Indigo Art Box for August 2017
This month I am trying out a brand new art subscription box called the Indigo Art Box. This box usually has 4 to 5 art supplies that go with an art history lesson. The lesson for this month was about Claude Monet and oil pastels. For those who want to try out these supplies for themselves, I have included my Amazon and MisterArt affiliate links down below.
When you open the package this is what you see. Oil pastels! Blending tools!
The first item that I received was a set of 16 Pentel Oil Pastels. You can get a set of 50 for $7.20 from Amazon.
Next I received a Mont Marte color shaper tool. This tool has a chisel edge. You can get this type of color shaper at Misterart.com for around $ 6.19 if you join their VIP member club.
Then I received Number 5 and Number 4 blending tortillions. Amazon carries a set of 10 for $5.63.
Then I got a USA Solid Drawing Pencil 4B. You can get a set of four drawing pencils at Amazon for $2.78.
Last I got a Factis extra soft eraser. This eraser is available at Amazon in a set of three for around $5.04.
There was an items list/instruction sheet, two postcards of Monet paintings, a big sheet of butcher paper, some thin paper, and two sheets of thick paper. I don't know the brands of the paper, but the thick paper seemed to be cardstock. I prefer a little bit more tooth on my paper and Strathmore brand pastel paper works for me. This paper works for both chalk and oil pastels. You can get a 9X12 inch pad from MisterArt for around $3.19.
Doodlin' Time!
The USA Solid Drawing pencil works nicely for sketching. The Pentel oil pastel set has a nice range of colors. The tortillions and the color shaper are good for blending all sorts of different mediums. Before I started my artwork, I watched the Monet history video for this lesson and the instuction video on oil pastels. They were quite intetesting and added to the overall expereince of this project. I definitely recommend watching the videos that go along with each box.
'Oil Pastel Mask'
by Ellie Taylor
The three different types of paper were not all for drawing. The butcher paper was for covering your workspace and testing out the blending of the oil pastels or cleaning your blenders. The thin paper works great for test blending your colors, and the thick paper is for the final artwork. I decided to paint a Mardi Gras mask on a colorful background. I used all 16 colors in the set. I sketched the mask in pencil. Then I used the tortillions to blend the colors in the background. I noticed that they will lift off the paint while the color shaper smears it more. For the blending on the mask, I used the white oil pastel over yellow and brown tones. I didn't use the color shaper very much because it seemed to smear the colors instead of blending them. In my experience, the color shaper is better to use for chalk pastels or charcoal. Oil pastel is not a medium where you can do very detailed work, but it makes some really interesting effects once you figure out how to handle it.
The concept of blending an art history lesson with an art subscription box is very neat. I really enjoyed the Monet history video and the oil pastel how-to-paint video. That really adds to the products in the subscription box and gives them a purpose. Overall, I really enjoyed this box and thought it was fun! If you are interested in getting this box check them out at https://www.indigoartbox.com/
Right now you can get your first box for $24.99 plus free shipping. After that the regular price per month is $29.99 with free shipping. I can't find any information about international shipping on their website so I don't know if this box ships outside of the United States. If you just want to try out one box, you can purchase their past boxes for $29.99.