Are they worth it?
You have probably seen many budget art supplies on Amazon, retailing at a fraction of the price of professional products. Are they worth the money? Here are my thoughts on them.
Budget Art Supplies on Amazon: Clones!
Many budget coloured pencils are the products of white labeling–they all came from the same factory, but slapped under different brand names. Sarah Renae Clark explained it best in her video.
The practice of white labeling isn’t confined to coloured pencils; it is extended to other budget art supplies too. I don’t usually buy multiple sets of similar pencils, but it might be a waste if you are a collector.
Dupes
If we can find dupes for less, it is tempting not to buy them. Take this Arrtx set of coloured pencils, for example. The shade names are identical to Prismacolor Premier pencils. I bought the entire set of 72 for a bit over CAD$31, while Prismacolor pencils are about CAD$2 a piece. For your information, the Arrtx pencils work almost as well as Prismacolor.
The Infamous Macaron Pencils Clones
Since Holbein came out with a set of pastel shades coloured pencils, many budget brands have been producing similar pencil sets. This Kalour Macaron Colored Pencils set is just one of them.
Lightfastness Claims
Cheap pencils like these claim to be “unsurpassably lightfast”, artist premium quality, etc. Lisa of Lachri Fine Art has a great video explaining what all this means. These are fine if you produce art work for your personal enjoyment. However, if you sell your art work, beware.
Performance of Budget Art Supplies on Amazon
Whenever I see reviews of these budget art supplies on Amazon, price is often listed as the biggest pro. For the price they are good. For the price they are worth it. But I personally find them not the easiest to achieve what I can achieve with my real artist grade supplies. The Kalour Macaron colored pencils, for example, require a lot of experimenting with different papers and solvents to work properly. If I had to waste time on trying what paper they work best with, and still can’t trust their lightfastness, forget it. It should not be this hard and finicky.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Coloured pencils are a slow medium; I’d rather not spend extra time to finesse them to make them work. The Arrtx coloured pencils were very easy to work with, unlike some of the other budget coloured pencils I have tried.
Best For…
If you use budget art supplies in your colouring book, sketchbook, or make cards with them that will stay on someone’s desk for a week or two, these will do just fine.
In addition, if you are a beginner who wants to explore, or if you are buying for kids and teens, these budget materials will more than suffice. Just get the good ones that won’t hinder you from learning, because poor quality art supplies might make you think it’s you, when it’s really them.
Are the Reviews Trustworthy?
Many of these budget art supplies have thousands of great reviews. I watch enough youtube videos before I purchase, and still end up disappointed sometimes. It’s best to see how the artists colour a large area. If it’s colouring tiny areas, you may not see how they blend, or not blend. The Kalour pencils initially felt great too; it’s not until I used them on larger areas that I encountered problems.
Budget Art Supplies on Amazon Worth Your Money
This post isn’t all complaints. I have had some luck with a few budget art supplies on Amazon that I recommend.
Arrtx coloured pencils are almost as good as my Prismas, and they don’t break as easily because their core is a little firmer. They are a good middle ground between Prismacolor Premier and an oil-based pencils.
At the top of my list, Meiliang watercolour is a great student grade quality paint set. Meiliang is manufactured by the same company that produces Paul Rubens. Some of the paints may not be as lightfast as Paul Rubens, but their performance is great and not just for the price. I enjoyed using them, especially if I am practising my brush strokes or experimenting with new brushes and techniques.
By the way, I don’t put Paul Rubens on this list because I feel that it is only budget in terms of the price against other professional brands. Personally, I regard Paul Rubens as a professional brand at mid-range price point.
The alcohol marker category is where I find most of my favourite budget art supplies on Amazon. Not everyone is willing to shell out big bucks for Copic markers, so it is nice to have good performing budget options. The Ohuhu and Arrtx alcohol markers are great and not just for the price. They perform well and it is an added bonus they are not expensive.
