June 2017 ScrawlrBox/Chameleon Marker Review
I just received the Scrawlrbox for June 2017. This box featured Chameleon Color Tones Markers so I decided to make this blog post an unboxing /marker review. For those who want to try out these markers, I have included my affiliate links for Amazon and MisterArt down below.
When you open the box this is what you see. Chameleon Markers! Awesome!
The first group of markers were the regular Chameleon Color Tones Markers. These markers have a pointed brush nib and a bullet nib. On on end they have a mixing chamber with a marker nib that transfers a clear alcohol solution to the tip of the markers. Depending on how much you want to dilute your colors you leave the mixing chamber on for 10 to 30 seconds. This will make some nice gradients with your markers. There are 50 colors in this line plus a colorless blender. In this box the colors I got were Sand, Vermilion, Deep Black, and Burgundy. You can buy these markers open stock at dickblick.com for $4.79 a piece.
The next items were a ScrawlrBox exclusive. Chameleon Markers just had a Kickstarter for these Color Tops and they are not available for sale yet. These mixing chambers are different from the regular ones in that they have colored ink instead of just clear alcohol solution. With these you can make gradients with two different colors. The colors I received were Caramel, Bark, Peony Pink, and Neutral Grey.
Next there was a Chameleon Detail Pen. This pen is double ended and has 0.6 mm and 0.4 mm fine nibs. This pen is smudge proof and permanent.
There was also some 180 gsm marker paper. ScrawlrBox didn't say what brand this paper was, but Bee paper is my favorite marker paper and it was sort of like that.
Lastly there was the ScrawlrBox sticker, the supplies list, a spearmint chew, and a print from the artist of the month, Benjamin Davis. Check out his work at www.benjamindavisart.bigcartel.com. The spearmint chew tastes sort of like spearmint flavored saltwater taffy without the saltwater flavor.
Doodlin' Time!
These Chameleon markers are really neat because they make nice gradients. You just put your marker tip in the mixing chamber and let the clear alcohol or colored solution run down on the tip of the marker. Make sure that you hold the marker upright so that the mixing solution flows down onto your marker. The Color Tops are very neat because you can make all sorts of different colors when you mix them with the markers. For example, you can make a purplish color when you mix Peony Pink with Deep Black. This gives you the ability to have a large spectrum of colors beyond the original 50.
'Maximum Carnage'
by Ellie Taylor
The Scrawlr Challenge was 'maximum carnage' so I drew a rose and named it 'Maximum Carnage'. Hey, they said it could be anything, right? These Chameleon markers are very handy because you can mix a light color for the edges of the rose and then as you use it up, the color gets darker as you paint the shadows. Or you can use two different colors for the petals by starting out with Peony Pink and ending up with Burgundy. The Chameleon Color Tone Markers blend nicely together. They are pretty close to Copics and Blick Studio markers, maybe not quite as smooth, but very close. The brush nib is a little bit more pointed and smaller and this may account for the blending differences. The Chameleon Detail Pen worked great for the final outline and details.
My overall impression of these markers is very positive. The idea of clear and colored mixing solution to expand the different marker shades and colors is a novel concept. It cuts down on the need to buy hundreds of markers and you can replace the nibs and inks. It does take little bit of time to mix the marker colors and that might slow down your work flow a little bit. These might not become your main markers to use all the time, but they definitely are a very good tool to have and a worthy addition to your marker collection. (I think I'll get some more.) Check them out at http://www.chameleonpens.com/ and stay tuned for the release of their Color Tops.
This was a great ScrawlrBox with a really neat product and an awesome exclusive! Check out the ScrawlrBox at http://scrawlrbox.uk/ They start at £15 a month with free shipping in the UK. Everyone else pays shipping costs and for the US the total cost is roughly $25 including the shipping cost.
You can also get these markers at Michaels.com. They have several different color sets.