SketchBox for June 2017 (Basic Box)
SketchBoxes for June 2017 are here! This month's box features Koi Watercolor Brush Pens, Stabilo marker pens, and Sakura Pigma pens. For those who want to try out these art supplies yourself, I have included my Amazon affiliate links down below.
When you open the box this is how it looks. Oh wow, Koi Watercolor Brush Pens! I've been wanting some of these!
So the first item that I looked at was the Koi Watercolor Brush Pens. I received a pack of six colors: Black, Steel Blue, Red, Green, Brown, and Yellow. You can get these brush pens in sets of 6,12, and 24. The price of the 6 pen set retails for around $11.99 to $14.94 depending on where you buy them.
Here is the brush nib. These markers are not double sided.
Next I received a Sakura Pigma Graphic set with three pens. The pens have archival ink and come in three sizes: 1.0 mm bullet nib, a 2.0 mm chisel nib, and 3.0 mm chisel nib. This is exciting because I don't have any Sakura Pigma chisel nib pens. This set retails from $6.04 to $8.69.
I also got a Kuretake Zig Art and Graphic Twin marker. If you've read my other blog posts then you know that I am a big fan of the Zig markers and this is a great addition to my collection. It has a fine tip bullet nib and a brush nib. The color I received was Green Shadow. The individual markers retail at $2.86 on dickblick.com or you can get the whole set on Amazon.com.
Finally, the last two items were two Stabilo pointMax marker pens with bullet nibs. I got a turquoise and a lilac one. These markers retail for $1.55 a piece or you can get them in sets on Amazon.
Also, in the box was the supply list, a SketchBox sticker, and a post card with the artist of the month. The artist featured was Frances. Check out her work on tumblr at sennwaa.tumblr.com.
The SketchBox featured art by Former Discrepancies on the outside.
Doodlin' Time!
The Sakura Pigma Graphic pens were great as usual. I really like the lines that can be drawn with the chisel nibs. These pens are waterproof and lightfast. The Koi Watercolor Brush Pens are very vibrant and look just like watercolors when water is added. The Stabilo pointMax marker pens make nice lines and can also be used as a watercolor type of ink. The Kuretake Zig Art and Graphic Twin marker is also very nice to work with and blends well.
'Wind Mountain Watercolor'
by Ellie Taylor
I used the Koi Watercolor Brush Pens to paint most of this picture and added in some ink washes from the Stabilo pointMax marker pens on the mountains. Then I used the Zig pen for some highlights in the green areas. The Pigma pens were used for adding the details to the mountains, twiggy bushes, and grass. I really like these Koi Watercolor Brush Pens! They make great washes when you add water and they have vibrant colors! It's too bad they are not lightfast, but they can be used for a journal or sketchbook. Also, you could make prints from your original artwork.
I really think these colors are as bright as the Winsor Newton watercolor markers. The Winsor Newton watercolor markers are highly pigmented and are therefore lightfast. However, if you are just using a sketchbook or journal the Koi Watercolor Brush Pens are an economical alternative to the Winsor Newton watercolor markers.
I really liked this month's box and I love the Koi Watercolor Brush Pens! If you want to check this box out, SketchBox offers two subscription levels: the Basic Box for $25 plus $5 shipping and the Premium Box for $35 plus $5 shipping in the US. Right now, SketchBox only ships to the USA and Canada. Check them out through my referral link. https://getsketchbox.com/refer/Elean-IFGGOHVY