Sketching Basics Learn to Draw

At the time of this review, this set is under $10. If it were over $10, I would probably subtract a star. This is definitely beginner, student quality. But if you have a child, or maybe you are just looking for something reasonably priced to see if you enjoy sketching, even though it's geared for children, this set can't be beat. The main reason it gets five stars, is that you get four different hardness levels of graphite pencils. Perfect for experimenting with your creativity and making a sketch come alive. And it's less messy than charcoal sticks, so once again, it's the perfect introduction to nurture a child's creativity and talent. To make it even better, there's a little pamphlet to encourage and explain how to get your feet wet. I really like that the emphasis is on the fact that there are no mistakes, that each line is is just fine. So important for children that might be discouraged that they aren't instantly a great artist, forgetting or not understanding that being an artist is only 10% talent and 90% learning and desire. It might be only a folded over page, but it covers various techniques. All is written in a way that kids and young adults can easily follow. This set is cured for ages 7 and up. And once again, a 7-year-old doesn't need professional quality pencil sharpeners or paper. You can see in the photograph how thin the paper pages are, and how cheesy the little pencil sharpener is. Cheesy, but perfect for the purpose. This well thought out set is just what I would expect from Farber-Castell. Their supplies are favored by the students and professionals worldwide. I hope that this review has helped you to make a decision about whether or not this set is right for you or a special child. Kids seem to be passionate about something one minute, and totally change the next. This little set is a very small investment, but of course, little investments add up. xxoo

My son just turned 5. Last year, when his older brother was doing virtual school from home, he was completely obsessed with his brother's art class, where they spent several weeks learning different water painting techniques. Because he was just little then, he got really frustrated that he wasn't able to get the same definition his brother could as he tried to follow along. The issue was really two things: the paint wasn't highly pigmented and he was using too much water. So his attempts always just ended up blending into a disappointing, soggy brown. I was excited for him try water painting again with this kit, which I hoped would give him better results. Oh, my goodness, what a difference! He really loved that, with these pencils, he was able to draw precisely where he wanted the color to go. And I showed him how to only use a little bit of water, and different sized brushes, to control exactly where the color went and how bold or washed out it was. This was such a fun experience for him! I agree with some of the other reviewers on two points: don't even bother with the included brush, and it would be nice if there were more colors included. The brush wasn't a big deal in my house because we have lots, but if you don't, you may well be disappointed in the one that is included here. Color-wise, I think it's a decent starter variety, but for my kid, who is hyper-focused on realism in certain cases, he had a hard time with the fact that the color selection was limited. Regardless, I think this little kit gives an excellent introduction to watercolors in a very accessible and easy-to-use format. Especially for younger kids who are maybe less forgiving when things don't work out how they "should" with regular water colors. The pencils give them more control. Overall, we're pretty happy with this set, aside from the brush. I recommend it for a new spin on a kid favorite.

I guess this watercolor kit isn’t too expensive, but it’s a little disappointing. The colors are nice, but why call it “How to Rainbow” when you can’t create an accurately colored rainbow from the colors included? You don’t even have two primary colors! The blue is a light, robin’s egg color, and you have magenta instead of red. Again, the colors are nice, but I would have liked to have had a true, deep blue and red. Then we could have created unlimited colors…and a real rainbow. And I was disappointed with the “magic” effect of turning the colored pencil etchings into water colors. You have to go back over and over and over again to get enough water on the page to dissolve the pencil marks. This is a frustrating process. And the colored pencils don’t seem all that pigmented to me. Until you drench them in water and get them to dissolve a bit, they color like any set of cheap colored pencils. The pad of paper is okay. One side of each sheet is fairly rough, and the other side smoother. The pages are *not* perforated for easy removal. Overall, the kit is okay, but including all the primary colors, providing a better brush, and perforating the pages would have really improved the kit.