WARNING: NOT YELLING IN ALL CAPS, JUST LEGALLY BLIND.
I AM A BEGINNER IN WATERCOLOR AND FOUND TUBE PAINTS INTIMIDATING. I HAD PURCHASED A WATERCOLOR PENCIL SET FROM ARTEZA AND FOUND IT WANTING IN SO MANY AREAS, PIGMENT VIBRANCY, LED QUALITY, SHARPENABILTY AND I FOUND THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE UNREACHABLE, JUST TO NAME A FEW ISSUES I HAD WITH THE ARTEZA SET.
WHEN I FOUND THIS CASTLE ARTS SET I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE IT A TRY. THAT WAS OVER A MONTH AGO, I WAS AND STILL AM SIMPLY AMAZED BY THIS GREAT SET!
THE PROS:
*THE SET HAS A WIDE VARIETY OF HIGHLY VIBRANT PIGMENTED COLORS!
*THEY WORK VERY WELL IN LAYERING COLORS DRY ON DRY TO CREATE A WET WASH OR EVEN WET ON WET TO CREATE DIFFERANT COLORS AND SHADES.
*USING THEM IN WET ON WET, I'VE FOUND BY DIPPING THE PENCIL LED INTO CLEAN WATER FOR 4-5 SECONDS THE COLOR EXPLODES IN A DAZZLING WAY ON PAPER!
*THE PENCILS ARE MADE OF QUALITY LED & WOOD MAKING THEM VERY EASY TO SHARPEN AND I HAVE YET TO HAVE A SINGLE LED BREAK!!! (TIP: WHEN SHARPENING WATERCOLOR PENCILS USE A HAND SHARPENER AND ALWAYS TURN THE SHARPENER NEVER THE PENCIL.)
*THEY VERY WORK WELL, DRY ON DRY, WET ON DRY AND WET ON WET!
*IT IS VERY EASY TO GET A SHARP POINT FOR ADDING VERY FINE LINES TO YOUR PAINTING. SEE PIC #1 & #2
*THE CASE IS VERY STURDY MAKING IT EASY TO STORE AND TRANSPORT. I LOVE THIS CASE!
*IT IS VERY EASY TO TAKE PIGMANT DIRECTLY FROM THE LED WITH A WET BRUSH TO EITHER PAINT OR CREATE A MIXING OF VIBRANT COLORS ON A PALLET!
*THEY ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY!
*THEY WOULD BE A GREAT GIFT FOR BUDDING ARTISTS AND A NICE SET TO GIFT FOR PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS.
*CASTLE ARTS CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HANDS DOWN, IMPRESSIVE AND OUTSTANDING!
CONS:
* THEIR DEMO VIDEOS AND SUPPLIMENTY PDF INSTRUCTIONS ARE SERIOUSLY LACKING.
*THE COLOR PRINT ON THE WATERCOLOR PENCILS ARE INCREDIBLY SMALL COMPARED TO OTHERS ON THE MARKET!!! I SPEND AN INORDIANT AMOUNT OF TIME TRYING TO FIND THE COLORS I WANT IN MY PAINTINGS. YOU CAN SEE THE COMPARRISON DIFFERENCE IN PIC #4 CASTLE ARTS IS ON THE TOP.
*I WISH THEY HAD COME ORGANIZED BY COLOR FAMILY INSTEAD OF NUMERICAL ORDER. I'VE SPENT CONSIDERABLE HOURS RE-ARRANGING THEM INTO A EASILY USABLE FASHION.
*THE ADDITION OF A LARGER ZIPPER PULL WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL! I'M CONSTANTLY HAVING TO SEACH FOR THAT TINY THING AND THEN HOPE I CAN GRASP IT, VERY FRUSTRATING INDEED.
* ADDING A SWATCH CARD WHERE ARTISTS COULD TEST EACH COLOR WOULD BE HUGELY HELPFUL, MANY PAINT AND PENCIL SETS COME WITH THIS COURTESY. IT WOULD BE A REALLY NICE ADDITION TO THIS ALREADY GREAT SET.
I WOULD HAVE DEDUCTED A STAR FROM THIS RATING FOR THE CONS IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE QUALITY OF THIS SET'S PROS. THEY ARE A SPLENDID SET FOR ARTISTS OF ALL LEVELS INCLUDING MY ART INSTRUCTOR WHO HAS HAD OVER 30 YEARS OF EDUCATION AND INSTRUCTION!!!
PHOTOS INCLUDED: #1 WATERCOLOR WASH & DETAIL HIBISCUS FLOWER, #2 JACKSON POLLOCK INSPIRED WATERCOLOR, #3 STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CONE, MY FIRST CREATION WITH CASTLE ARTS WATERCOLOR PENCILS. FINALLY #4 A COMPARISON OF THE PRINT SIZE ON TWO DIFFERENT WATERCOLOR PENCIL SETS, THE TOP IS CASTEL ARTS, THE BOTTOM IS ARTEZA.
| Manufacturer | Castle Art Supplies |
|---|---|
| Brand | Castle Art Supplies |
| Item Weight | 1.76 pounds |
| Package Dimensions | 9.37 x 7.72 x 2.8 inches |
| Color | Multicolor |
| Closure | zip |
| Material Type | Nylon |
| Number of Items | 72 |
| Size | 1 Count (Pack of 72) |
| Point Type | Fine |
| Ink Color | Multicolor |
| Manufacturer Part Number | CAS-72WPZ |
