Walmart Art Supply Review: Overall Verdict
Over the past couple months, I've covered a lot of products from Walmart. From student grade (Crayola Supertips, Crayola washable watercolors) to stationary (Flair, Triplus Fineliners, Precise V5 Rollerball) to actual supplies for artists (Daler Rowney Simply Watercolor, UCreate sketchbooks, Royal Langnickel brushes) I've tried to hit as many categories as I could. Often, what I found surprised me- Crayola Supertips can be used like watercolor markers, cheap Royal Langnickel brushes can be conditioned into something serviceable, Crayola washable watercolors are frustrating to paint with. What surprises me most of all is my desire to delve deeper, to help you guys find even more affordable art supplies to fuel your drawing needs.
When it's all said and done, you can create art with almost any office supply you have on hand. Many artists doodle on Post Its with sharpies and Wite-Out. But just because you CAN use it, doesn't mean you should rely on it. It's fun to noodle around with highlighters, but if that's your only option for markers, it quickly becomes a chore, and it definitely limits what you can do.
That said, there are several supplies I CAN recommend from Walmart, certainly enough to get you started. And your Walmart may have a wider selection than the Walmart I bought supplies from. If the Walmart site is any indication, there may even be Walmarts that carry actual alcohol markers like Spectrum Noir. For example, the Walmart in Harahan, Louisiana, has a slightly larger section of art supplies, and carries different brushes, paints, and markers than the Walmart in Luling, Louisiana.
From the Walmart Art Supply Series, I recommend:
One of the problems I had with this review is that it simply took way too long to post, when I gave each product it's own feature. With my new posting schedule of a new post launching approximately every three days, I might be able to knock out all the product tests for a few products in two days (say, Crayola washable Supertips, Crayola watercolors, and Daler Rowney watercolors), but it would take at least nine days for those three individual posts to air, and readers might feel cheated with the content, as it's a bit much to focus an entire review on a single pen, say the Pilot Precise V5 for example. The upside to this series was its affordability- when I reviewed brushpens from Jetpens, it was an expensive endeavor. Reviewing markers is much worse, and I knew that without sponsors, neither could be the bread and butter of this blog. Affordable art supply challenges like the Walmart Art Supply Review series, and my upcoming Target and Dollar Tree series, allow me to continue to review products that are relevant to my readers' needs, without breaking the bank. They also allow me to get back to my roots, and play around with good supplies I may have otherwise snubbed. Hopefully a combination of affordable, big box art supplies and more expensive artist grade materials will help me to better serve the audience that reads this blog.
Recently I ran a poll to find out what sort of artists did read this blog, and the overwhelming answers were hobbyist artist or student artist. I hope these affordable art supply series will benefit you guys. If it has, please take a moment to let me know, either through email, or on Twitter.
Do you buy your art supplies at Walmart? Leave a comment, and let me know what YOU like to use. Think I missed something? Let me know! Coming up next is my Target Art Supply Review series, and following that, I'll be reviewing art supplies from Dollar Tree.
When it's all said and done, you can create art with almost any office supply you have on hand. Many artists doodle on Post Its with sharpies and Wite-Out. But just because you CAN use it, doesn't mean you should rely on it. It's fun to noodle around with highlighters, but if that's your only option for markers, it quickly becomes a chore, and it definitely limits what you can do.
That said, there are several supplies I CAN recommend from Walmart, certainly enough to get you started. And your Walmart may have a wider selection than the Walmart I bought supplies from. If the Walmart site is any indication, there may even be Walmarts that carry actual alcohol markers like Spectrum Noir. For example, the Walmart in Harahan, Louisiana, has a slightly larger section of art supplies, and carries different brushes, paints, and markers than the Walmart in Luling, Louisiana.
From the Walmart Art Supply Series, I recommend:
- Clearpoint mechanical pencils
- UCreate sketchbooks
- Crayola Supertip 50 Washable Markers (as watercolor markers)
- Canson Biggie Watercolor paper (shown in introduction post)
- Triplus Fineliners for color lineart
One of the problems I had with this review is that it simply took way too long to post, when I gave each product it's own feature. With my new posting schedule of a new post launching approximately every three days, I might be able to knock out all the product tests for a few products in two days (say, Crayola washable Supertips, Crayola watercolors, and Daler Rowney watercolors), but it would take at least nine days for those three individual posts to air, and readers might feel cheated with the content, as it's a bit much to focus an entire review on a single pen, say the Pilot Precise V5 for example. The upside to this series was its affordability- when I reviewed brushpens from Jetpens, it was an expensive endeavor. Reviewing markers is much worse, and I knew that without sponsors, neither could be the bread and butter of this blog. Affordable art supply challenges like the Walmart Art Supply Review series, and my upcoming Target and Dollar Tree series, allow me to continue to review products that are relevant to my readers' needs, without breaking the bank. They also allow me to get back to my roots, and play around with good supplies I may have otherwise snubbed. Hopefully a combination of affordable, big box art supplies and more expensive artist grade materials will help me to better serve the audience that reads this blog.
Recently I ran a poll to find out what sort of artists did read this blog, and the overwhelming answers were hobbyist artist or student artist. I hope these affordable art supply series will benefit you guys. If it has, please take a moment to let me know, either through email, or on Twitter.
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