Arts & Crafts

Crayons are a fun, easy medium to work whether they’re being used by preschoolers or professional artists. With their broad appeal, there’s a wide range of quality crayons to choose from. Most people will pick up any brand of crayon or look for the cheapest box on the shelf. Lower end crayons are too waxy and won't leave a lasting mark on the page, and can also be too brittle or soft, frustrating younger artists because of frequent breakage.Each of these best crayon in 2022 offers something a little different in style, material, or price, but they were all selected based on their status as top-quality crayons. These picks all have at least 24 colors to choose from, come in vibrant pigments suitable for professional artists, they’re of higher artistic quality than most brands and are also non-toxic, making them safe for children to use.

Watercolor painting is a fun medium to experiment with and it’s easy to find supplies. Unfortunately, the most commonly available watercolor paints are grade school-level paint trays. While cheap, these simplistic trays aren’t the best choice for the color and clarity which makes for a professional-looking watercolor painting. Top-quality watercolor paints may come in trays, but more often they’re found in tubes like acrylic or oil paints. Many brands offer both student and professional-grade paints, but obviously the professional paints offer the best quality.Depending on the pigments, the brand may offer paints with a variety of lightfast ratings and clarity. Each tube should tell you information on whether the paint is transparent, semi-opaque, opaque, and how lightfast it will be. Some colors fade faster than others so if you need the color to hold up over time it’s important to check this information.All of these best watercolor paints in 2022 vary widely in price depending on the color and the pigments used. However, all of them were selected for this list based on the overall quality of the paint as measured by the use of high-quality pigments and materials, excellent lightfast ratings to guarantee permanent colors, and each brands' popularity among artists for good, consistent colors.

While all artists need good materials, finding a high-quality brush should be a top priority for watercolor painters. With rising brush prices, more artists are trying other options and will experiment with a variety of materials and styles before finding their favorite brushes.In most cases, it’s better to select a few good brushes, such as a couple of medium-size round brushes and a flat brush instead of trying to collect a full range of sizes and styles. Good quality rounds and flats can provide most of the strokes that specialty styles offer. You can also experiment with different types of brushes to find the types that suit your painting style best. As a rule, Kolinsky sable hair still claims the highest rank among artists' brushes, although it has become a rare commodity. Synthetic brushes, on the other hand, have improved tremendously over the years.This list will help you find some of the best watercolor brushes in 2022 available today based on their ratings and how well they meet the following criteria. Regardless of their material or style, watercolor brushes should have cleanly-trimmed tips, full bristles, and sturdy handles. The best brands will also have rustproof ferrules fastening the brush to the handle. Many of these brushes would work for oil paints or acrylics as well, but it’s better not to mix media and to designate individual brushes for one medium only. Read on below to see our favorite brushes.

Picking a knitting needle might seem easy since most craft stores stock dozens of styles, but it really can be a challenge. Straight, single-pointed needles work great for basic projects like scarves, but large afghans work better with long, circular needles, and socks or gloves require a set of double-pointed needles. Some yarn is fairly slippery and works best with rougher needles such as bamboo, but natural fibers like wool sometimes work better on slick, metal needles. Still, quality is important, and each of these products was selected for its overall quality, popularity, and availability. Most of these brands also offer needles in a variety of styles and materials to accommodate a full range of knitting projects.For more information on what to look at in selecting the best knitting needles in 2022, we have listed below the top knitting needles available for you to help you decide what product is best to buy.