Product Review: US Art Supply 15 Piece Multi-Purpose Brush Set

**Disclaimer: I received this item for free for the purpose of an honest review. See Disclosure/Policies.**

I received a pack of 15 brushes of assorted sizes and bristles to review. I had really wanted to try these with at least two different mediums -watercolor and acrylic- but unfortunately could only do so with watercolor. 

Here is a quick picture of a semi-finished test of the brushes (#2 and #8). You can see it actually being painted in the linked video at the end of this post. 

One very nice feature of the brushes is that they are long, even the short handled set, and therefore keep your hand out of the way of your painting. I don't know all the different applications of each of the bristle/brush types but there are a nice assortment. 

11 Short Handle Brushes:
- Pony Round: #1, #2, #3, #4 & #5
- Bristle Round: #1, #3 & #5
- Bristle Flat: 1/2"
- Pony Flat: 1/4" & 1/2"

4 Long Handle Brushes
- Pony Round: #2
- Pony Flat: #4
- Bristle Flat: #4 & #8

Purchase at Amazon- $6.96

While I was painting with these in the video, hairs from the bristles on both brushes I used started to come out. This is a problem that's been encountered before with inexpensive brushes so I wasn't terribly surprised. I still think these are good for beginners (which I am).

Here's the video link. https://youtu.be/adCYRQW6va8

Product Review: US Art Supply Manga/Marker Paper

***Disclaimer: I received the following items for free for the sole purpose of an honest review. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PGA8RRM (Manga-Marker Paper Pad)

My thoughts
This pad of paper I had wanted to give to my kids who like to draw manga style. But I will admit that this would not work for either of them. I really am not sure if I'm just using the wrong writing utensils (it says it is for ink pens, permanent markers, and all pencils). Every marker I used smeared. I tried give them adequate time to dry but it didn't seem to matter. All smeared.

This is a nice white paper- not the color you see here!
My lighting must have been inadequate.

My son is a lefty and has a difficult time already with smearing and smudging. My daughter is a bit of a perfectionist so I would imagine she would do better but I think this would be a cause of frustration for her.

The paper is semi glossy on both sides but more so on the front drawing surface. It is very smooth. The size of the paper is 9x12, with 24 sheets to the pad. It is suited for markers with a 60# weight, and doesn't absorb the ink so that it doesn't bleed through. But this semi gloss, slick surface seems to prevent adequate drying.

It is good for use with pencils. It is very very smooth.

I really cannot say if this is something that is good or not! honestly thought it would be a good fit for what my kids like to do but it turns out that this would just make the illustrations messy. Overall I'm not really happy with my experience with the paper. 

Product Review: US Art Supply Calligraphic Practice Pad

***Disclaimer: I received the following items for free for the sole purpose of an honest review. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PGBVNM2 (Calligraphic Practice Pad)

My thoughts:

I have wanted to try my hand at calligraphy for awhile, and have attempted to do it freehand. I had really wanted to use my ink and metal nibs to review this paper but unfortunately I cannot locate the pen for my nibs. I had to settle with using brush pens instead. 

Since I haven't done calligraphy before I looked up videos and tutorials online on how to hold the pen and the paper. With this having a slanted grid already, I think it makes it a bit easier to work with the paper. I'm not 100% sure of that because I don't know how others do it well. 

I need to practice more. 

Although it looks yellow, or cream, the paper is indeed a nice white. The grid is a dark gray so you can see the lines easily enough but they don't overtake the page. The pad of paper is landscape as opposed to portrait (so it is longer wide than tall). I think this is beneficial for practicing writing of any king, but perhaps more for calligraphy where you seem to need more width. It is 12x9 with 50 sheets lined on one side. The backing is a thick cardboard for sturdiness so you could use it without a table. I didn't because I need all the stability I can get! 

The paper didn't stay in the pad exceptionally well after I used it a little. I think this is both a positive and a negative. It is easy to tear out used pages but also I wonder if they would fall out on their own after awhile. 

The thickness of the paper feels about like printer paper, and it didn't bleed through with my brush pens but I think if I were to use my nib with ink, it might go through a little. 

Overall, I like the Calligraphic Practice Paper Pad from US Art Supply. It is simple but easy to use for practice. The paper is good for the price also.