ArtSnacks Box for May 2018
The ArtSnacks box for May had some interesting new supplies that I had never seen before! One of these items was a new kind of brush marker from Faber-Castell and a neat new mechanical pencil! For those who want to try out some of these supplies for themselves, I have included my Amazon and MisterArt affiliate links down below.
When you open the box this is what you first see. A big, big brush marker!
The first item I received was a Faber-Castell Big Brush Pen. This is a wide barreled brush pen with India ink. This ink is waterproof and lightfast. The color of this marker was Pink Carmine and it retails from $3.79 to $8.91 on dickblick.com and Amazon.
The second item was a Tombow Mono Graph mechanical pencil. At first glance this looks like just another mechanical pencil. However, this pencil has some really neat new features including a twistable eraser. When you want to extend the eraser, you can twist it like a chapstick tube and it gives you more eraser! Another neat feature is an on and off switch for extending the lead. With the switch on, you can just shake the pencil and the lead will extend. Turn the switch off to lock in that particular length for your lead. This pencil takes 0.5 mm lead. You can buy this on Amazon for around $4.48.
The next item was a new kind of Copic multiliner. This pen was a Calligraphy small nib pen with black waterproof ink. It has a sort of chisel nib for calligraphy style writing. Right now this pen is so new that it is only available at the ArtSnacks store for $3.99.
Also there was a Liquitex Paint Marker. I have been wanting to try these for a while. I got the flourescent blue color. These pens have acrylic paint and can be used on lots of different surfaces including wood and glass. They also have a chisel nib. These markers retail for $3.62 a piece on Misterart.com when you join their VIP program. They also come in a wide version. Michaels also carries these markers.
Last there was a very exciting item, a KUM Correc-Stick eraser! Why is this so exciting, you ask? Because I can use this for my charcoal pictures! It has a pointed tip for making details when working subtractively on charcoal pictures. If you want to know more about my charcoal drawing technique check out my e-book at https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ellie_Taylor_Digital_Painting_the_Traditional_Way?id=lf7DCAAAQBAJ
I also have a new video on charcoal drawing on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/ZJKBxq_E-is
This eraser retails for $7.62 on Amazon.
Then there was the supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, a pack of Smarties candy, and an advertisement for Alvin lamps now available on the ArtSnacks website.
Doodlin' Time!
The calligraphy Copic muliliner seems to be pretty good for making thick and thin lines. I really liked the Tombow mechanical pencil because of the screw top eraser. That makes it so convenient to get more eraser and you don't have to pull or pry the eraser out. The Faber-Castell brush pen had a very good nib and made nice flexible brush strokes. The bigger barrel makes it more ergonomic as well. I was really impressed with the Liquitex Paint marker because when I pressed the nib down to release the paint, it didn't squirt out all at once. So many paint markers that I have tried will just squirt out a huge blob of paint and get it all over your paper. Kudos to Liquitex for making a good paint marker! The Kum Correc-Stick eraser is very comfortable to hold and I can tell it's gonna be great for my charcoal work!
'Blue Mask'
by Ellie Taylor
The Tombow mechanical pencil worked great to make a sketch of a Venetian mask with roses. Then I used the Liquitex paint pen to paint the mask and the Faber-Castell brush pen to color the roses. I added the shadows and details with the Copic Multiliner Calligraphy pen.
In summary, I thought that this was a pretty neat box with some new supplies that I had never seen before. Also, I am glad that I got a Liquitex paint pen because I really want to see if the Liquitex paint pens will work on denim.
If you want to try out this subscription box company, their website is http://www.artsnacks.co/ The boxes start at $24 a month with free shipping to the United States. International shipping is available, but it is not free.