The Arteza Company contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying out some of their products and reviewing them for my blog and YouTube followers. I was so excited. I had recently seen a number of big time crafters using these products, and I really was interested in trying them out. They sent me (1) a Hobby Knife Set that included 13 blades and 3 holders for cutting various thicknesses and types of materials; (2) a Premium Water Brush Set that included 6 water brushes (3 finer and 3 wider); and (3) a 48 Piece Premium Real Brush Pens Set (similar to Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers). Oh I really wanted to like all the products I was sent. After all, I could even make a commission if any of my followers purchased any of their products with my coupon code. However, I have to be honest about my feelings about these products.
The knife set came with the blades “attached” to a magnet strip that had shifted in shipping, and while I was trying to put it back into position so that the blades would line up with their plastic slots, I cut myself. The set included a cutting mat that looked thick enough to handle even the heaviest duty blade, was so small (~7″ x 3.5″) it was virtually useless. I tried to use two of the blades and while they did cut through the light weight chip board easily, the heavy weight chip board took a dozen passes with the heaviest duty knife.
I’ve tried three of the water brushes so far and they all seem to work as expected, but the little button on the side of each barrel to help control the water flow seems unnecessary (except when first starting off loading each brush with water). As the price for these currently is competitive as compared to Pentel water brushes (which is what I have used previously), these could be ok to buy.
Lastly, the 48 Piece Premium Real Brush Pens Set was a real disappointment. The set that was shipped to me had 4 trays of markers (12 markers in each tray), but 2 of the trays were the same, meaning there were only 36 different colors. When I contacted the company and told them of their error and offered to wait to do my review if they wanted to send me a replacement, they declined. They said to just review what I had received. Ugh – Strike 1. That was not the response I was hoping for. If this is how they treated me, how would they treat customers whose opinions might not be heard? But I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and proceeded to swatch the markers to see how they looked both at full strength and blended out with a water brush. This is when I noticed none of the markers had any names or numbers – Strike 2. There was no way I could share coloring tutorials and process videos sharing the colors I used that would make any sense to my followers with these pens. I decided to keep going anyway and made up color names to label each marker to match my color swatch sheet. Then as I was making my swatch sheet I noticed that some of the colors when blended out changed shades dramatically – Strike 3. This is a significant problem unless you are careful and really think about how a color could shift when watercoloring. At this point I was thinking, well, I could use this if I needed to when my Zig marker set was lacking a color that might be in this set or if one of my Zig markers dried out so I decided to finish my swatch sheet anyway. The last critique is that bristles of 3 of the 36 markers that I swatched out came loose and fell out – Strike 4! I’m done with these.
In general, I think the blades could be ok if you see a need for that many different cutting blades for your crafting, but take care when handling the blades even in the storage case. The water brushes are fine and are currently priced competitively and hold a lot of water (which could be nice if you’re doing big water coloring projects on the go). Lastly, if you want real brush markers at the lowest price, these might be ok but I cannot recommend them. I’d save up and spend a little more on the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.
The following is my video review of these products:
I tend not to buy anything that comes up on an obnoxiously regular basis in my Facebook feed.
Well, I ordered the same set that you were sent and they must have taken your critique to heart. My colors have names, there are three trays filled with a nice variety of colors, and one with a wide variety of grays and browns. Your critique must have made it better for the rest of us, because customer service was knowledgeable, and even looked up a product I was using with theirs to see if it would work ok. So far, the brushes are awesome, the color goes on well and no brushes have fallen out. You might think about getting a smaller set and trying them again. Take care, and happy crafting!
Oh I am so happy to hear that they were so good to you and that their products were great to use too. I always hope craft companies take our comments and wishes to heart (I really want them all to succeed and do well). After all, without them, we wouldn’t have the supplies we need to create! Thanks for letting me know your good experience!
I also been using Arteza products and they are horrible. I don’t like the Arteza brush pens & there Pencils. They are dry as a rock !!! YouTubers that got the Arteza products for free had great things to say about it !!! If I would get it for free I would maybe also give them a good rating. Thank you for being Honest even after getting Arteza products for free!
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I’m so sorry you have had bad experiences with their products as well. We work hard for our craft money so I think my readers have a right to hear the absolute truth about any products I try (even if I got them for free). Hope you have better luck with other craft tools!
I agree. Even though it “is free” doesn’t mean you sacrifice honesty and integrity….. to perhaps get more “free stuff”. It is everywhere. Even though businesses are required to educate in quid pro quo; it’s rarely followed. I’m impressed with your honesty and integrity. Thank you.
I agree the brush pens I got are horrible I don’t understand why so many of my favourite art you tubers love this brand! The gouache paints are ok I like them but don’t love them. They’re watercolour paints cost more than my beloved Windsor net win (not pro but they are still fanatastic and much better than the arteza) and their sketch pads are overpriced for the quality. But agree customer service is brilliant.
I had a terrible experience with the sales team and the real brush pens. I have painted all my life but recently had a block so when I saw these on sale I thought it might help me get motivated to try a new product. I bought a bundle of art materials and waited. And waited. And two months later and many emails sent later still heard nothing. So I posted @arteza and asked if it was a con and did the company exist to steal money because they ignored every email. Within a couple of minutes they answered and told me to dm them. I did. Got ignored. Posted screenshots on Instagram then they offered to sell me a set of 120 brush pens with £5 off and three grey sketch books because the bundle I ordered was sold out.
I told them I was one of the first people to order the bundle because I used the ltd time money off coupon and they accepted it and took my cash that day.
Eventually they sent me 3 small sugar paper sketch books branded grey paper sketch books and the brush pens. They never refunded my original order and blocked me on Instagram.
Oh my goodness, what a horrible experience. I am so sorry you had to endure this. I know a lot of people had positive experiences, but a lot of us have had bad experiences, and I just cannot in good conscience support a company that is supposed to be helping their customers experience creative joy with such haphazard and negative exchanges. Thank you for telling me what happened to you. The company has subsequently asked me to review other products of theirs and asked to send me additional craft supplies without any strings, but I have declined. All the best to you in your crafty adventures. I hope they have not soured you to crafting. Big hugs, Kristina
I wish I had read this review before buying from them. I am having similar problems with trying to get my whole order (only some items were received).
I have had the same experience with Arteza. They keep saying that I have received my order via FedEx but I have not received it via FedEx, UPS, US Postal Service, or carrier pigeon. As a retired senior I can’t afford to support their scam.
Think I’ll stick with Prismacolor , Holbein and Derwent.
Glad to see this review. I was thinking of getting some because a former student of mine (in high school) really loves them and she makes them work for her but I want something a little better quality.
I’m glad this review was helpful to you. I really love my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers for better quality and color-fastness. 🙂
I don’t know whether it’s the difference between products, but I’m a painter, and I absolutely adore the acrylic paints. They’re great coverage, and such rich colours. I haven’t had any problems with the brand itself, or it’s customer service. Then again, it might be because they’re different products, if you paint I really do recommend their acrylics.
Thanks for letting me know, Sofia!
I actually found their acrylic paints to be garbage, largely. I bought the 60 tube set and the color on the tube is so far off from the color of the paint inside it’s ridiculous. Stuck with them, I rarely use them and when I do it’s only for underpainting or “sketching” out ideas on throw away cardboard or wood scraps. Great advertising/social media campaign, crappy near-worthless acrylic paints. I would stay away if you’re serious about your artwork.
I actually used their vinyl on a bunch of t-shirts for Christmas and they came out a lot better than the Cricut brand vinyl
That’s great to know! I haven’t tried their vinyl, but might give it a try. THANKS, Jenn!
I got these pretty recently and they had names, numbers and a wide variety of colours with 4 trays. Originally I thought they were very dry and the ink was like marker then I looked at the tutorial on the arteza website and realised you can dip the brush tip in and use it. It gives the same effect as normal watercolours except easier to use. Overall I was really happy with these, you may have got a faulty product as there are many differences in quality between the products.
I have been contacted by Arteza again recently and they have asked me to try other products of theirs. I may try out some of their newer products with the hope that they have made many improvements. Thanks for sharing your experience, Sarvi!
Hey, Crafty Paws. We can’t begin to apologize enough for your Arteza experience as it’s not an Arteza norm, whatsoever. Please know that over the years, we’ve become an established company devoted to being there for our fellow artists in any way we can. Our goal is to offer the art community quality supplies at affordable prices and to always stand behind our artists, no matter what. Your concerns have been heard and considered over the years–and for that, we can’t thank you enough! If you ever need anything or ever have any questions or concerns, we’re always here to lend a helping brush.
-The Arteza Team
I am new at paint pouring,would love to try your product.
I am a senior in a resident in Bathurst N.b.the lady responsible for the activities asked me to do a demonstration on pouring,
I would really like to use your products,
for the workshop,would you consider sending us a starter kid
Of paint like a beginners kit of Colors,I would mention to the group your generosity and insist on arteza,I watch a lot of you tube pour painting and often hear ladies talk about you product.I would appreciate hearing from you.Thank you for your time.Letha Duguay
I just tried to place an order from Arteza. I used Afterpay to purchase about $150 worth of products. A few hours later I got an email requesting I send them my mailing address, the transaction amount, and the first and last 4 digits of my credit card, among other things. So I went to the website and used the chat feature to ask about this, and was once again told that I needed to provide all this information to them to complete my order. Since it is absolutely ridiculous to send them my credit card information when I used Afterpay, and there was no reason why they would not already know the amount of the order, I just told them to cancel it. Has to be the weirdest interaction I’ve had with an online seller to date. Just really sketchy,.
It’s been 15 business days and still NO product.
They are very very sketchy. I did some digging and all their products are ordered from alibaba (Chinese factories) and rebranded with their “Arteza logo”. I do not believe this is an authentic art company. They have reached out to me and tons of my friends to send out free products in hopes for five star reviews.
It’s really too bad. I’ve had mixed results but just can’t recommend them. I have seen a lot of crafters give rave reviews and I kept wondering if I just got a one-off bad product. Thanks for sharing your information Kelsey
I had a number of issues with my Arteza purchase. I had to wait well over a month–and send several emails–to receive my order. I will not purchase their products in the future. The fact that YouTube is flooded with “reviews” from their affiliates is yet another red flag.
Yes, very hit or miss. Sorry you had such a hard time. I’ve had trouble too, and I found that alarming given they had reached out to me to do reviews.