How to Be Creative, VERTICALLY!

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received these kits, free of charge,from Redwood Ventures, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it,  all opinions are my own.

All this week, I've got super gift ideas for the kids- both for Christmas, 

and to keep them busy over Thanksgiving beak!

Here's another!

From our friends at IDO3D,we have not 1, but 2 creative kits for kids! 

Both of these new sets are part of IDO3D's new Vertical line of 3D drawing kits for kids ages 8+! Their new 3D drawing pens allow kids to create remarkable artwork, with less drying time, to allow for more intricate and vertical creations!

We had tried other 3D pen sets before and they always took SOOOOO long to set, that Miss Grace quickly lost interest in them. Who wants to follow a pattern to build something that is supposed to stand up, but then takes hours to set, then you have to put it together and wait again/ You don't get to enjoy it till 4-6 hours later? Nope, kids are beyond bored by then. So she wasn't holding out much interest when I showed her the sets when they came in.

But the IDO3D set difference is in their new pen that actually dries the ink AS IT COMES out. Yup. As in your 3D art can ACTUALLY go vertical and STAY there, as it is DRY! Talk about the proverbial light bulb moment! I head a squeal of glee and then a mad scientist laugh and I knew she wouldn't be making any of the images from the enclosed pattern guide (she started with the Butterflies and Fairies set).

The first foray was supposed to be a butterfly, but then she accidentally moved her arm and it sorta morphed into an alien butterfly. But she LOVED being able to draw UP onto the butterfly, and to see what she saw in her imagination, ACTUALLY in front of her. Once she added a second color, she was hooked! 

Now I will note that the IDO3D pen technology uses no heat or plastic filament, so there is no worry about burnt skin, so the cool ink is safe for kids to use by themselves. Now the LED light CAN be a bit problematic. Which is what happened to Angel Gabriel above (I know, her brain can be erratic). When she tried to draw up, the light came OFF the pen. You have to make sure to twist the pen into the light correctly, and then to remember to hold the pen right, or the light can loosen and fall on said angel. Which explains his flattened figure. Sigh. However she regroup and made him a new wing, halo and arrow sling, and easily attached them.She found that if she had a heavier join than normal, she could also take the light off the pen and hold it over, and under, the joint, to set it. Having the included plastic sheet REALLY makes a huge difference (and less mess!)

Miss Grce decided to go ahead and make the unicorn shown in the pattern book next. As you can tell the elephant above is NOT a unicorn. LOL. She got 2 legs done, and was starting on the head, when the cat decided the light was cool and took off with one of the legs and a section of the body. SIGH. Somehow just not a great day for creativity!  But when the kid put everything she had left back on the table, she decided stacked, they sorta looked like an elephant holding a coconut. I know, I think letting her do the art studies is paying off, LOL! 

But overall, she had a GREAT time playing with the set, and really liked how it came with both small and large rounded plastic forms, to help form wings against, or to make rounded forms. Getting the THREE colors was also a great help in letting her imagination run, Theoretically. each pen will make 5 small figures/animals each. But we found it more like 3, due to initial trial and error with the first pen, and more joint made with the second. But even with that number getting 10-15 per box is pretty good! You can even get more design ideas from the IDO3D webpage!

The light can be used with additional IDO3D Vertical pens, so it is reusable. Which is good if you have multiple kids wanting to use the pens, and you buy a second set! I also liked how the light has an on/off witch, so that when not in use you can save the button batteries (which aren't cheap!).

 IDO3D Vertical Go! is a very similar set, with the instructions, plastic sheet, pens and light/ BUT it takes the 3D technology step farther, by including mechanisms to animate your 3D creations! You simply create your pattern pieces and then connect them to the included windup mechanism, wind it up, and see it come to life! 

We had a bit of a problem with this set- Miss Grace opened and started using it when I wasn't home, and didn't read the instructions correctly (imagine that, a 9 yr old not reading instructions...sigh, I know), and as a result,  I'm going to have to get more pens, so she can attempt to make the panda, as her Franky turned into an ooey glob (hence why there is no picture), as she didn't allow for the lines to set with a THIN layer covering the squares, before filling heavily. And because she didn't set the lines together well enough, it all bled together. Thus le Blob. 

However I did test the included wind up mechanism, and it does work really well, so kids will definitely get some use out of it, as I would say your 3D art could be peeled off later and a different creature made with a different pen set, keeping the play going long after they've changed their mind about their original creation! The Go! set also includes 2 square forms, to help with building Franke's head. 

Over all these are fun sets, and kids will appreciate getting them as birthday/Christmas gifts, or for helping to fight the Thanksgiving vacation 'I'm boreds'! They definitely help them to unleash their creative, imaginative side, and we highly recommend them!