Tag Archives: Markers

Pilot FriXion Pens and Markers – Erasable Coloring?

April 9, 2019 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

Early this year, Pilot came out with a new line of pens and markers. They’re called FriXion, and are a new approach to an age-old problem for anyone who uses an ink instrument. “How do I fix a mistake?” Erasable pens aren’t new, but most are either not effective, nor marketed towards colorists.

I like many colorists, love to try new mediums. I originally reached out to Pilot regarding their gel pens, and my Rep instead recommended I try both their FriXion Color Sticks and FriXion Colors Markers.

Pretty, aren’t they? I’m going to tackle these separately. Pilot FriXion Colors Erasable Marker Pens is a mouthful, so from here on, they’ll be refered to as Markers. The set I received is a set of 12 colors. Each marker has a smooth white body with a colored cap and eraser. The company states it is a bold line, but I found it to be comparable to a Sharpie® Fine Line Marker.

When coloring, I found that the markers were smooth, so long as I didn’t try to cover large areas quickly. The ink is quick-drying and does not smear. While the color is not as vibrant as some of the other Pilot products, it comes out a really pleasing chalk-like matte.

Colored with FriXion Markers, art by Johanna Basford

Now the FriXion Color Sticks Erasable Gel Pens, AKA Color Sticks, were really exciting for me. The set I received included 16 Color Sticks, and are a thin rigid plastic in the color of the ink, with a clear cap and color matched eraser.

The pens are amazingly smooth and the ink is nicely pigmented. The color lays down nicely and has the same matte finish as the markers. It’s been years since I’ve colored with gel pens, and I can’t deny that the Color Sticks have reawakened my love of the coloring medium.

Colored with FriXion Color Sticks, art by Celtic Mandalas

Now, the important thing about the FriXions….Do they really erase?

Top row is markers, bottom row is Color Sticks

YES!!! They erase like a dream! FriXions use a thermosensitive ink that disappears with the friction of the eraser. Now, the darker colors may leave a slight tint behind on the paper, and the more you erase on the same spot, the harder it is to deposit ink on that spot.

Overall, I think both the Color Sticks and Markers are a great addition to any colorist’s collection.

Disability Note: Because of the fact that FriXions are erasable, I can highly recommend them for people who may want to transition from pencils to ink-based coloring. These are great if you have a problem with hand tremors or seeing fine detail. If you do make a mistake, the eraser can clean up your edges.

Where to buy: All of Pilot’s many FriXion product lines are available on their website. Over the last few months, I’ve been seeing FriXion Color Sticks and FriXion Markers at my local art and mass market stores. The prices vary by store, but neither set is more than $20 USD.

Pilot : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received these markers and pens for free in exchange for a review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©Johanna Basford and ©Celtic Mandalas. The coloring is mine. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

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Coloring Book

Memory’s Wake, Mermaids, Fairies and Faedorables…Oh My! Reviewing Selina Fenech

September 24, 2018 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

I’ve been a fan of Selina Fenech’s since 2001. Yeah, I’m ancient, I know. I spent entirely too many hours in my college’s computer lab hunting down art to color for my weekly D&D group. When I started PuzzlePaws, I knew I wanted to try to contact some of those artists I fell in love with seventeen years ago.

I got lucky, Selina sent me two of her coloring books to review, and both are very different from the mermaids and fairies that are the backbone of her style.

Yes, these are different sizes. I’ll get to that.

Firstly is Victorian Romance. Now, there are actually two different versions of this coloring book, one in line art, the other in grayscale. This coloring book is based off of illustrations that Selina did for her Young Adult Fantasy Trilogy, The books are Memory’s Wake, Hope’s Reign, and Providence Unveiled. I haven’t read them (yet!), but all are available through Selina’s website and Amazon.

Look at this! No-one does a coloring book where you can color men’s outfits! And the background is so complex!

I think I love this coloring book because you don’t have to have read the source material to get a sense of the characters, and the level of detail feeds my desire to color intricate outfits. Both sexes are given great scenes to color, and the romance is sweet, not tawdry.

I had too much fun coloring this. SC requested the pink hair after I’d done the purple.

The really cool thing in the Victorian Romance Coloring book is that while there are only 25 images; the book is split into halves, and the second half is a set of duplicate images so that you can do each image twice! So if you have a cat-induced coffee accident, or want to see the same image done in a different medium, you can! Each image is single-sided, but if you want to use a wet medium like markers or watercolors, I and Selina both recommend using a protective backing of cardstock.

Now, for the second little book I got!

Selina has a line of what she calls “Minis”, coloring books that measure 5 by 7.8 inches. These are meant to be a more portable version of her standard 8.5 by 11 inches coloring books. I’ll admit, I was leery of these minis. I know her art is good, but how would it look or color when shrunk down?

The Faedorable series is meant to be a mix of simple, sweet art with some tricky details, enough to appeal to a range of colorists of all ages. The book I have is actually all 50 images of both the Faedorables:Sweet and Simple and Faedorables:Cute and Creepy books. The images are single-sided and with a cardstock backing took both marker and crayon really well!

I was skeptical, I was worried, I was wrong! The mini-books are fantastic! I’m going to keep mine in my Go-Bag, which is my backpack full of entertainment gear for traveling. If you have a love of coloring and either a Go-Bag or a hospital bag, you might want a Mini coloring book and a pack of whatever your coloring medium of choice is.

Honestly, the last few days have been full of fatigue for me, my CFS was flaring, I thought…until SC and I found out that while at DragonCon we were exposed to a Vendor who came down with Chicken Pox. I’ve had Chicken Pox, but SC hasn’t. SC thinks that due to busting my rump at DragonCon, then dealing with Hurricane Florence, and all the resulting stress, that I’ve managed to have a Mononucleosis relapse. It’s possible, I’ve been sleeping tons, but waking to feel more tired. I’m hydrating and resting (coloring is resting, right?).

Hurricane is my blanket-buddy. She gets how I feel!

Where to buy: You can buy Victorian Romance at Selina Fenech’s website for $11.33 USD. You can also buy Faedorables Minis there for $7.54 USD

Selina Fenech Art : Website / FaceBook

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Coloring Book, Uncategorized

Ethereal Visions Coloring Book: Tarot and Art Nouveau

September 17, 2018 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

I’m home again, after a few days away due to the Hurricane Florence Evacuation. I’m glad to be home. I’m thrilled to say that our home is untouched and the cats are back to their usual shenanigans. Unfortunately, Florence is making my life minorly miserable due to barometric pressure. The fatigue and brain fog are strong, which is why today’s post is running so late.

Aside from that, while I was at DragonCon, I got to meet Matt Hughes. He’s a really talented artist that does illustrations in the Art Nouveau style. He’s funded most of his projects through Kickstarters, which is really awesome. Right now, Ethereal Visions Publishing, the company Matt’s wife Hope founded and runs; has pre-orders up for an illuminated edition of the works of Edgar Allen Poe and Matt is currently working on illuminating pages for a project based on Mozart’s Requiem.

The tarot is a pack of playing cards, used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games. Many of these tarot card games are still played today. In the late 18th century, it began to be used in parallel for divination in the form of cartomancy and specialist packs were developed for this occult purpose. The Major Arcana that this coloring book focuses on is definitely influenced by one of the original occult decks, the Rider-Waite deck. I find the art to be beautiful and to have a hidden complexity.

This coloring book is amazing! It’s rather large, measuring 12″ by 9″. The paper is heavyweight, but really smooth. I was shocked how good my markers and colored pencils looked when coloring. While I usually use a piece of cardstock under my works-in-progress, I found I really didn’t need it.

The only issue I found was that due to my book lover’s habit of not wanting to break the spine of any book, I needed to use a craft knife to cut my pages free. Once I reread the lovely note that Matt wrote as a preface, it was much easier. Coloring books are meant to be USED. In fact, this one is meant to be used as a meditation exercise.

I’m not sure my coloring stacks up to this amazing art, but I’m having fun doing it. While I know Matt is up to his eyeballs in work, I really hope he’ll do another coloring book! I recommend following the FaceBook page because Matt posts all sort of beautiful works-in-progress.

Where to buy: You can buy Ethereal Visions 22 Major Arcana Coloring Book at Ethereal Visions Publishing’s website for $20 US.

Ethereal Visions Publishing : Website / FaceBook

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Coloring Supplies Reviews

Winsor and Newton ProMarkers: Rich Tones Set

September 10, 2018 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I’ve gotten a bunch of new coloring books to review on my docket, which means I find myself craving new shiny art supplies to color with. I reached out to Winsor and Newton, a British company that’s been around since 1832. They had just released a new marker line called ProMarker™; and I was madly curious about them. I received a sample of 6 markers in rich tones, and I have to say, I’m hooked! These colors are SO pretty!! These are dual tipped markers, having both a bullet tip and a chisel tip. ProMarkers™ have an alcohol based ink, which is classed as a permanent ink, but can be blended.

Okay, the outside is nice, but how do they color??

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Oh, my goodness! I’m in love, I really am. The ProMarkers™ are round, thick and fit well in my hand. The bullet nib moves smoothly over the paper with minimal bleeding. The chisel tip covers large areas well; though, since I hadn’t used chisel tips before, it took a little time to get the hang of. I’m new to professional grade coloring markers, as my default is usually a Sharpie®.

I think that out of the six colors, the Marine and the Maroon are my favorites. All the colors are amazingly rich and each layer I put down just added depth. While the different size caps for the two tips mean that you can’t place one cap upon the other when working, I do love the little Cap Nub (my phrase). The Cap Nub makes it so that the round marker doesn’t roll off of your work surface, which is super important if you color in bed or using a lapdesk.

Disability Notes: These are great for marker lovers with mild to moderate arthritis (don’t overdo!), and can be used on the couch or in bed since the Cap Nub keeps them from rolling. Warning!: If you have brain-fog or a short-term memory issue – Remember where you put the cap down!

Where to buy: You can buy Winsor & Newton ProMarkers™ in sets or individually at their website or a high-end art supply store. The Rich Tones set I received retail for $24.99 usd.

Winsor and Newton : Website / FaceBook

The art I colored for this post came from Timeless Creations™ Mystical Journey Coloring Book.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary set of markers from the manufacturer in exchange for review. I purchased the coloring book used on this post. The opinions are my own.

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Little pieces make a bigger picture