Abstract art is the opposite of my usual realistic portraits, and I have never tried doing it before. I didn’t have the intention to try it until I saw the Faber-Castell 20 minute studio Abstract Art Kit for Beginners at my local Winners for CAD$9.99. To be honest, the reason I bought it was because of the two Gelatos that come with the kit. I was going to just use the Gelatos but since I have never tried abstract before, I might as well, since the kit has all the materials for it.
This 15-piece kit comes with everything you need to create four 4×6″ boards.
There is a small manual with some introductions to the materials included. For the Whipped Spackle, I find it to be much more like a texture paste rather than gesso. It is very creamy and smooth, with no grits like most gessos have.
Faber-Castell Abstract Art Kit Instructions
I have seen so many complaints about the lack of instructions. For beginners, these instructions probably are not too helpful; however, for artists and crafters who have knowledge and experience with gessos, texture paste, water-soluble pastels and gel paints, this is actually a very fun kit. For the price I paid, I can’t complain. 🙂
I think this is probably where beginners may have a hard time. If you have never worked with these textures and materials, the few steps of instructions may be a little hard to follow. But if you play around with the materials, it’s a lot of fun to create your own pieces of abstract art. The best part is that there are no rules. You just smear and colour and create whatever that you want.
Faber-Castell Gelatos v. Caran D’Ache Neocolor II
Since I primarily got Faber-Castell Abstract Art kit to try out Faber-Castell Gelatos, which are water-soluble pastels, I cannot help but compare them to Caran D’ache Neocolor II. To cover large areas, the Gelatos are more convenient, since their tips are broader. The Gelatos go on very creamy as well. But when it comes to water solubility, I find Caran D’ache Neocolor II to be much better.
My Abstract Art
This is a big change from my usual realistic portraits. I had so much fun creating these! For the third and fourth pieces, I had used Caran D’ache Neocolor II for the violet shades. Maybe that’s why I personally prefer these two pieces because of the colour story.
The gold gel paint was very easy to use. The Whipped Spackle was like frosting, and the pigment powders are so intense, you only need a few sprinkles and your paste will turn to a deep colour.
If you don’t know what you will use the abstract art pieces for, these are great as backgrounds! I used some die cuts for these and they actually look good too. So many possibilities with this kit.
I am very satisfied with the kit and glad that I bought it at a discount. It allowed me to experiment a new art form, new textures and style, all for $10. The full retail price is US$14 which isn’t too bad. I do recommend this but now that I know how to do it, I can just shop my own stash and use what I have to create more.
