Reported by Julie Tiu
Faber-Castell has provided a variety of products for crafters, artists, designers and the general population for generations. In recent years, I’ve seen Faber-Castell come out with more kits for art journaling and crafting, including products in their Creativity for Kids line. How easy and convenient is that for busy, crafty people? So, I am eager to share with you my review of their Mix & Match Mixed Media Sample, their collection of five different media that they’ve formulated to work reliably together. This media sample from their Design Memory Craft line comes in four color schemes: red, blue, yellow and green.
I’ve long admired mixed media artwork, and it’s been a while since I’ve experimented. What better way to get back into it than with a color-coordinated set that includes an Art GRIP Aquarelle Watercolor Pencil, PITT Pastel Pencil, Metallic PITT Artist Pen, Stamper’s Big Brush Pen and a Metallic Gelato (which incidentally makes me want to have a frozen treat every time I use it). The first four media are pretty self-explanatory. Their Gelato is a creamy metallic pigment stick which blends with or without water.
Let’s take a look at the media’s color and coverage on regular text-weight paper.
The pictures don’t do the colors justice; the colors are vibrant and rich. The metallics are shimmery, but I found the Rose Metal PITT pen less shimmery than expected.
The products can work on their own with simple drawing and shading techniques, and a wet watercolor paintbrush for the watercolor pencil and gelato. The gelato will dry blend nicely, too, with a little tissue paper. The pens, pencils and gelato are great to use on paper and fabric, the two surfaces I tested.
Trying the Stamper’s Big Brush Pen on my stamps, both rubber and clear, gave decent results. There is definitely a lot more control brushing ink onto stamps, as many of you know, but you may find it slightly tricky to brush this India ink-based pen on clear stamps. You may not get even coverage, or your ink may pool in certain areas of your image.


I find that the pencils and gelatos blend so nicely. When you try it out, be careful to adjust the amount of water that you load onto your brush. The beginner that I am, I flooded a few areas and the color faded quite a bit, but the main point is… the color was still where I wanted it.
Featured Projects
This mixed media project is a series of artist trading cards ready to be cut. (I can’t take credit for the words. I heard it on a newscast or morning show actually.)

Faber-Castell’s idea of color coordinating is perfect for the beginning mixed media artist. They’ve put together a great sample pack, and you won’t be disappointed if you give it a whirl on your next project!
Pros:
- The pens are odorless and won’t bleed through paper.
- Stamper’s Big Brush pen ink stays moist while brushing onto rubber stamps.
- Fantastic blending between the different media.
- Color coordinated kits take the guesswork out of creating a color palette from scratch.
Cons:
- When using clear stamps, India ink from the Stamper’s Big Brush pen goes on unevenly
- The sample pack contains a great variety of media, but would also be nice to have a textural tool included.
The sampler retails $12-$15, online or at your local art supply store.
GIVEAWAY
The cool folks over at Faber-Castell are giving a set of these cool Mixed Media colors to one lucky reader! Just leave a comment on either of the Faber-Castell reviews today answering the question in the Comments section of either article to be entered to win!
What color(s) of the mixed media sets would you most want to win? What would YOU create?
One comment per person, per article, please. Winner will be selected on Saturday, June 4, 2011.
Normally, I’m a blue girl all the way, BUT this time I think I’d rather have the red. Such a neat idea!
I love to experiment with materials. I’d love to try the red pack!
I’m crossing my fingers on this one. Love the look of these and would really like to try them out.
Wow – how cool is that and what neat packaging!!!! At first I thought blue but then perhaps yellow instead – for use on heritage items. They all look fun!
BLUES. because summer is here and i would make cards. i hope i win i saw a video on this and i have to say it looks really cool
I’d have to say green. I love playing with botanical themes in my designs.
I think the blue, I could do a lot with the blue 🙂
What fun new coloring tools. Amazing projects. I would love the blue.
I’ve recently begun an art journal and would make good use of this set there. Hard to choose a set color as they’d all be great, but I’d choose red first!
ElleCee at gmail dot com
I’ve recently been dabbling in mixed media and art journaling! I’m a big fan of Faber Castell! Such a fantastic giveaway! I’d definitely would love to win the blue set! Thanks for the chance!
I would like the blue pack. These products look so fantastic! Thanks for the review.
Such a fabulous review on this product….thank you!!
I would love to have the green set to use on some nature looking cards. Thank you for the chance to win!!
Green is my favorite. It would be so fun to try these.
Need to try those sets- hope to win one and then to buy some more.. I love the metallics mostly, but green and yellow will do it too
I would say blue but I love the red set too! And I would make some fun summer projects with them 🙂
Dollie
I love them all!! I have some Faber-Castell markers and love them!!
These packs look like they’d be a dynamite addition for making my cards. I’d go for the blue ones!
Would love to win the blue set
Love to create with blues—I use blue on just about every scrap page
I would like the blue or green. I think they would make great sky or grass backgrounds for stamping.
I love the blue. I have some of the gelatos, but not metallic – and now of course, I NEED those!!! Been experimenting with Mixed Media thanks to Faber Castell’s kit and I’m hooked!
Pretty! I guess I’m red all the way…
Wow! These products look so great together! While my fav color to create with is red, I am LOVING the look of the blue metallic pencil over the big marker so I have to say BLUE all the way.
I would go with greens!
Oh, difficult to choose. Probably the red. Great giveaway. Thanks.
Gee, choosing would really be hard. I guess I’d start with the green. But definitely would want all the colors. I would use them in my art journal, for sure. I also make a lot of paper flowers, so I’d use them to decorate those.
Difficult choice but I’ll go for blue so I can watercolor the sky. Thanks so much!
I need them ALL! Hmmm … blue/greens? If I have to say one set!
I’d love to experiment with metallics. I don’t have much in that line but it would be really cool to try them out. I’d be making cards to experiment!
I would like to try the red pack. I love all colors, but this is my favorite one next to purple. I would like to try an experiment on glass and wood.
I would love to win the blue one, bacause I have a lot of boys at home and the metallic look is so beautiful ! I think you can create so much things, but I would love to create some canvas, and mixed media projects. Nevertheless it is not my scrapbooking style, I want to try new things with this sampler !
Thanks for the chance to win! If I had to choose, I guess I’d go with red…
So hard to pick one color…but I guess it would be blue!
i like metallics. any color that is shiny is my favorite. i use the pitt pens for lots of things now. the color sets would be so great for art journaling. just dive in and get messy.
red red red, please! this was a great review! TY! I have been tempted to try these, now I knwo I will 🙂
Oh, great giveaway! I would love the PINK set. I’ve been working my way through Christy Tomlinson’s She Art workshop and she uses these a lot and I’ve been wanting to get some.
Faber-Castell knows how to win the heart of my pocketbook! Want all these sets!
I’d go with blue to start- what a great idea to package these together, sort of like a trial kit for several products. Thanks so much for the great review!
Would love to win this mixed media set – what a great way to test them all! Thanks.
I would soooo LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to try the blue metallic set…I’m such a metal queen…LOL
I think that color just begs for a set of of ocean themed gift tags or cards….
Thanks for the oppty to score some of these nifty sets.
Blue is my favorite color, but the Red sampler appears to have a broader range of tone, and the Metallic Gelato calls to me like a new shade of frosted pink lipstick! I would love to experiment with them on a Zentangle(R)-inspired art project.Tasty stuff! Thanks so much for the reviews.
Love all the colors, but the metallic really rocks! I am dying to use them on art quilts!
lhy5@yahoo.com
OMGoodness I want them all. Blue is my favorite color so I would love to start with that set and then start getting them all. I make all my own cards so this would be wonderful to work with.
I would most like to win a PURPLE set. That is the color I always choose! I would make some ATCs for a big swap I have coming up!
i would love to have any color, but blue is a favorite of mine. i would like to make cards with it.
I think I’d go with red… Thanks!
I think I would like to try the blues. They sound wonderful to work with.
I really like the blue set, really pretty colours. Maybe the greens too…
Purples and blues would probably be my favorite. Love the shimmery ones especially. I’m excited to check out all this new stuff from Faber Castell. I’ve always been a fan of their stuff for writers (that other thing I do) so it’s cool to see them expanding into craft supplies too.
I’d have to go with the green because I’ve used up my green gelatos already!
Honestly, I WOULD LOVE THEM ALL!!! LOL…I would probably use the blue the most, and if they have green, pink, purple….any of those would be awesome too! I have so many ideas running around in my head right now!!!
I think I would like to try either green or yellow. I really would love to try the pencils.
I love all the colors but if I had to chose just one it would be red. Thanks for the great info on this product. EJ
I would love to try these!!! I would use them in my art journaling and mixed-media painting projects. My favorite color is blue, but I think I would like the red set for some contrast!
Cindi
I had a hard time choosing but I would go with blues. They really grab me at the moment.
I love all colors but would probably choose red and use them in my art journal and to rubber stamp.
I would like to win all of the mixed media sets would you most want to win and would like to experience a lot. In fact I’m a blue lover
I like both of the color paks. I would use them for back ground designs.
I wish there was a purple set. The blue set looks like it would be fun though.
I think I’d like green the best. This looks like such a fun product! And affordable, too. I’d probably use them in card making a lot.
Wow–this was really interesting. thanks for the chance to win. I’d love to try these.
The green definitely. Or maybe blue. Oh oh I know! The red! Aw heck….they are all pretty damn cool!!!
I want these so badly, they look awesome for not only stamping but also art journaling and mixed media art…my favorite things in the world. Thanks for the review and the chance to win.
I would love to win the primary colors-red, yellow, blue! these look terrific!!
I would want the blue set to create some ATC’s. I live by the ocean and blue is my favorite color!
I love the blue and the brown.
I love to try these materials. Looks so pretty.
I already have the red so would like to try the green or blue.
The sets are a neat way to try out some of ther products. Ive not seen these before. I’d use them with my stamping for cards and scrapbooking
wow, love these products. I love oranges and turquoise the most!
Ilove to try the blue pack!
Thanks for the chance to win.
I cross my fingers, the blue pack looks amazing;
i would like the blues to go with some pictures I have of the ocean to help create scrapbook pages. Thank you for the chance to win.
These are great! I think I need to get some and made something, anything today. I would like to first start out with with some fabric, your pictures got me thinking. ambrerose (at) aol(dot) com
Great comments, everyone! Thanks for checking out the review… Good luck with the giveaway!
Great review and projects, Erika!