Crayola Paint Brushes - A Little Artist's Essential!
Written: Sep 03 '02 (Updated Nov 09 '04)
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Pros: Durable, easy for kids to use, inexpensive and a breeze to clean up.
Cons: Could have used more variety in the brush sizes.
The Bottom Line: If you have an artist in your house, these are the perfect brushes to keep handy!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Crayola 8 ct Arts and Crafts Brushes |
The Crayola name is one that I've grown to rely on for top quality art products, colorful markers and a good value for your money. In the past I purchased paint brushes for the brood at office supply stores, art centers and general retail stores such as Wal-Mart and Target. Most of the time I picked up the brushes that were the least expensive since I knew that they would more than likely end up getting scrapped at the end of the day. When I came across the 8 pack of Crayola Paint Brushes I figured I’d give them a try and see if they held up a little better than the cheap alternatives we’d been using.
The brood aren’t really ‘art and craft’ kids. They would much rather spend hours in the basement reenacting something they saw on PBS or playing with Lego sets. On the rare occasion that they express an interest in painting or doing something artistic it usually involves painting or making a wall mural that we all work on together. A few weeks ago they wanted to make a Happy Birthday banner for our neighbors birthday party. This was the perfect opportunity to break out these brushes and put them to the test.
What You Get
This eight pack of brushes is divided up into four different sizes. Two fine brushes that are great for drawing lines, lettering or putting the finishing touches on masterpieces. There are three medium sized brushes that will more than likely get the most amount of use. These are great for coloring medium sized areas, making borders or filling in designs. The two large brushes are great for working in large areas, creating a solid colored background or even ‘flicking’ – when you take paint and “flick it” on to the paper – great for making stars or rain drops. The largest brush in this set might not get used as much as you think. Strictly for use on banners, covering a large area quickly or making big fat lines.
How Do They Hold Up?
Providing that you clean them up promptly, these brushes will last at least a few months – and that is when they are used often. My neighbors’ daughter loves to paint so when I baby-sit her she always asks to go and paint in the garage. She’s used these the past few weeks and they are still holding up great – and trust me – she has a very heavy hand when she paints. The poor bristles are put to the test and have survived nicely so far.
When she is almost done painting she lets me know so I can bring out a fresh bucket of water to rinse the brushes. Once they are free of all the paint I dry them between some paper towels to get rid of most of the moisture and let them air dry on the shelf. The real test to see if they have ‘survived’ happens the next day when you feel the bristles. If they bounce back and are soft then you have a brush that has lived to see another day. You might want to tug on the outside bristles a little to see if they are loose. If more than one or two fall out, it’s time to pitch it and invest in new ones.
The Mom Test
One of the things I hate most about painting – for fun or otherwise – is when the bristles sneak out and become embedded in the paint. A few weeks ago I stated painting the bathroom [on a whim] and found that I needed a very small fine brush to get around one of the lighting fixtures. Since this couldn’t be removed and I didn’t want to apply an adhesive tape to it for fear that it would leave a residue – I found myself using one of the small orange Crayola brushes. This was a semi glossy acrylic paint so I fully expected the brush to be ruined afterwards but to my surprise it cleaned up nicely. After working in a very small area for about 25 minutes I was more than pleased with the results as well as the fact that all the bristles stayed in the brush – where they belonged.
Cheap Vs. Crayola
Personally, I found that it is a little more expensive to purchase the Crayola brushes when you break down the numbers the cheap brushes come out to about .10 cents a piece and the Crayola brushes are .25 cents each. However, when you have to keep buying the cheap brushes over and over it makes more sense [and cents] to invest in the Crayola ones since you’ll be able to use them over and over again.
What it all boils down to is what you will be using them for, the age of the child, the paint you will be using and how much time to have to clean up. If you can catch the brushes before the paint hardens and dries to the brush you should be able to have a completely clean brush that you’ll be able to use over and over again.
The Bottom Line
So far I am pretty impressed with the way the brushes have held up. The brood didn’t have any complaints and my neighbor’s daughter thinks they are ‘cute’ because of the different colors that the handles come in. She is only four and has no trouble what so ever using the brushes so these would be great for the younger crowd as well as the older kids.
My own personal view is this; they are a Crayola product and have lived up to the Crayola reputation. The nice thing about the brushes is that they are easy to hold and use, clean up quickly if cleaned promptly and are relatively inexpensive when you take into consideration that you won’t have to replace them as often as cheap brushes.
If you have an artist in your house and are sick of picking bristles out of the paint and off the paper, I highly suggest that you give these brushes a try. The suggested retail price for these brushes is $1.99 and in my opinion they are more than worth it in the long run.
As always, thanks for the visit…
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2004 Freak369
Other Crayola product reviews ...
• Big MiniStampers • Doodle Pad • Watercolor Pencils • Art & Craft Brushes – 8 Count • Create-A-Kid • Collecting Keepsakes • Halloween Treat Pack • Halloween Boo Bucket • Washable Water Colors – 8 Color • Pencil Pouch • Crayola Crayons – 24 Count • Metallic Crayons • Superfine Markers – 5 Count • Gel FX Washable Markers • Tub of Fun • Crayola Sketch Pad • Point Tip Scissors • Sidewalk Chalk – Chicks & Eggs • Art & Craft Brushes – 4 Count • Twistables – 16 Count • Stack-N-Store Art Tower • Washable Water Colors – 24 Color • Sidewalk Chalk – Animal Assortment • Crayola Lap Desk • Click ‘Em On Washable Markers • Washable Markers – 16 Count • Alphabet & Number Pad • Blunt Tip Scissors • Spinning Desk Top Organizer •
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $1.99
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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