Hello Friends and welcome to my blog. I am reviewing Grumbacher Academy Acrylics. Although l was a Grumbacher Fine Art acrylic painting instructor at Michael's in Kingston for two years, I am not being sponsored to review this brand.  I have been painting with acrylics for 21 years and l have tried many different acrylic products. I am going to give you my honest opinion on these acrylic paints. I effectively paint with Grumbacher acrylics and my students and l have been able to achieve numerous acrylic painting techniques with stunning performances and results.

After reading about Grumbacher, l was intrigued to learn that they have been established since 1905, they must be doing something right as they have been trusted by many artists, far and wide. By 1960s, Grumbacher became an art materials empire, offering artists nearly every supply thinkable. Today the Grumbacher brand is owned by an American manufacturer called Chartpak Inc, who take great pride in providing quality products and service. “Max Grumbacher” started in the industry by hand making brushes, very inspiring as he started his business at his kitchen table. What impresses me the most about this company, is all the multi-media products, and online educational information offered.

Grumbacher Academy acrylics always impress me, as the colours are so vibrant, and when adding water or gloss mediums, they retain their pigments. This is significant, and of value to me as l use a lot of washes in my work and these colours never disappoint me. The consistency and buttery like feel to these paints make me want to dip my fingers into the palette and feel how soft they are. They are smooth and easy to blend. I can’t say that l have ever had an issue blending with these acrylics. They are also a thicker acrylic, so for those of you who like a bit of texture in your work, try them out, you will be pleasantly surprised. The versatility that these acrylics offer is superb. They are not as fast drying as other brands l have used, giving you more time to play and blend with them, and l like that they don’t dry dull in colour.  I do use the Grumbacher varnish to protect my work and in doing so my paintings offer a colour punch that is incredible once varnished. I have had clients ask me if l use oils on my acrylic paintings, that’s how vibrant these colours are.
48 intense colours are offered in the Grumbacher Academy brand, including metallic and iridescent.  They are all rated excellent in light-fastness, and they are AP approved, meaning that this product is safe and certified in a toxicological evaluation, to contain no toxins to humans. You can purchase these acrylics in 75, 90 and 200 ml tubes, as well as a variety of different sets, from sets of ten, 24 ml tubes,  introductory set of six 90 ml tubes. Many sets are offered and  the prices are extremely reasonable for the quality you gain. I feel like l am getting professional quality paints at student prices. Does that raise your eyebrow?

By now l am hoping that you are intrigued by this product? In my opinion they are a must have in your acrylic paint collection, and if you are considering on trying acrylic painting then give these acrylics a try.
I give these Grumbacher Academy acrylics two thumbs up!
If you are looking for additional information on the Grumbacher Academy acrylics or any other Grumbacher products, Chartpak products, clink the links below.

Please feel free to comment below. Wishing you a Beautiful Day,

Alice Melo

I read some critiques that recommended caution using these watercolours due to them fading quickly, but when l downloaded the colour chart and took a look at the information that ShinHan posted on this product, (www.shinhanart.com/eng/product/product_water.php), l found that it was comparable to other professional watercolour brands. Out of the 30 colours that are offered, 17 colours were rated a normal degree of light-fastness, 12 colors rated a high degree of light-fastness and only one, the colour “Opera” rated low.  Personally l thought for the price to quality ratio this brand was superb. When l shopped for a set, the prices varied on Amazon and Ebay, but most were economical. I purchased a 30 colour paint set for $53.00 Canadian off Ebay and this price included free shipping. I have to forewarn you that it did take about 6 weeks for me to receive them, but l was in no rush so this didn’t bother me.

When l opened my package the 7.5ml tubes were well placed and organized in a nice storage box, visually l was instantly awed by this product, and l was dazzled by the bright colour selection. I noticed when l started to lay down the watercolours just how vibrant and intense they were, this impressed me as l didn’t need much paint on the palette when l diluted the paint with lots of water to get the consistency l needed. They blended beautifully so employing the wet-on-wet technique was fantastic with these paints. I also used a dry brushing technique which worked well, and l found that the colours were very opaque, but easy to lift when desired.
I also liked that you can purchase the tubes in open stock, but to be honest, it makes more sense to purchase a set if you run out of colours, given how economical they are.

I kept stumbling upon advertisements for these Hootech Watercolor brush pens on Facebook, and Instagram and they all varied in price. After contemplating, curiosity always gets the best of me so l decided to go looking for them at a low price and l found a set on eBay for $17.24 Canadian and the price included free shipping, so l bought a set.
They didn’t exactly arrive visually appealing as the packaging they are stored in was flimsy and l knew right away that they may not be a good find. But keeping optimistic l decided to try them out. The 20 colour set came with a water brush, which is a brush that you can fill with water and use for watercolours, so that was a nice bonus.
I tried to do some research on these “Hootech Watercolor brush pens” with no luck. I couldn’t find any info on the company, or where they come from, but some vendors advertised that they are Non-toxic, water-based pigment ink, odorless and washable. I am assuming that these are a knock off product with little info on them, and l suspected before trying them that they might be of inferior quality.

I decided to try them on Canson cold press 140 lb smooth watercolour paper. I thought by choosing a smooth paper it would be easier to blend the colours.
When first using them l found that they had little to no ink coming out of the brush pens. They were inconsistent and blotchy. Even though l was using smooth paper it seemed like the ink was running out and l really had to work them to get more ink. Yikes…right away l was frustrated and disappointed with this product. I could not image using them on a bigger drawing, as l drew a small tulip and found that the ink was not working right.
I did like that l was able to use the water filled brush on top of the ink as this helped smooth out the colours and blend them together. Although my tulip drawing was small the colours did not work together as much as l wanted them too.
As far as learning how to use them it wasn’t hard, but l was definitely disappointed in the quality even at $17.24, but the saying is “You get what you pay for” right?  What l did like about them was they felt like l was using a marker only it was watercolour and l would like to find a better quality set of Watercolour brush pens so that l can see the full potential they have in a medium.
 I am not sure if l got a bad batch, but in my opinion, overall l rate this product two thumbs down.
 If you have any suggestions or brands of watercolour brush pens that you like, please let me know as l would love to hear your thoughts.
Have a beautiful day,
Alice

Hello Friends,
I am so happy that you have decided to return and read my new blog review on the Marco Renoir Fine Art Watercolor Pencils. I am in no way being sponsored to write this product review, l purchase all my art products.
 
These Watercolour pencils are part of the Marco Renoir line and are marketed as a higher end, artist grade product than the Raffine student grade line.
According to some of the reviews l have read, this “Marco” Chinese based product also offers a student grade coloured pencil line called Raffine, which has become popular among the colouring community.
 
I decided to order the 72 watercolour pencil set on Ebay and to my surprise the prices of all the sets available in 24, 36,  48 and 72 were very competitive and reasonable. Sets are also available on Amazon. I was visually surprised at the tin box when it arrived, that was double layered with pencils. I found the trays that the pencils sit on flimsy, but the pencils were beautiful and they have colour matching bases with wooden barrels. The colours were spectacular and l could not wait to see how they performed. I would recommend creating a colour swatch before using them, as not all the colours shown on the barrel matched the coloured lead when used.  Some were right on and others close but not exactly the same.

These watercolour pencils have an oil based core that offers a creamier application that can handle blending when wet or dry. I was able to apply these dry on dry than wet the colour or dry to wet making blending a breeze. They were a joy to work with and l loved that l could continue layering with the colours. So many techniques are possible with these watercolour pencils. The colours blended consistently and this gave me a whole new range of colour choices when blending.  I did not need to press hard on the paper, just a light touch was all l needed to apply the colour. Wow, the colours were vibrant and high in pigment. The lead on these pencils were soft, they had a buttery like feel to them when laying the colour down,  making fine detailing a bit more challenging than a hard lead pencil. I absolutely loved how soft the lead was and they were so easy to work with. The set also came with two sharpeners and a brush. 
I used the brush it came with to create my little Grinch and l found it worked well, although l have my personal favorites that l would use instead of the one that came with the set.
I was also impressed at how easy it was to sharpen these watercolour pencils without breakage or the lead crumbling.

Hope you enjoyed my review. Stay tuned as l will be reviewing the Marco Renoir colored pencils soon.
Have a beautiful day,
Alice Melo

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Hello Friends and welcome to another blog review. I have been really excited to try the Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor set for a while now. Kuretake has been around since 1902 and they are a manufacturer in Japan that have grown into a brand of quality artist tool for fine art and illustration.
 I watched a lot of reviews on this product, and after some researching, l was convinced that l would love them, so l went shopping online and found a variety of sets.
 
I purchased the 36 colour set, as they offer great colours that l can’t find in other manufactured watercolour pan sets. They were incredibly reasonable to purchase and you can find sets on Amazon and Ebay. I love how beautifully presented the packaging was, and the size of the pans were large, which made it easy when using a larger brush. You can also purchase the colour pans individually which appealed to me, as l tend to use certain colours more than others, making it easy to replace instead of purchasing another complete set.
 
I did not find these watercolours as traditional in transparency as other brands l have tried, but they were rich in pigments. There was little effort to lift these when putting a wet brush to them and there was plenty of pigment if you wanted to add extra water. No need to spray them with water prior to using.
I also didn’t need as much layering to get that punch of colour l needed. These are definitely more opaque then many other watercolours l have tried and l found them very easy to blend with no harsh lines. I was wowed by the candy looking colours. They are AP approved, the watercolour is kind to both the human body and the environment, so it is safe to use.

I did notice 2 cons, the set did not come with a mixing tray, which is not a biggie for me, you can just use disposable pallets or any other pallet you may have including an old plate, and l could not find enough information on the light-fastness of this product.

Overall l have to say that l am thrilled that l purchased the whole 36 colour set, as who would not want all the rich colours, including some metallic ones. I think this brand would be perfect for both artistic professionals as well as crafters. If you like a having a watercolour effect and a gouache like effect then you will love these.  Until next time my Friends.

Have a Beautiful Day,

Alice Melo

I had one of my art students in my art class ask me if they should sign their art work, and l thought this would be a good opportunity to blog about it.
 
Signing your art is an essential part of the creative process. The moment you apply your name to a piece of your art, you declare it to be officially done and ready to go public. No matter what your signature looks like, what form it takes or where you put it, in my opinion no work of art is complete without one.

 I don’t know many of my artist friends who don’t sign their work although l am sure there are some out there who don’t. l myself have some guidelines l follow when signing my work, l thought l would share them with you. Do you want to jeopardize your art's future simply because you don't sign your art or you sign your name in such a way that people have difficulty reading it? I doubt it 
 
I have an autograph that l use that is not to eye-catching as l don’t want it to distract from my artwork, it is simple and very legible, my signature is the same no matter what art work l do. Keeping your autograph consistent for paintings, drawings or prints is important so that others will eventually come to recognize and identify your style.  

I tend to sign my work right after l paint it. While the paint is still wet l sign my name on the bottom right corner of my paintings, or where ever you’d prefer to sign. This will ensure the tones are evenly matched with your painting, thus your signature is not going to stand out to much. This is just my own personal opinion and l am aware that other artists have different views.
 
I use the same medium on my paintings when signing my name. If l do a drawing l usually sign my name with a micron fine marker, but some artists will always use the same medium to sign, l think it’s all about preference.
 
Don't sign on top of a varnished painting because the signature will look like it was added later or more as an afterthought than a statement. Signatures like that are more prone to being questioned. Varnishing is a finishing process to a painting that should be done after a painting has been signed.
 
If you choose to use your initials, it is important to include your full signature on the back of your artwork, this way your work is identified. Choosing a signature that people can actually read is always easier to remember, so signing your artwork just makes sense. Art buyers, critics and the general public will eventually come to recognize you and your art by just viewing your signature.
 
Date your art. You may not think this is important now, but after you've been making art for several decades, you'll understand why. If you don't want to date your art on the front, date it inconspicuously on the back or even on the edge. Obviously, dating your art minimizes any guesswork as to when something was completed. The better known you become, the more important dates are for anyone interested in your evolution as an artist and that includes the curators.

Have Beautiful Day,
Alice Melo

 Hello and welcome back to my blog, today l am blogging about the "New Refined Holbein Artist Watercolours". I am in no way sponsored to write this review and l purchase my own art materials. I am not a professional reviewer and this review is based on my own personal opinions. l hope this product critique will inspire you to try new watercolours.
l have decided to experiment and try 3 different brands. I researched a few different watercolour manufactures and choose 3 that offered different price points, but all had great reviews.    Holbein is the first brand that l am reviewing.
While l was researching the Holbein brand, I found out that it was established in Osaka Japan since the 1900’. Holbein is a Japanese manufacturer described as offering high quality artist paints.  You can find sets of this brand on Ebay or Amazon for a reasonable price, but l was not patient enough to order them online and wait for there arrival, so while on a road trip, l was able to purchase the 24 set of 5ml tubes at Wallack' Art Supplies in Ottawa for $119.  Individual tubes are also available to purchase. The staff at Wallack's were so helpful and friendly, l will for sure be going back, click on the link below for the Wallack's website.

 These paints easily glide out of the tube, so be careful not to squeeze the tube to hard. They are moist and easy to mix with water and achieve the right amount of paint to water ratio.  I would recommend depending on the painting you are doing to use dollops of paint at a time. If you squeezed out to much paint you just need to keep the paint dry and closed off to ensure you can reuse them again as they are activated with a drop of water easily.  I also purchased a Mijello palette that can be closed off to keep the paints dry.  If you have left over paint on your palette try to smooth them out when drying so that you don’t have clumps of solid paint, as l think it’s hard on your brushes.  I would recommend flattening out the paint making it easier to reactive.
The 24 Holbein watercolour set that l purchased in the 5ml tubes came with the following colours Crimson Lake, Rose Madder, Vermillion Hue, Juane Brillant No 2, Permanent Yellow Lemon, Permanent Yellow Deep, Yellow Ochre, Yellow Grey, Cobalt Green, Permanent Green No 1, Permanent Green No 2, Terre Verte, Viridian Hue, Compose Blue, Cobalt Hue, Ultramarine Deep, Prussian Blue, Cerulean Blue, Mineral Violet, Light Red, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Ivory Black, and Chinese White.  I found them to be very highly pigmented, hence a little goes a long way. They were smooth, they had consistency on the flat washes and the texture of the paper wasn’t as obvious.  They are vibrant and intense in colour, which l was in awe off, eye candy for sure . Of course they are lighter when dry, but l found the colours pop in the work that l have done thus far.  I also found the Holbein colour chart, (link below) and according to the permanency rating, l found most of the colours indicated "absolutely permanent" or "permanent", out of a huge colour selection offered only a few were "moderately durable". Now l did find it a bit odd that the wording used was "permanency rating" and not "light- fastness", although after reading some other reviews they are regarded as a high quality brand.
These are not the most affordable watercolours out there, but if you are looking for what l believe is an professional artist-grade  material then l definitely recommend the Holbein brand.  I would suggest purchasing them on line to gain a better price point.

 Stay tuned as l will be reviewing two more watercolour sets. The Mijello Gold Class Watercolor set of 7ml tubes and the ShinHan Professional Artist Grade Watercolor 30 paint set of 7.5ml tubes. I am curious to see how they all compare.
In my opinion, if you are looking for a first rate, top quality product then get yourself a set of the Holbein watercolours, you will not be disappointed.

Do you have a watercolour brand that you favor? If so l would love to hear from you.
Have a beautiful day.
Alice Melo

I love trying new mediums and products, and Pebeo Huile de’Art brand oil paints have been on my list of art products to try and review ever since l saw them sold at Michaels Arts and Crafts store.  I have to say that l have some mixed reviews about these oil paints. Although they caught my attention for the colours offered and price point, I was a bit skeptical to try them, as they are considered student grade oils and the price point was too good to be true. I have yet to be fond of a student grade oil paint, until now. Some of the colours rated poor in Light-fastness, but the majority rated good or very good according to the characteristics of Huile d’Art colour chart offered on the Pebeo website.

I was not disappointed on the consistency they offered, these oils were buttery in texture, the colours were vibrant and the pigments thinned out well without any issues. Keep in mind that these are considered student grade oils and in my opinion, after using my professional grade oils such as Gamblin brand, there is no comparison. I did find they worked well mixing with other brands especially the white, it was nice and bright, it was creamy, and perfectly opaque. I find typically with student grade oils the pigment and oils are often separated in the tube. This was the case with this brand as well.
The Pebeo Huile de’Art brand 37mL oils are available in 60 colours. What l did like about them was the quick drying time. It does vary on the thickness but on average its 2 to 7 days to dry. For people who want to try oils this is a bonus as you don’t need to wait weeks to practice and finish your work.
If you are looking to try oil painting and don’t want to invest a great deal of money, l would suggest giving this brand of oils a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
 
Have a beautiful day.

 

 

 I have said this before,  you can be the best artist out there, but if people don’t know who you are or can’t see your artwork, you are limiting your audience. Social media is extremely important. You need to understand what each platform does. Just because there is a social network,  doesn’t mean that you need to be marketing on it. You need to understand what platform will work for you, how to use it and figure out whether it makes sense for your business or promoting your work. You need to figure out who is engaging with your content? and where should your artwork live, to better chance a connection with your audience.
Facebook and Instagram are my choice of platforms.  I found that both engage my viewers. It allows me to add content that will encourage my targeted audience to click and engage with me. These two platforms are social media powerhouses, and can help build a strong presence allowing people to follow me and my work.  Once l determined my platforms, it was time to build my profiles. It was important for me to keep my branding consistent with who l am and what l provide.  I also decided to create my own art website, www.alicemelofineart.com that allows me to sell my artwork, provide a viewing platform, engage interest, and blog.
A complete profile is necessary when trying to attract a good following, allowing you to share content, and add website information. It’s important to be able to link your social platforms together. Start analyzing what the best time is to engage with your audience and see which posts get the most likes and comments. You need to pay close attention to these details. I know it can take up a lot of your time but it will be worth it as you build your audience. Posting videos is also becoming extremely popular, this is a marketing tool that l am not completely familiar with, but l am hoping to utilize this tool in the near future.
It’s also important to analyze your competitors, what platforms are they on? and what is working for them? What content are they sharing? And how often? It is also important to connect with influencers, people who you follow and admire. By commenting on their posts, sharing and engaging conversation with them you are bound to get more people seeing your work. To get noticed you need to network with people in your community and ask questions, get involved. Visibility will land you more followers making you an influencer yourself.
I started blogging a while ago. This is something that can be overlooked, but l have found that by blogging on my own website my name and social accounts have been noticed online.  This will also allow you to build a reputation in your own community. I try really hard to blog at least 3 times a month and add valued content to my followers. This also allows me to better my writing skills. The more content you add the bigger following you gain, so l am hoping to bump up my blogging if l can find more time.
 Be consistent. Your followers need to be able to count on you for a daily does of inspiration or guidance. Share awesome content, this not only will help you build your brand and allow your personality to shine and connect with your followers. You need to remember to share visually and make your posts appealing to your viewer. Don’t just share your own content either. I like sharing other content that can add value to my branding, and will help promote me, such as sharing content of my other fellow artists and friends.
Remember that what you post will determine the trust of your followers. Be true to who you are and what your goals are. Have fun, and seek help when needed.
Have a beautiful day,
Alice Melo