#ohmymats vs. DrawnBy: Jessica
About
DrawnBy: Jessica and #ohmymats by Audrey of thelittleonesinmylife sell reusable silicone drawing and colouring mats. Reusable silicone mats have been around for quite a while but these two brands are local brands with their own designs.
DrawnBy: Jessica was started by Jessica who turned her doodles into colouring mats. DrawnBy: Jessica mats are customised from a China supplier.
#ohmymats is described as Audrey’s personal give back project with a focus on struggling artists and persons with special needs. Two of the artists in the team are children with autism. According to Audrey, #ohmymats took four years from conceptualisation to launch, as she sought out reputable suppliers, designed and created the mats from scratch and ensured that the necessary safety tests were conducted and legal documentation were in order. #ohmymats are made in Korea and the mat has unique features exclusive to them.
DrawnBy: Jessica has an imperfect sale where $5 from the sale of mats with slight defects are donated to charity.
Purchase Experience
A few months ago, I ordered a DrawnBy: Jessica mat but as it was a gift, I didn’t have the opportunity to use it. I also ordered #ohmymats during the preorder sale and did a review. Afterwards, I received a DM from Jessica asking if I was aware of DrawnBy: Jessica mats.
For the purpose of this review, I ordered two mats with a set of markers from each brand, one large and one small from #ohmymats and two standard mats from DrawnBy: Jessica.
The total amount after including $7 Qxpress shipping for DrawnBy: Jessica ($49.80) was comparable to #ohmymats ($51.45). Shipping for #ohmymats is free but for $5, you can opt to have your #ohmymats order sent in a carton box as fragile courier and in a carton box via express courier for $10.
Both sites use Shopify to process orders and payments.
Shipping was efficient. I received my orders via Qxpress for DrawnBy: Jessica and Ninjavan for #ohmymats. It’s a bit unrelated, but I have to compliment the Ninjavan courier. I wasn’t home and the courier helped to hide it “in a secure location” and took a photo for me. It was indeed well hidden out of sight. Qxpress couriers don’t inform before they arrive, but my regular delivery woman will call if she finds that nobody is home.
Packaging
Both DrawnBy: Jessica and #ohmymats pack their standard orders in poly mailers. #ohmymats has other packaging options for an extra fee.
DrawnBy: Jessica mats come in plastic PVC drawstring bags which can be used to bring the mats and markers around. The markers were packaged simply in disposable plastic.
#ohmymats are packaged in plastic see through boxes with product information clearly listed at the back. Included in the box is a printout with usage instructions and the sticker in front shows the design of the mat.
#ohmymats come in two sizes – small and large and each design comes in either small or large.
Size comparison of the mats.
Logo
DrawnBy: Jessica has an embossed logo on the bottom left of each mat, whereas the placement of #ohmymats’s logo with the artist’s unique signature forms part of the printed design.
Product
Printing
DrawnBy: Jessica has a imperfect sale where products which have failed QC are sold at a discount and $5 from each mat donated to charity. Imperfect sales are only held at her pop-up stores for buyers to inspect the quality first hand.
The mats in this review were purchased online. The edge of my Space Adventures mat was not neatly rounded off, but that’s a small matter to me.
There were two other obvious blemishes on my mat. One was a blurred outline and the other, a faded spot on the outline. My expectations are not high but paying full price for an imperfect mat doesn’t feel good. The mat is no longer eligible for a refund as I noticed the blemishes after colouring on it. DrawnBy: Jessica’s refund policy states that “For DrawnBy: Washable Silicone Drawing and Colouring Mats to be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.” To be safe, please check your mats in their original packaging on the day you receive them.
* UPDATE 24/11/2018
Jessica contacted me to do a partial refund of $8 to make this an imperfect mat sale, which I accepted.

The corners on #ohmymats are cut out smoothly. This review was focused on the two designs I ordered. There are some misalignments on certain #ohmymats designs and these can be seen from the stock photos. If you notice other defects with your mats, please email #ohmymats for after sales service.
Thickness
#ohmymats appears to be thicker after folding and is more opaque than DrawnBy: Jessica, which makes it more suitable as a blank sheet for doodling or colouring when flipped. I don’t have calipers so I am unable to measure the exact thickness due to #ohmymats’s raised border. DrawnBy: Jessica is on the left and #ohmymats, on the right.
The mat can be folded or rolled up and stored in a pouch. This shows the mats folded into eighths.


#ohmymats has a raised edge along the mat to aid children in colouring within the mat.
Experience
When colouring on the DrawnBy: Jessica using their markers, I noticed a pungent smell that was not noticeable with #ohmymats. All mats were used after removal from their respective packaging. I realised the smell came from the markers (see below) and unwashed mat. I tried again on a washed mat and the smell was slightly reduced.
There are a lot of details on DrawnBy: Jessica’s mats and this may take a younger child more time to finish colouring the entire mat. Case in point: We brought it out for dinner. Elise started off colouring seriously with different colours but gave up halfway and scribbled the remaining characters and background brown.
#ohmymats are drawn by various artists and every artist has their own artistic style and interpretation of the theme. Overall, the details of the characters are kept simpler with more white space in between them.
After colouring, I left out both mats for about three days before wiping the colours off with wet wipes. Both wiped off cleanly with wet wipes. However, do note that DrawnBy: Jessica advises customers not to leave colours in overnight as the colours may stick to the silicone. If this happens, you may need isopropyl alcohol to deep clean the mat.
#ohmymats has previously left their mat coloured with different brands for over a week.
Markers
DrawnBy: Jessica markers are OEM markers that are assembled in China while #ohmymats’s bundled Java markers are made in Korea. Java markers are also available on RedMart, brought in by Toppingskids.
DrawnBy: Jessica | #ohmymats | |
Safety | OEM markers Lab test on plastic grains for marker bodyLab test on marker ink only (red, blue, green, black) done in 2013 |
Java markers are produced by JAVAPEN. Products are required to be safe before being retailed. JAVAPEN has passed Korea product safety tests. Antimicrobial PP body, marker caps are EN-71 certified to prevent choking |
Tip | Standard nib | Fine tip, more suitable for older children or adults |
Origin | Marker ink from Korea, marker body assembled in China | Marker ink and marker made in Korea. |
DrawnBy: Jessica markers are more watery, making it easy to colour and the colours come out stronger, but the smell of solvent makes me wary to let Elise handle it. It was the strongest smelling compared to Daiso and Java markers. Following this review, I’ve had feedback from other parents that their DrawnBy: markers don’t smell, so please don’t take my word for it. Mine could be a bad batch.
For #ohmymats, the fine tipped Java markers glided on smoothly, but fine tip markers are more suitable for older children or adults as younger children who cannot control their strength may break the nibs. #ohmymats stocks Unicorn markers with thicker nibs for younger children.
Any brand of whiteboard markers can be used on both brands, but DrawnBy: Jessica recommends that customers use DrawnBy: markers for the best experience. #ohmymats has tried out a few brands of whiteboard markers with their mats and suggests only whiteboard markers be used.
IKEA and Daiso sell affordable whiteboard markers. Regardless of brand, keep all dry erase markers away from fabric, as it is close to impossible to wash out.
Summary
#ohmymats | DrawnBy: | |
Material | Platinum Premium Silicone, food grade |
Food grade silicone |
Price |
Small: S$28.50, Large: S$31.50 (Mat & 12pc markers) Small: S$19.95, Large: S$22.95 (Mat only) |
S$24.90 (Mat & 12pc markers) S$17.90 (Mat only) |
Shipping | Details Above $20: Free courier Below $20: Free normal mail International orders above $200: Free courier |
Details Above $120: Free courier Between $20 and $120: $7 courier Below $20: $2 normal mail International orders: Shipping to be advised |
Markers | Java (Korea) and Unicorn (Malaysia) | DrawnBy: (Korea: marker ink, China: assembly) |
Size | Small: 38cm x 24cm, Large: 48cm x 28cm | One size: 40cm x 30cm |
Artists | Various local artists, including a 7 year old with autism | Jessica |
Designs | 14 (as of Nov 2018) | 6 (as of Nov 2018) |
Country of Manufacture | South Korea | China |
Lab Tested | Raw silicone: Tested in Korea (SGS, FDA) Black printing ink: Tested in Korea (SGS) Completed mat with printed design: Tested in Singapore** *Markers: Refer to Markers ** Why test reports are not published |
Raw silicone: Tested in China (SGS, REACH, FDA & others) *Markers: Refer to Markers |
Care Instructions | Details Wipe with wet wipes or wash with water and soap |
Details Wipe with wet wipes or wash with water and soap. Do not leave colours in overnight or colours may stick to silicone. Use Isopropyl alcohol for stubborn stains. |
Conclusion
Though silicone colouring mats can be easily customised and ordered from online suppliers in China, DrawnBy: Jessica took the extra step to brand their markers and use PVC drawstring bags to improve on the overall outlook. While it is reassuring to know that the raw materials have been lab tested in China to be safe, the completed printed mat has yet to be sent for lab testing. This is because the composition may change during the manufacturing process. The marker ink colours (red, blue, green and black inks) were tested in 2013. The marker ink smelled bad enough for me to stop Elise from using them.
#ohmymats have passed lab tests in Korea for the raw silicone and printing ink and are confirmed to be food grade. The completed mat has been tested in Singapore to comply with European Toy standards. Silicone has many grades. The material of #ohmymats is platinum premium silicone which has more tensile strength, more expensive as a raw material and most importantly, the platinum curing process does not produce peroxide residues. JAVA markers are produced by an established Korean company and has passed strict safety tests.
Nevertheless, if you are not too concerned about toy safety (my kids play with cheap figurines from China), both mats function as they should as reusable colouring mats.
* I paid for both DrawnBy: and #ohmymats and was not compensated by any party. This review is based on my own experience. You are welcome to make your own comparison between the two brands. If you are the owner of either brand and would like to make clarifications or updates, please contact me.