Caution:Artist at Play-Artwork by Shana Rowe Jackson

   I recently bought myself a set of the Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt  pencils. Having tried other matte graphite (and carbon) pencils, such as the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black and the Blackwing Matte Pencils , I was eager to try these to see how they differed!       What an interesting pencil! I was pleasantly surprised that these didn't feel like a carbon pencil like the other two pencil brands that I have tried. Usually when a company claims that something is a matte graphite there is typically a lot of added carbon, giving the pencil more of a charcoal like feel. These didn't seem to have that same feeling.       That being said, they did feel different than regular graphite. They did not feel as smooth or slick. This is not a good or bad thing, just an observation. They also had some odd crumbs that were difficult to remove without an eraser, but they were not too much of a hindrance overall. They were darker and less shiny than regular graphite and did not need as

   My art supply obsession struck again! I just couldn't resist trying these. I actually first saw the Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Markers online a few years ago and had them on my wish list ever since. A few months ago I treated myself to the set of 20 and just got the chance to finally sit down and try them!    I absolutely love Faber-Castell's other products, their Polychromos are one of my go-to colored pencils and their Pitt Artist Pens are one of the only markers I will use in fine art. They make fantastic watercolor pencils, also under the Albrecht Durer name. A fun thing about Faber-Castell is that all their color lines match, which means if you love a color in one of their lines you can get it in all their other supplies too! So, I was super excited to see that they also offered watercolor markers and was eager to try them.    The only thing is, I had next to no experience with watercolor markers as a medium. I decided I would take what I know from w

         Crayons aren't just for kids!      I recently had the pleasure of trying the Caran d'Ache Neocolor I wax pastels and reviewed them for my YouTube channel. The Neocolor I wax pastels are just what they sound like, pastels made of wax, IE: crayons. This line is Caran d'Ache's water resistant line of wax pastels but they also offer a water-soluble line called Neocolor II. Their Neocolor II line seems to be a bit more popular amongst enthusiasts because of their versatility and ability to be blended with water. That being said, the Neocolor I line has many attributes of it's own.       My first impression of these pastels was that they are very highly pigmented. I got the largest set, which consists of 40 colors and within that range there seems to be a good selection. I was particularly excited about the amount of colors that could be used for landscape drawings, but there is enough variety to also do a number of other subjects as well.     For my project I d

Please Note: This post is not sponsored by Spectrum Noir in any way. This is just my personal experience with this product.  PROS: Affordable  120 Colors available Easy to blend Pre-sharpened  Little breakage Comfortable to hold Wood casing is lightweight yet durable Color coded ends Each Pencil is labeled with color name (unlike previous lines from this company) CONS:  Very waxy White is not very opaque Colors on color coded end not very accurate Can be difficult to get a fine tip Not available open stock Some colors feel a bit scratchy  Thick leads make it harder to get fine detail GENERAL NOTES: The company says these pencils are lightfast but does not provide specifics on each color. I have not been able to find definitive lightfast ratings for these pencils. These pencils are very transparent which can be a pro or a con depending on favored techniques. Because these are wax based pencils, layers can build up quick which can help make the drawing