Review by Tina Koyama I’m always curious about art materials with unique properties, and Kokuyo Pasta Solid Markers (30/$82.50; smaller sets available) certainly fill the bill on many counts. (And Pasta – what a curious name!) First, let’s talk about the packaging and design – both of the product set and the product itself. The…
Review by Tina Koyama I have a penchant for teeny-tiny things, especially art materials. Tiny pencils, paint palettes and sketchbooks may be adorable, but unfortunately, most are too small to be practical. As an urban sketcher, I am constantly trying to strike the ideal balance between portability and useability, and my sweet spot for sketchbooks…
Inspired by last week’s color-coordination of my pens, I decided to pro-actively set-up supplies for my journal for February. I am embracing the Valentine’s Day vibe with an all-red-and-pink palette with pink floral washi and flower stickers as well as color matching my pens and inks. I picked out two inks for the month: Monteverde…
Review by Tina Koyama A friend who writes with both graphite pencils and fountain pens told me about Sakae Iroful paper. He said it’s made for fountain pens, but he enjoys writing on it with pencil, too. I found that intriguing. At first blush, the two types of instruments seem to have opposing needs: Pencils…
I wandered into my local art supply store recently to get a couple very specific pencils. But of course I had to browse. I wandered down the watercolor aisle muttering to myself, “I do not need anymore watercolor palettes.” So of course, I bought a new palette. But it’s different!!!! It’s the Derwent Inktense Paint…
After my previous post about opaque white markers, I grabbed another model — this time the Pilot Juice Paint ($3.60 for EF). The Pilot Juice Paint pens are available in a variety of colors in Fine and Extra Fine models. I was most curious about the white for adding highlights and details in art work…
Review by Tina Koyama I took a watercolor class a few months ago that left me frustrated. Using a limited palette of pigments, I wanted to learn to mix colors. As I tried to achieve the hues I was looking for, my paint mixes would become increasingly diluted. I’d add more paint to get a…
