Piece Koi Assorted Water Colors Field Sketch Set with Brush by Sakura.
Sakura is Japanese for cherry blossoms and like the story of the cherry tree George Washington cut down as a boy I can not tell a lie - it is BY FAR my favorite art supply. I get asked about it and complimented on it all the time and have been recommending this box for years to friends and family members. At only around $25 - it makes a perfect gift for anyone from grade school children learning how to paint to professional oil and watercolor painters looking for a great, inexpensive light-weight portable box for sketching to older adults who have never painted more than color by number before who want to take the next step up from the popular adult coloring books. Sakura was a Japanese crayon manufacturer founded in 1921. They invented the first oil pastel which was patented globally as CRAY-PAS which to this day are the most popular oil based pastels in the world used by many elementary and high school students throughout the world. In the 1980's they launched the PIGMA marker pens which were used by many comic book artists, illustrators and calligraphers and also invented the first Gel Ink Ballpoint Pens (which make great sketch tools).
The Field Sketch Set comes with 24 vibrant half pan water colors - I've tried several other brands of student grade and professional grade watercolor pans and these are the best bang for your buck. They mix well and are easy and fun to use. There's a removable / movable mixing tray which you can move to different locations on the box depending if you are right or left handed or working standing or sitting at a table or desk. The bottom of the box has a fold out finger or thumb clasp to make it very easy to hold the box with one hand. Using it with my thumb, I can have my fingers free to hold pencils, pens or my sketchbook and have my other hand completely free for painting. The waterbrush is my favorite one out there - it is sturdy and collapsible with a fairly large, easily refillable reservoir that lets out a smooth amount of water based on your finger pressure with well made synthetic hairs that come to a straight point. For the price (usually between $23 - $28 on Amazon, the brush and the box are EASILY worth it but you get the 24 half pans too! All this inside a sturdy light-weight box which fits easily in your purse, jacket pocket, sketch bag. All you need is some watercolor or mixed media paper or sketchbook and water. I keep my brush full of water and it does not leak at all like some other waterbrushes I've used. Run out of water? It's very easy to refill in a second or two from a sink or from a waterbottle or drinking fountain.
The only drawback I have with the design is the way the waterbrush opens. Instead of screwing in clock-wise to close/tighten you have to screw it in counter clock-wise. My guess is they engineered / designed these in Asia and they don't believe in lefty loosey / righty tighty but it's not a big deal at all.
In my list of 10 things I need to take with me in my bug out bag in the event of a zombie apocalypse this baby comes in at #3 between nutella and a firestarter kit.
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