I realized I published this video ages ago, and didn’t share it here. With all my frenzy with watercolor markers- (meaning specifically a pen that has a liquid reservoir in the handle and a brush nib that dispenses liquid watercolor ink when squeezed,) I just had to compare some of the popular brands. So I dug out the ones I’ve reviewed here before: Nuvo Aqua Flow Markers & Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers– as well as some ones that were newer […]
Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Glitter Brush Pen Review from Tonic, Demo & Comparison
Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Glitter Brush Pen Review from Tonic, Demo & Comparison Here’s how the Aqua Shimmer are described on the Tonic website: Add shimmering glitter details to all of your crafting projects. The perfectly formed watercolor brush nib makes the pens extremely versatile and is perfect for adding small detail or color washing areas. Two glitter gloss pens in each pack. Like the Aqua Flow brush pens I reviewed earlier, they have an actual paint brush style tip: […]
Arteza Real Brush Markers Review and Demo
Arteza Real Brush Markers Review and Demo I’m back today with another review of a marker! This time, it’s the Arteza Real Brush Pen Marker. These are available at Amazon.com currently for $49.95 for a 48 pen set! Here’s the description: Real brush pen set of 48 unique colors for sketching, drawing and painting Water-based ink for watercolor effects Flexible nylon brush tip for fine, medium and bold strokes Non-toxic, meets ASTM standards Safe for children with supervision Create Line […]
NUVO Aqua Flow Markers (review and demo)
NUVO Aqua Flow Markers from Tonic Studios (review and demo) Products provided for review purposes; however the brand has no control over the content and I was not paid to review them. Opinions are honest and based on my first-hand experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links. That means at no extra cost to you, if you purchase something through one of those links, I will receive a small commission. It seems like mixed media is […]
Review and Demo of the Nuvo Brush Script Pens from Tonic Studios
Review and Demo of the Nuvo Brush Script Pens from Tonic Studios It seems like you cannot have too many markers, and I’m always searching for new ones to try. The lovely folks at Tonic sent me the Brush Script Pens to try out last month and I’ve really been enjoying getting to know them. Today I’m going to share with you how they work! First off, here’s how they are described on the Tonic Studio website: The Brush Script […]
TouchFive Markers Review and Demo
Today I have a cool review for you- TouchFive Markers that I ordered off of the Wish app. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. That means at no extra cost to you, if you purchase something through one of those links, I will receive a small commission. These are alcohol-based twin-tip markers that are an “off” brand that are a knock-off of Touch Lite or Shin-Han. The upside is that you get the product right from the factory and […]
Marbling Medium from Martha Stewart Crafts
Marbling Medium from Martha Stewart Crafts (by Plaid) Being a YouTube addict, I’ve been watching these videos of artists pouring acrylic paint on to canvases, creating amazing marbled and abstract designs. Martha Stewart Crafts is capitalizing on this craze by introducing Marbling Medium so you and I can create home decor projects with the marbled look with ease. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. That means at no extra cost to you, if you purchase something through one of […]
“Distress Oxide” technique using Fireworks Ink Sprays
Today I have a little fun tutorial for you- how to use Fireworks Ink Sprays like Distress Oxide Stamp pads! So let’s backtrack a second, and let me clarify. I while back Sara reviewed Distress Oxide Stamp pads for CTD, and one of the amazing properties of the ink is that it’s a unique hybrid. It’s got pigment AND dye-based ink properties. That means that you can layer colors on top of each other without them getting muddied and brown. […]
Nuvo Creative Pens from Tonic Studios
Here’s another new goodie from Tonic Studios- alcohol markers! Nuvo Creative Pens are a non-refillable marker that have a wonderful ergonomic grip and some lovely bright colors. Let’s take a look in this video review and demo! Disclosure: samples provided for review purposes; my review is based on my first-hand experience and use of the product, and the brand had no say in my review. Some links in this post are affiliate links and using them will incur no extra […]
Battle of the Water Soluable Drawing Media: Scribble Sticks v Neo Color II v Inktense
Almost as soon as we shared the Scribble Sticks video from Creativation/CHA 2017, the questions started pouring in. Folks wondered if they were lightfast, water- resistant, were they like Neo Color II? Well, sometimes the best way to discover what a product IS is to compare it to similar/familiar items to draw comparisons and contrast the differences. So this post is comparing/contrasting Scribble Sticks from Ranger, Neo Color II from Caran D’Ache, and Inketense Blocks (sticks) from Derwent. Let’s GO! Disclosure: […]
Testors Acrylic Craft Paint
For a crafter, paint is essential. And I’m always looking at new brands to try! Today we are going to take a look at Testors Acrylic Craft Paint. Testors Acrylic Craft paint has multiple finishes- matte, metallic, neon, and glitter. Here’s some information from the website: ABOUT ACRYLIC 2 OZ. CRAFT PAINT Testors Craft Acrylic Paints are high quality waterbase paints for general craft and decorative painting. They provide great coverage on a variety of surfaces such as wood, metal, […]
Mixed Media Stamping Block Techniques
The idea for doing stamping block techniques (or block prints) came from a viewer on Periscope– she asked if I had any ideas for using stamping blocks in mixed-media art. Since I’m really upping my mixed-media game for our One Little Tag challenge, I created this mini-class for our Facebook Group and demonstrated it live for Persicope. Just a note: This is a replay of a live broadcast from Periscope- you can join me there by following @CraftTestDummy! It’s […]
Testors AirBrainz Air Brush Kit Review and Demo
When you say the words “Air Brush,” I’m tempted to back away slowly. To me, those words are synonymous with messy, hard to control, complicated systems. But the AirBrainz kit from Testors (you know the folks who make all of the model airplane paints) is a pleasant surprise. Disclosure: samples provided for review purposes only. My opinions are honest and my own, and based on first-hand experience with the product. Some links contained in the post are affiliate links. […]
Asphalt and Cement Texture Pastes from Faber Castell
The world of fine art and craft draw ever closer with texture pastes and gels entering the crafting mainstream. Formerly the domain of fine artists, who used texture gels in fine art, now the average jane crafter can use products like Faber-Castell’s Asphalt and/or Concrete texture pastes to create dimensional surfaces on cards, ATC’s canvases and other mixed-media projects! Today I’m taking a look at them both. Disclosure: samples were provided for review purposes. Opinions are my own and based […]
Distress Crayons Vs. Gelatos- a Comparison!
Everyone wants to know what is the difference between Ranger’s Distress Crayons and Faber-Castell Gelatos? I am not endorsing one over the other, but you should know that there are some differences in colors, pigment content, and packaging that might influence your purchasing decision. Disclosure: samples were provided by both companies for review purposes. Opinions are my own and based on my first-hand experience with the products. Well, I show you here in SIX MINUTES and 10 examples of how […]
Ranger Distress Crayon Review
I feel a little late to the Distress Crayon party- I saw Tim Holtz share these at CHA, demonstrating these water- soluble “crayons” (they are not wax at all, but a pigment/media blend) earlier this year. *Disclosure: I purchased these with my my own funds. Some links below may be affiliate shopping links.** We even took this video: But of course, one of the hallmarks of CraftTestDummies is that we test and try products like Distress Crayons for ourselves, giving […]
Make Distress Paints into MARKERS!
Hey Crafters! Whenever I’m at the craft store I’m always on the look out for new, or even new-to-me, products. About two weeks ago I was picking up some Montana markers at Michael’s and noticed they had empty acrylic paint markers! EMPTY PAINT MARKERS!!! I had never seen or heard of these before! Disclosure: some links below are affiliate shopping links for your convenience. The possibilities quickly flooded my crafty brain, but the first thought I had was of […]
Craft Product Comparison and Overview: Ranger Ink Paints
Hey there crafters! Today I want to go through comparing and contrasting the different paints offered by Ranger Ink. Currently there are four different paints; Tim Holtz Distress Paints, Ranger Paint Dabbers, Dyan Reaveley Dylusions and Dina Wakley Media Paints. Other than the Ranger Paint Dabbers, we have fully reviewed the other three paints here at Craft Test Dummy. I’ll insert links to all of towards the end so you can check them out and see the specifics and samples, […]
Wink Of Luna Pens
My name is Linda Gorman and I am so excited to be doing some reviews for CraftTestDummies! Today I am going to check out Kuretake Zig Wink of Luna Brush Pens. These are similar to the Kuretake Zig Wink of Stella Brush Pens except the Wink of Luna have a metallic pigment instead of a glitter pigment. The Wink of Luna Brush Pens are a real brush marker with a metallic water-based pigment. The brush tip allows you to […]
Brusho Crystal Colours Review
I love that art supplies continue to seep into the crafting world. Last year, powdered watercolors hit the scene at CHA, and almost immediately our European readers asked, “Is this just like Brusho?” Well, since I’d never heard of it, I ordered a kit from Amazon to give it a go. So let’s take a closer look! From the website: Brusho Crystal Colour is a unique, transparent, highly pigmented water colour ink powder available in a comprehensive range of 32 […]
