Posca Colored Pencils and the National Parks Postcard Coloring Book

Many of you probably know Posca for their amazing paint markers, but did you know that they now make colored pencils as well? When the folks from Posca reached out to me to try their 12-pack of colored pencils, I happily accepted. Posca Colored Pencils have a creamy wax-hybrid formulation intended to produce bright and consistent color, with the ability to blend and layer smoothly. I was eager to see how these pencils would perform. This post contains affiliate links. 

I decided to use the Posca pencils to color an image from the new-to-me National Parks Postcard Coloring Book. This A6-size book contains images from 20 units of the National Park System on thick cardstock appropriate for mailing. 

I selected the image of a bald eagle at Olympic National Park and started coloring. I loved how vibrant the color was and how easy it was to get good coverage. The pencils felt good in my hand. The colors blended well, although with only 12 colors it was infinitely more difficult to get subtle blends than if I'd had a larger set. The thick paper of the postcard took color beautifully and worked very well with the pencils. 

Here is my finished postcard. 

This is what the back looks like. I added a tiny bit of color, but didn't want to cover the writing area. I'll probably end up decorating it after I address it and add my message. 

I really enjoyed this project. The Posca colored pencils are a delight to use, though having only 12 colors is very limiting. The postcards feature beautiful images printed on paper that it ideal for coloring. The small size allowed me to finish the project in a much shorter amount of time than a standard coloring page. I'm eager to use both the pencils and the coloring book again!

50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Ohuhu's New Pupe

I was trying to decide what art material to use for my next batch of 50 State Quarter coloring pages when I got an email from the folks at Ohuhu asking if I'd like to review their latest markers. Would I?! Yes! I absolutely love everything that Ohuhu makes. Just read my reviews of the Ohuhu Honolulu and Ohuhu Kaala alcohol markers and you'll see! Affiliate links below.  

Ohuhu's latest set, called Pupe, includes 60 water-based markers. But these are not ordinary water-based markers. They are specifically designed to be paper-friendly, meaning they won't scratch or peel the surface of your paper, even if you color over the same spot repeatedly. This is a total game-changer!

The Pupe markers are double-sided, with a brush tip and a 0.4 mm fineliner tip. They're non-toxic, acid-free, and fade-resistant. They come in a handy carrying case. And best of all, they are extremely inexpensive. But how is the quality? Fantastic! The ink goes down beautifully and my paper held up to 3-4 layers with no issues. Both tips are comfortable and easy to use. The colors are vibrant. If I have any complaint at all, it's that I wanted a paler grey for shading. I'd happily trade one of the oranges or reds for another grey or a light tan. But other than that, I absolutely love the Pupes. Here are the pages I colored: 

 

I know I said I wasn't going to announce my favorite art materials until after I've done all 50 State Quarters, but I will say that the Ohuhu's Pupe set is near the top. Here are all of the materials I've used previously:

• Ohuhu Kaala markers (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin)
• ink and Prismacolor colored pencils (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Montana)
• Flair pens (Delaware, Indiana)
• Sharpies (Maine, South Carolina)
• Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 (Colorado, New Hampshire)
• Folk Art acrylic paint (Wyoming, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Michigan)
• Crayola crayons (Florida, Maryland, South Dakota, Vermont)
• Himi gouache (Iowa, New York, Utah, West Virginia)
• Derwent Inktense pencils (Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana)

A big thanks to Ohuhu for letting me test out the Pupe set. I'll be back to them soon, but for now I need to set them aside, find a different art material, and start on my next batch of State Quarter coloring pages.

Ruizhi Pocket Watercolor Painting Book

I absolutely love the concept of a travel-friendly "paint with water" coloring book for kids. Unfortunately, the 1970's version from my childhood was usually disappointing: the paper was thin, tore easily, and dried slowly; the paints were barely pigmented; and the books themselves were not all that portable, especially when the paint was wet. Some were better than others, of course, but even the best ones were just OK.  

I haven't had too much experience with "paint with water" coloring books over the years, other than a few really, really cheap versions that showed up in party gift bags. So when I received a modern version (Pocket Watercolor Painting Book by Ruizhi) to do while I recovered from my surgery, I was excited to give it a try (affiliate link here and below). 

I'm happy to report that I recommend it! It's aimed toward kids 4-8, but it entertained me as a couch-bound 52-year old unable to use my usual coloring supplies. 

The book is indeed pocket-sized; each of the 20 finished pages is intended to be used as a bookmark. The paper quality is good and the paint itself is quite pigmented. I was able to blend the six colors somewhat to get more shades. The book is backed with very thick chipboard, which not only acts as a convenient surface to work on, but also has a recess in it where the paintbrush fits when you're not using it. Clever! 

Here are the first two bookmarks I painted:

 

There are many different themes available, if insects aren't your thing. They offer farm animals, dinosaurs, mermaids, ocean animals, and flowers, among others. With holiday travel coming up, this may be just what you need to keep your child happy in the car (fill an empty applesauce container half full with water and put it in a cup holder), on an airplane or in the airport, in a hotel room, or at a restaurant.

Trying Crayola Paint Sticks

While I love using my growing collection of artist quality supplies like Prismacolor and Ohuhu, there's a special place in my heart for Crayola. It was the first art brand I loved as a kid, the brand I used in my classroom as a teacher, and the one I introduced to Trevor when he was a young toddler. Crayola products are the best among student-grade art supplies and their huge product line provides kids (and adults) a very affordable way to explore different media. My favorite Crayola products are their iconic crayons, colored pencils, Model Magic, and Silly Scents.   

Crayola's Washable Paint Sticks (affiliate link) have been around for a couple of years, but I hadn't tried them. I thought it would be fun to get my hands on some and give them a go. I got the 12-pack, which contains the usual rainbow colors plus silver and gold. The paint sticks are about the size and shape of a glue stick and the paint is similar in consistency. I tried them on some pre-painted paper I had laying around to see how they would perform. The paint went on fairly smoothly with decent coverage but some small paint blobs.  

I thought I'd be able to smooth out those blobs with a wet brush, but instead the water basically erased the paint. The more I tried to smooth it, the more of the background showed through. I tried applying the wet brush directly to the paint stick and then painting with that. Meh.  

I used a different section of the pre-painted paper to see what kind of detail and blending I could get with just the paint sticks. The black really didn't want to go over the existing paint, especially the pink areas. 

I switched to watercolor paper and made some blobs of color with four different paint sticks. 

Then I dragged a wet paintbrush through them. Very satisfying!

I tried each of the colors on a pre-painted dark navy page in my sketchbook. This is where the gold and silver worked best. 

Overall, I had fun trying out Crayola's Washable Paint Sticks. Like all washable art supplies, they are marketed toward young children. That's definitely the audience that will appreciate them the most. I can see myself using them in abstract paintings like this one, but otherwise I'll save them for crafting with young kids. 

Have you tried Crayola's Washable Paint Sticks? Or a different brand? Tell me what you think in the comments.

Yonanas Soft Serve Maker

I love trying new things, especially those that relate to food. So I jumped at the chance to review the Yonanas Soft Serve Maker here on my blog (affiliate link). I hadn't heard of Yonanas before the manufacturer contacted me, but apparently I've been living under a rock because it's been around well over a decade. If you already know and use Yonanas, feel free to ignore today's post. If, like me, Yonanas is new to you, read on!

 

Yonanas is an easy-to-use machine that turns frozen fruit into a treat with the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. But here's the important thing: it does this with no added ingredients. You're not adding milk or yogurt or anything else. You put in fruit, then you get out that exact same fruit but with a different texture.

My Yonanas came with a 63-page recipe book of delicious-sounding desserts. I stuck with the basics for now. The first time I used my Yonanas, I used strawberries and bananas. The second time, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. You turn on the machine, drop the frozen fruit into the chute, then slowly press the contents down toward the blade using the plunger. The pressed fruit comes right out the bottom into your container. 

  

Yonanas is not a blender, nor a food processor, nor a smoothie maker. Rather than shred the fruit, it squishes it, which gives a different texture than you'd get in another type of machine. 

I was afraid the Yonanas machine would be a pain to wash, but it's not. It has five removable, washable parts in addition to the base; cleaning them is surprisingly easy. But before you wash anything, use a spoon to scrape off as much of the fruit as possible so that you don't waste it! Quite a bit stays behind in the machine.

Big thanks to Yonanas for providing me with a media sample! So far, I'm happy with my Yonanas and I'm eager to try different fruits. Next time, I'm going to try pineapple. And then maybe mango. Yum! 

Across America Fluxx

There's a new version of Fluxx out and it's AWESOME! Across America Fluxx was provided to me as media sample. There are affiliate links here and throughout the post.

 

Did you notice the license plate? Luv Flx!

Across America Fluxx is everything I love about other versions of Fluxx (fun, easy to learn, portable, ever-changing, played with any number of people) combined with a subject matter I love, travel in the US. Across America Fluxx is played the same way as the other versions of Fluxx. You follow the (ever-changing) Rules as you take Actions and collect Keepers in hopes of achieving the (ever-changing) Goal and winning the game. 

 

The Goals and Keepers are totally unique to this version of Fluxx and are all themed on locations in the US. The first thing I did when I opened the box was go through the Keepers and see how many places we've been! I've been to 14 of the 21 shown below on the map, most recently the Space Needle. Excluding the Golden Gate Bridge, which I've been on, under, and next to often enough to not be a big deal. 

I was a bit confused at first, as there are 21 locations on the map and 22 Keepers. The 22nd is Amusement Parks. Smart to keep it generic instead of naming a specific one. 

The next thing I did was to go through the Goals to see how many I'd accomplished in real life. (I got a lot of entertainment from Across America Fluxx long before I even played a single game!) Answer: 18 out of 32. #Goals.  

The Rules and Actions in this deck are mostly similar to other Fluxx versions, but there are several of each that are new. One of the more interesting ones is the Been There Bonus, which lets you draw an extra card if you've actually been to at least one of the Keepers you have in play. The Road Trip! rule has you count the number of different states represented by the Keepers you have in play and draw that many cards. So if you didn't already know the locations of some of the spots, you will after playing enough rounds of Across America Fluxx!

Looney Labs has also introduced Around the World Fluxx, which can be combined with Across America Fluxx for even more fun. I don't have a copy of Around the World Fluxx yet, so if you've played it, let me know what you think!

Prospector Popcorn

I love giving (and getting!) consumable gifts. Bonus if the company has a mission I believe in, or that my recipient would appreciate. It's like a 2-in-1 gift! The folks at Prospector Popcorn recently sent me a sampler pack that I couldn't wait to share with you. 

First, a little bit about the company. Prospector Theater is a 501(c)(3) non-profit movie theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut which employs people with disabilities. Started by Valerie Jensen, Prospect aims to provide their employees with "popportunities" for higher quality of life through meaningful work. Val noticed how few adults with disabilities (including her sister, Hope, born with Down syndrome) were employed. (Nationally, 80% of people with disabilities do not have a job.) She sought to create an opportunity for talented, motivated, capable, and hardworking people with disabilities to work.

Since opening in 2014, Prospector Theater has employed over 300 people, 75% of whom have a disability. Obviously, you can't run a movie theater without popcorn! Professional "popcornistas" create Prospector's gourmet flavors daily at the theater. It is so popular that they now ship it around the globe.  

We got to try three flavors and they were all AMAZING. We started with the Belgian Chocolate Toffee: caramel popcorn, drizzled with Belgian chocolate, and sprinkled with toffee and pretzels. It was absolutely fantastic. 

I thought the Belgian Chocolate Toffee would be my favorite until I tried Maple Walnut Ice Cream. Wow. It was so unique and so, so good. The popcorn is drizzled with "ice cream" (white chocolate vanilla drizzle) and local maple syrup, then sprinkled with walnuts. It's to die for. 

Even the 'boring' Classic Caramel is something special. It's not a glorified Cracker Jack; imagine gooey caramel with a hint of vanilla and just the right amount of salt. Perfection!

There are eight standard flavors, which you can buy individually or in packs. It makes a fantastic gift for practically anyone. It would be an especially meaningful gift for someone who has a connection with, or cares about, the disabled community (in other words, practically everyone). Of course, you can also support Prospector through donations or by seeing a movie if you're local to Connecticut. Enjoy!

How Many Different Colors of Ohuhu Markers Are There?

Last week I reviewed the Honolulu Dual-Trip Alcohol Markers by Ohuhu, which has 320 gorgeous colors. In an earlier post, I shared my initial impressions of Ohuhu's Kaala line, which includes four sets of markers (two with 24 and two with 60). Then I took a deeper dive into the Kaalas after making thank-you cards and drawing a frog. As I mentioned in my posts, the markers in both lines are comparable in performance to high-end alcohol marker brands and have a wide range of beautiful colors. I highly recommend them. The organization, naming, and numbering systems of each line are equally haphazard, which is frustrating, but it doesn't take away from the fact that Ohuhu makes really nice alcohol markers at a very affordable price. 

I recently finished swatching the Kaalas. As I worked on swatch cards, I noticed a few duplications between the sets. (More on that below.) That got me wondering how many duplicates there would be between the 168 Kaalas and the 320 Honolulus. Were my Kaalas duplicates of my Honolulus, just with different tips? Were there any colors in the Kaala line that aren't part of the 320 Honolulus? And if so, how many? Just how many colors of Ohuhu markers are there?

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How many different colors of Ohuhu markers are there?

I made a spreadsheet, gathered my swatch cards and markers, and spent hours scribbling notes and trying to find the answer to my question. It shouldn't have been that difficult. Add number of pens in both sets, then subtract any duplicates. Easy, right? Nope! At first, it seemed like it would be that simple. It was not. 

First, I had to eliminate duplicates within the four sets of Kaala markers. Here are the swatch cards: 

And here is the handy chart I made showing the duplicates between the four sets. 

As you can see, there are 16 colors that appear in more than one of the Kaala sets. Of these, two colors (Warm Grey 140 and Black) are in three sets. So the potentially 168 different colors is actually 150. 

Next, I compared those 150 unique colors to the 320 Honolulu colors. There was a potential of 470 colors, but surely there would be quite a few duplicates, right? Actually, no. The only duplicates were Black, YG40, B290, and E440. I was really surprised. Does that mean there are 466 unique colors? 

No. Because that's when I noticed there are duplicate numbers. B290 is in Honolulu with the name Antwerp Blue, while the same number is Sky Blue in Kaala. They are not at all the same color. E440 is Khaki in Honolulu, but Bronze in Kaala. Again, not the same color. So maybe there are 466 unique colors? 

Still no. Because when I compared the swatches of the two YG40 markers (which had the same color names), the colors weren't the same at all. Not even close. So does that mean there are 467 unique colors and I have to think of Honolulu YG40 and Kaala YG40 as different colors? 

Maybe. Honestly, it took me hours to record all this and I'm not 100% confident that I didn't miss something. And there's an entirely different issue I didn't mention, which is that some of the colors have the same names but different numbers. 

Two of the colors with the same name look completely different, Grass Green and Buttercup Yellow (neither of which look like a buttercup at all, but that's a separate issue). The rest of the the same-name-different-numbers are close if not identical. So that means that we need to subtract 7 colors from our total, brining us to 460. 

So maybe there are 460 unique colors of Ohuhu markers, but I won't swear to it. I could easily have made a mistake. I think I'm safe in saying that there are about 460 unique colors of Ohuhu markers. Of course, they could come out with new colors at any time, or discontinue colors. 

Ultimately, no matter how many colors there are, these are good quality markers at an affordable price. The range of colors is enormous, significantly more than you can get with any other brand I'm aware of.  I can overlook the strange color family (dis)organization, the wacky names, and the illogical numbering system, since the performance is what actually matters. 

Product Review: Ohuhu Honolulu Dual Tip Alcohol Markers

As promised, today I'm reviewing the Honolulu Dual-Trip Alcohol Markers by Ohuhu. I was given the markers from the manufacturer, but this is not a sponsored post. As always, everything I say is my own honest opinion. There are affiliate links throughout this post. 

I'm going to start by jumping right in and saying that I love these markers. I'll go into the pros and cons below, but do know that I highly recommend them. This set of 320 markers is a thing of beauty. Every time I see my Ohuhu Honolulu markers in their carrying case, I am instantly happy. Having so many shades at my fingertips is a dream. 

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Ohuhu Honolulu Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers, Set of 320

The Carrying Case

The case, which is included with the markers, is soft-sided with six dividers and a pocket for swatch cards and a colorless blender (also included) inside. It has both an adjustable shoulder strap and a handle. It measures approximately 14" x 11" x 7" and weighs around 14 pounds when fully loaded with the markers. It zips securely for transport and is comfortable to hold. A word to the wise: Do not move your case without zipping it, even if you're 'just' moving it upstairs. You might be successful, or you might wish you'd been. Let's just say it takes awhile to pick up that many pens if you drop them. I'm thankful I dropped them before swatching and organizing them.  

The Barrels, Caps, and Tips

The markers have round barrels that are very comfortable in my hand. Little grips on the caps make them easy to open and prevent the markers from rolling away on the table. The color number and name are printed on both caps. The caps could be a better color match to the ink. About 80% of the markers are a decent match, leaving 20% of the caps that range from close-ish to just not true to the ink color. 

Each marker has two tips: a brush tip and a chisel tip. Both are exactly as expected and perform well. I am able to get great coverage and get into tiny spots by using both tips. The tips themselves are double-sided, so if you ever get any fraying, just grab tweezers, pull out the tip, and pop it back in the other direction. You can buy replacement nibs if the second side wears down. I haven't experienced this; my tips are holding up perfectly.  

Something I love about these markers is that, with the caps on, you can easily tell at glance which end has which tip. The grey shows on the brush tip side, even with the caps on. 

The Ink

I am really happy with the ink flow of the Honolulus. It goes on beautifully, dries instantly, blends well, and doesn't smear. A small number of markers bled over the lines a little bit when I was making my swatch cards but that was rare. I haven't had the markers long enough to know if the ink fades over time, but the manufacturer claims it doesn't. 

 

The Colors

I've never had a set of coloring implements with anywhere close to 320 colors, so I love my Honolulus for that reason alone. The largest crayon set Crayola makes has 152 different colors (and I don't own it); I don't even have a complete set of Prismacolor colored pencils (I have 77/150). So having so many colors is amazing. I can't think of a color that I need that isn't in the set. 

While I love the color palette, I do not like the organization. The color families don't make sense, and the numbering system makes even less sense. Take a look at Color Swatch 2, for example. There are four color families on it, which I have outlined with the appropriate color. They include: R (Red), P (Purple), V (Violet), and B (Blue). The colors are shown in numerical order. 

If you showed me just the colors in the Red color family, I'd be lucky to guess the color family at all. Look at R24 (3rd row, 2nd column). It's called Dark Violet Light. I'm not sure how a color can be both dark and light, but ignoring that... it's Violet. Literally. Why isn't it in the Violet family? There are so many examples of colors that are in one color family that literally have the name of another color family.  

On top of that, the colors within a family aren't numbered in an order that makes sense. I want to be able to pick up any three pens in a row and make a good gradient. But instead, they skip around. The Blue family is decent in its organization, but that's about it. Scroll back and look at the Swatches. The colors could be organized so much better. 

Back to the names. I pulled out 8 markers with names that do not (in my opinion) match their colors whatsoever. Look at the caps and think about what you would call each one. Off the top of my head, I'd call them Pink Blush, Peach, Pale Peach, Pale Pumpkin, Pastel Orange, Pale Mustard, Lime Sherbet, and Mellow Blue. 

Want to know their actual names? I'll mix up the order so that you can guess which is which. They are: Brown Grey, Vivid Blue, Pink Flamingo, Deep Orange, Horseradish, Chocolate Pink, Carmine Red, and Black Brown. 

Don't see any color that could possibly be Black Brown? Yeah, me neither. 

Here are the answers:

Fortunately, the names of the colors don't really matter and I'm free to organize them however I'd like. It just seems like such a missed opportunity. 

The Price

I saved the best for last. The Ohuhu Honolulu set is incredibly affordable, priced around 75¢ per marker. Considering that the quality rivals that of one of the most expensive brands of alcohol markers, which can cost more than $5 a piece, the Ohuhus are such a bargain. To be fair, the Ohuhus aren't refillable and the others are (not to mention their numbering system makes more sense), so it's not quite apples to apples. But still. Get the Ohuhu Honolulu 320-marker set. You won't regret it.