Canal Toys Art Lab Watercolour Studio Review

Reviewed by Kat Harrison

My girls love drawing and painting so when the opportunity to review the Art Lab Watercolour Studio from Canal Toys arose, there were squeals of delight from my two budding artists.

The packaging and make-up of this product are hugely attractive; big, bold, bright colours in a clever little artist studio set-up. Handing the girls some paint and some paper definitely wouldn’t have evoked the excitement and enthusiasm that this all-in-one studio set did; it’s definitely all in the presentation.

The girls could easily have used similar equipment and just painted on paper placed on the table but the fact that there’s a plastic workstation on which to pop and secure your paper, surrounded by little compartments that hold your paint, paintbrushes, pens and other bits of equipment, make it seem all the more grown-up and professional, as well as fun!

Alongside the workstation, (which has a nifty storage compartment inside in which to keep all their masterpieces safe when they’re done) the kit comes with 15 watercolour paper sheets, 8 paints, 14 special tools and an instruction booklet detailing 6 different watercolour techniques to learn.

The booklet isn’t hugely engaging for children (or adults) and it was up to me to have a quick gander at the ideas; the kids just wanted to get stuck in and I was happy to leave them to their own creative devices. They did have a go at blending and colour mixing with limited artistic success, but no matter the results, they enjoyed experimenting with the processes and were super proud of their pictures. A favourite activity was using the included masking tape to block off chunky sections of the paper and create colourful tape designs. The studio is aimed at ages 6+ and I reckon that’s about right. My four year old enjoyed it but she did follow her older sister’s lead.

Included, there’s different sizes of both blank and print design watercolour paper, designs to trace, stencils to use, sponges, paintbrush and pen and pencil.

The girls had an enjoyable couple of hours creating pictures to display in their bedrooms, designing invitations and pieces of art to gift. After two hours, the supply had dwindled. The paper has already been used up but the paint will get another airing and I’m sure the workstation will be used with equipment we already own. The stencils are fab too.

The workstation and the accompanying trays and pots are all plastic; hardwearing and easy to clean. My eldest, although only six has grand designs on becoming an Architect and the Art Lab Studio is a perfect fit for her current career of choice!

Despite the watercolour paper all being used up in one, long, fun session, priced at around £21.99, this kit is worth the price. I imagine the actual workstation will be used time and time again; it’s the perfect professional looking prop for budding designers. The packaging certainly adds to the appeal, thus making it a good looking as well as thoughtful and fun gift.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £21.99

Available to buy at Smyths, Argos, Amazon.