Royal & Langnickel Keep N' Carry Artist Set, Watercolor Pencils

I'll be honest - I mostly bought this for the organizer, and that alone exceeded my expectations for the price. I wanted something I could take on the go without taking up much space in my bag. This is a nice, affordable, concise set, and it holds everything in place properly with absolutely no mess. Additionally, there is a strap inside the case that allows the set to be put over the wrist or fastened inside a bag.Everything in the set I have seems to be sewn down properly. The elastic bands have decent springback and a good grip, so I foresee it lasting quite a while. The case itself wipes clean from minor icks with just a little water. All of the items in the set fit where they should with no hassle.The only downside to this purchase is that the sketchbook is 12 pages long. It's 12 pages of pretty good paper, but still 12 pages. If anyone is looking for a replacement that still fits in their set, I've bought and used this one successfully and with no complaints: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0025TYZXM/The one listed above has a spiral edge - a much needed upgrade from the one included in this set.Really though, any 5x7 sketchpad will do. You could probably go a little longer, but not too much, because the pencil sharpener and eraser should have a place above the sketchbook to close properly. You shouldn't try to go wider than 5. At 5, the book of 30 pages I have now -just- fits.Edit 04/01/2017 - The sketch book I recommended above does have rough paper. It's best for drawing PRACTICE and not detail work. I'm currently looking for a smoother supplementary pad. I'll update when I find one.

I thought this was a great deal for what you get! You can take this with a grain of salt, since I am not an "artist" (yet!), but rather an absolute beginner at sketching. So with that full disclosure...I love this kit! It is very travel-friendly and fits nicely in my shoulder bag purse or backpack. Everything is kept perfectly organized (and of course I am very picky about keeping the pencils in order from hardest to softest), so I can find what I want easily. The pencils seem to be good quality, though again I'm not an expert. The eraser is good. I like my Staedtler pencil sharpener better than the one that came with the set, but the sharpener is functional and OK. Not enough to knock a star off of my review, in my opinion. The sketchbook is small and I definitely recommend buying your own sketchbook separately which was what I did (mine is from Strathmore and I keep it in a separate case which I also tuck into my purse). Still, for the price, this is a great set and gave me everything I needed to get started!

I got this today, so I'm not sure how it lasts with everyday wear-and-tear, but I think it'll do just fine.Here's a simple list for your troubles:-------------------------------------------I like the pencils, but if you don't like them you can easily replace them with pencils that you do like. (I bought this set for the case...)--The eraser is... an eraser. Don't expect anything fancy.--The drawing pad is not the best in the world but easily replaceable. The loops holding it down can also be used for storing some pens instead of a booklet.--The handheld pencil sharpener is better than any of the other pencil sharpeners I have at the moment, but I suppose that's just me.--The pencils are hard to get out, but the case is perfect for traveling. It is very sturdy, which is good because it protects what you put inside.I must also mention that what I have here is not exactly what is pictured. The sharpener is a sort of dark grey instead of blue and the drawing pad has a picture of a bunch of pencils instead of a horse, but I suppose that doesn't matter much; the quality is great regardless.

So far, I like this set. It fits conveniently into my purse. The pencils come already sharpened, which saved me time. The eraser worked well. Better than my aged kneaded one, in fact. I'll use the included pad of paper for quick ideas on the fly, but not much else. It's too cheap, which I suppose is why this set is inexpensive. Also, I liked the quality of the case. It's made of durable materials that I hope will last for a few years.I'm giving this set a four-star rating because of the design of the interior. While it's very well organized, it's difficult to get the pencils out and to put them back in. I accidentally jabbed the tip of my thumb hard enough to draw blood when I attempted to put a pencil back into its holder. The good side to that is that I won't have to worry about the pencils coming lose and falling out.

I bought it for the case. It is a great little case and we'll worth the $$. However, the pencils turned out to to be a lot better than I expected. They are not top of the line, but more than adequate with good transition between degrees and decent smoothness. I did still switch them with my Faber Castell 9000 jumbos, which fit great, though could not put two per elastic. I switched the sketch book for the strathmore 300 pad which is the 3.5 x 5 size and it closes fine. Very convenient.I didn't try to use the sharpener or the eraser that came with it. I suspect that the eraser is fine but the sharpener does look cheap. You could easily switch that.I was even able to stick a sandpaper pad in there, and some stumps fit nicely next to the pencils.Anyway, you could certainly use this as is, or just use for the great case.

The pencils are really good quality. The small sketch pad is a nice little way to keep your swatches too, I don't normally draw on such a small canvas but it's a nice change of pace. The eraser however is nothing to write home about but it does its job. It's not a clean erase so I'd recommend it for erasing light strokes.I have yet to use the pencil sharpener but the body is plastic and only the two blades and screws are metal, it doesn't look very secure either but the slot can be swapped out for something else easily.