The ArtSnacks Box for October 2018
'Tis the month for Inktober and ArtSnacks didn't disappoint in that area. They had a bunch of ink pens including a Marabu Graphix pen set and a Kuretake brush pen. For those who want to try these supplies for themselves, I have included my Amazon Affiliate links down below including my UK and Canada links as well.
When we opened the box this was what we saw and then Cutie Boots grabbed the Gelly Roll pen in his mouth and headed under the bed with it! (I think I've created a monster! Now he thinks art supplies are for him to play with, haha!)
This was the Gelly Roll pen that Cutie Boots liked so much. The Gelly Roll pen had white ink in it for making highlights on black ink or watercolor. These pens are available in a pack of three for $3.14 on Amazon.
Then there was an Amsterdam Acrylic Marker. This is a paint marker and the color I received was Reflex Rose. This color looked like Flourescent Pink and was water based. You can buy a starter set of six of these markers on Amazon for $23.58
There was a set of four Fineliner Colour Graphix pens. This set can be purchased on dickbick.com for $5.54 or a set of 12 for $13.91 on Amazon.
The Marabu Graphix Fineliner pen set had four different colors and they were red, blue, green, and black. They had 0.5 mm nibs.
Finally, there was a Kuretake Bimoji Fude Brush Pen from Japan. The ink was black, but the pen had a very decorative pink flowery cover. These pens have a nice rubber grip and are designed for calligraphy. They retail on Amazon for around $3.79.
There was also the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a Sour Punch candy (cherry flavored).
Doodlin' Time!
The Graphix Marabu Fineliners were great for details and made nice thin lines. The blue color looked a little bit purple tinted at first when the ink was wet, but got bluer as it dried. The Kuretake brush pen made a very nice dry brush stroke look. The Amsterdam acrylic marker was a very bright pink, but since it was a flourescent color the paint was somewhat transparent. The Gelly Roll pen worked well for highlights on the Kuretake brush pen.
'Dia de Los Muertos'
by Ellie Taylor
Since it's Inktober I decided to draw a woman dressed up for the Dia de Los Muertos holiday. I used the Graphix Fineliners for the detail work and for the blue dress, green flower decorations, and red rose. I noticed that these fineliners are not bleed proof and kind of smeared the red rose when I added highlights with the Gelly Roll pen. I used the Amsterdam Acrylic Marker to add the pink flowers on the woman's face. I used the Kuretake brush pen to draw the hair and the hat. Even though the Gelly Role pen smeared the the Graphix ink, I made it work for me by mixing a grey color around the eyes. The Gelly Roll pen worked great on the Kuretake brush pen as a highlight because it didn't smear. I would say that the Marabu Graphix Fineliners need to be used for your final ink layer and then they work just fine. You can also use them for color washes.
This was a nice box for Inktober and I liked that there were pens with different colored inks. 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 for $34 with free shipping.