Faber-Castell Gelatos Gift Set: 28 Watercolor Gel Crayons and Art Supplies for Painting, Drawing & Journaling, Versatile Art Pigment Crayons, Gel Sticks for Mixed Media

As I've commented in my other reviews of other Gelatos (I'm a little obsessed with these), THESE ARE PERFECTION! I love the wide range of colors Faber Castell provides in this pack. It's like some color fairy went on a mission to find all the colors you could possibly need, then threw in a few more you'll use time and time again, but didn't realize it. I create a lot with these and I can always find the color I need in this 33 piece set. (28 Gelatos, 3 stamps, 1 palette knife, 1 paintbrush.) From the bright colors you want to get lost in, to the regular colors everyone uses frequently, and even a couple of metallics - this is one set they absolutely nailed. It's kind of expensive, but if you think about it, you get a lot for your money. For just over $2/Gelato - plus a few tools - you get a wide range of delicious creamy pigments that will last forever. Even though I reach for these constantly, they barely look used. The pigments are so rich and deep that it doesn't take much to create something as bright - or subdued - as you want.The photo I've included was one I added to my review of the Bright set which has 12 colors. (That's my favorite set!) Although the house was created with the Brights, it provides an idea of what Gelatos can look like when you work to knock down the colors a bit and want a more subdued look. It's easy to make something brilliantly bold - or to get the washed out look that's so popular. That's one of the things I adore about these creamy sticks of magic - you decide the effect you get by the method you use. There are quite a few YouTube videos that can give you some ideas and I encourage you to check them out if this is a supply you are interested in, but haven't worked with before (or don't know what to do with). I included a few of my favorite tips in my review of the Brights - and always struggle with whether to point people to another review or just repeat the information in my current review. In this case, I'll leave those tips under that other review, but I will say that these work equally well on light or dark surfaces. You choose whether the effect is opaque, full coverage, slick, solid, and appears to lay on the surface of your substrate - or - the color appears to be a part of your substrate, like it's integrated into the paper weave.Whether you are new to arts and crafts, or you've been around long enough to see all sorts of products come and go, you will easily find a use for these. Did I mention they are also acid-free? Portable? Wonderful to mix or overlay? Oh, yeah! The effects you can create are truly endless, especially when you begin to bring water into the equation. Easy to control, deposits rich color on paper, wood, canvas, etc you're using (the house is on a birch wood panel), countless ways to apply...ooh! Gives me goosebumps just thinking about all fun crammed into this box of velvety sticks!Gelatos are available in a wide range of combinations - a couple of colors are available in sets of 2, there are many different color combinations available in four packs (each comes with a brush), sets of 15 that have a theme (Pastel, Metallics, Brights, etc), a collection of 23 Double Scoops (Double Scoops are about twice the size of these regular sticks), and a few additional gift sets. You can get a good idea of their awesomeness in the 4 packs - they are more than enough to play with (quantity-wise), but fairly priced at around $10. Try 'em...I think you'll like 'em!

I love these watercolor crayons! I recently started venturing into other watercolor mediums (pencils, crayons) for fun - I'm not an artist by any means - and bought a set of 12 that were not marketed as "gelatos" (aka: cheaper) and liked them. So I found this set at a killer price and splurged...I am so glad I did! The variety of colors is wonderful and they're beyond your standard color spectrum. I do find that using a gesso on whatever surface I'm working with makes blending much easier, so for the important stuff, I add that step. I will say that, compared to the cheaper ones (not called "gelatos"), they do seem just slightly different, and I can't really say how - mainly in the ease of blending and perhaps a slightly smoother application. They look just the same, and are packaged just the same, so they very well might be the exact same product, but they act differently for me on the exact same surfaces. I only use my fingers or a brush for blending, but I like the little tools that come with this, and it's opened me up to a few new ones I wouldn't have thought about. The box is gorgeous and something you don't mind having out if that's your organizational system. Clean up from fingertips is a breeze with water.

I love using Gelatos in mixed media art as they are very versatile, you can use with a brush and water, use straight out of the tube it's in, with a spray bottle, sponges and more as they are water soluble.This kit comes with 28 absolutely beautiful colors and a few tools such as a pallet knife, rubber tray for dissolving the product, stamping and other uses.The Gelatos come in a small tube that looks like and is the same size as chapstick. Unfortunately the tubes are completely full but they still last a while depending on how you use them.If you enjoy stamping, mixed media or even coloring then this set is a must have set that brings lots of color and versatility.

I initially ordered the Gelatos because they appeared to be versatile in their uses, including wet and dry use, smudgable with a finger and produce bright color. They can be used with stamps, used to color over images in art journals, to create beautiful backgrounds for cards or journal pages, add touches of color to mixed media paintings and it's possible to cut a bit of the product off the tip, put in a small spray bottle with water and create color sprays. The set of 28 is a bit pricey, but I'm happy with the results I'm getting in my own art journals and mixed media pieces that I feel they are worth the price for me. Faber-Castell also has many smaller kits with new colors so that you can keep adding to your collection.I think any crafter or artist would find good use for these colorful pigment tubes. Their consistency is similar to lipstick or chapstick, they glide on substrates nicely, and they can be layered with other products (especially the Faber Castell big brush markers). The brightness of the color was a real draw for me. They don't feel particularly greasy once on the page, but I do spray workable fixative over them to insure the color stays put when I start layering other media.

I’m surprised these gelatos aren’t more popular. They are the kind of product you can do apply them in so many different ways. Use them on stencils, on rubber stamps, like watercolors this list goes on. The two biggest problems are the price point (they last a while if your careful). This package has the gelatos that are the size of a chapstick. And the really big problem is that the colors aren’t completely permanent. If you use them in an art journal the pigment will get onto the next page. They are kinda like oil pastels but fancier.