My kids have been drawing, colouring and doodling since the time they could hold a pencil or marker. Their creativity and artistry amazes me, because although I also enjoyed art as a child, I can barely draw stick figures. Ask any of my kids and they’ll confirm Mom can’t draw. So I content myself with supporting their artistic habits through art lessons and art supplies.
Recently, Arrtx reached out to me about testing a set of their acrylic paint markers. These markers are pens filled with fluid, water-based acrylic paint that combine the mess-free control of a standard marker with the vibrant, opaque coverage of traditional acrylic paint. Arrtx says their markers are “ideal for scrapbooking, rock painting, card making, holiday decorations (Christmas, birthdays), and personalizing everyday items.”
When the box arrived, I presented them to my 13-year-old, Jade, who does a lot of doodling and already has a large collection of markers. I thought maybe she could test them out and compare them to her other markers and then this box could become a family set or be passed to her younger sister, who is still using cheaper markers. Well, I haven’t seen the Arrtx markers since, except for one evening that I managed to swipe them and do some colouring myself, and was awarded Jade’s signature “death glare” for doing so.
I received these markers for the purposes of this review; all opinions expressed remain my own. This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
What Jade Liked about Her Arrtx Acrylic Paint Markers
“The markers are really nice. As someone who is quite critical of markers, I actually quite liked them for a couple of reasons:
- there’s a lot of vibrant colours but still with variation
- the tips are flexible; they can be surprisingly thin or thick, depending on how you hold or use them
- they don’t bleed through the paper at all and dry fast
- they come in practical packaging.”
Vibrant Marker Colours
“A lot of brands of markers throw in your average blue, purple, green, brown, etc. with variations in shade, but what they don’t do is actually change the colour that much. Arrtx added different colour variations, for example, more turquoise green colours, peachy oranges, purply pinks, and lots of others. But still with the colour variation, they chose colors that look good together, and can blend fairly well.”
Marker Tips Matter
“Marker tips are something of a pet peeve of mine, because while I like to have a brush tip, most tips will fray over time and stop giving you clean lines. And while I haven’t used these markers for that long, they’re holding up really well.
“Also, they have ink throughout the tip, so even if you’re just using the very tip to have a thin line, it’s clean, consistent, and smooth. But they also work if you want to colour in larger areas, even being able to layer colours on top of each other depending on what colors you’re trying to layer.”
“Another thing that annoys me a lot is when my markers bleed through my paper. It wastes paper, causes you to worry about how much it bleeds through, and usually makers that bleed through spread out on the paper and you don’t get clean edges. The Arrtx markers don’t bleed through the paper like other brands do.”
A Note about Marker Packaging
“Packaging and having a way to store markers conveniently is something that this brand did surprisingly well. Usually marker brands just stick their markers in a box that’ll die in two weeks, but Arrtx actually put the markers into a durable (doesn’t mean you can abuse it) box, with four levels and a lid. The packaging is also very compact.”
A lot of Jade’s other markers are hanging out in Ziploc bags since their boxes have fallen apart. The Arrtx markers have a lovely, sturdy box with the markers resting in four sturdy trays, stacked inside the box. Jade approved of their colour organization within the trays and demanded whether I’d returned them to the right places when I borrowed them.
Jade’s initial reaction to these acryclic paint markers, when I asked for her review, was “A plus plus.” Even after a few weeks of testing them, I think that review has held. You can find out more about Arrtx products by following them on Instagram or dropping by their website. Their markers are available on Amazon, in several different set and colour options, so you can choose the best markers for the artist in your family.
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