A Ginormous ArtSnacks Unboxing Plus One!
Cutie Boots and I decided that we like unboxing several subscription boxes at one time, so we waited until we had a bunch of ArtSnacks boxes. (He says it's like Christmas time.) We also threw in the November 2020 SketchBox for good measure. There was a lot of interesting new stuff in the boxes from August 2020 to March 2021.
I have included my Amazon, MisterArt, and Blick Art Materials affiliate links down below. (Affiliate links mean that I get a small commission, but there is no extra cost to anyone who uses the links.)
SketchBox November 2020
The November 2020 SketchBox featured art by Rachel Sample on the outside of the box.
On the inside of the box, there was a bunch of markers including a Copic Ciao alcohol marker.
The first item I looked at was the Copic Ciao alcohol marker. The color was Mingonette. Evidently that is a light green color. (Who knew, haha!) Copic Ciao markers are refillable and have replaceable nibs. This marker had a chisel nib and a brush nib. Copic Ciao markers are available at Blick Art Materials for around $3.90 each.
Then to help with blending there was a Spectra Colorless Blender alcohol marker. You can find this marker at MisterArt for around $3.95.
A product that I hadn't ever seen before was a LePlume alcohol marker. I didn't know that LePlume had alcohol markers! I received two colors: Ochre Beige and Camel. These pens come in sets of 24 and retail for around $43 on Amazon.
Next there was an Artline Supreme brush pen. This was a water based marker and the color was Dark Green. Amazon was carrying these markers for a while, but they are currently out of stock.
Next there was a Monami Color Twin Brush Pen. This was a double ended brush pen with a big and little brush nib. The color I received was grey. This pen can be found in a pack of 6 for around $12 on Amazon.
The paper was a pad of Hahnemuhle marker paper. This paper was bleed through proof and made especially for SketchBox. The November 2020 SketchBox is still available for sale on the SketchBox website if you want to get this paper.
Then there was the art supplies list, a print from the artist of the month, and a SketchBox sticker.
Cutie Boots said, "Possum are you trying to play with my toys? (He thinks art supplies are toys!) Those are mine!"
Doodlin ' Time!
The Hahnemuhle paper was really bleed proof and had a smooth surface. The Monami brush pen was nice for making different sizes of strokes. The Copic Ciao blended nicely on this paper. The LePlume alcohol markers didn't seem to blend together as well, but the colors were pretty. The Spectra blender pen did give a sort of watercolor effect when I used it on the ArtLine brush marker.
'Yucca Sketch'
by Ellie Taylor
I used the markers to do a quick sketch of a Yucca plant and some mountains. The water based markers didn't blend very much, but they made a nice color sketch. The alcohol markers blended a little better, but I think this paper is probably best suited for quick sketches. Overall it was a nice box with some new markers that I had never tried before.
The Basic SketchBox is $25 plus $5 shipping and the Premium Box retails for $35 plus $5 shipping in the US. Shipping is $10 to Canada and $15 to all other countries. SketchBox has a list in their FAQ of the countries that they ship to. Check them out through my referral link. https://getsketchbox.com/refer/Elean-IFGGOHVY
ArtSnacks August 2020
The August ArtSnacks box featured slow drying acrylic paint.
The main item in the box was a tube of Golden Open Slow-Drying Acrylic paint. The color was Cadmium Red Light. A 2 oz tube retails for around $17 on Blick Art Materials.
Next there was a Kuretake-Zig Fude marker. It had a fine tip nib with black ink. This marker is still available on the ArtSnacks website in the August 2020 box.
Also, there was an Inktense pencil. Inktense pencils are like water soluble colored pencils, but with water soluble ink. I have reviewed them in a past blog: https://ellietaylorartist1.wixsite.com/ellie-taylor-artist/post/2018/10/03/scrawlrbox-for-august-2018-and-inktense-review
The color I received was Saddle Brown. These are available in open stock at Blick Art Materials for around $2.09 each.
Then there was a KingArt Finesse Synthetic Sable paintbrush. This was a #6 Filbert. This brush can be found in a pack of 12 for $80 on Amazon.
Finally, there was a Derwent HB Graphic sketching pencil. This pencil can be found in a 6 pack for around $12 on Amazon.
Lastly there was the art supplies list, some Smarties candy, and an ArtSnacks sticker.
Doodlin ' Time!
Possum helps by walking on the sketchbook!
The Kuretake pen made nice thin lines, the Derwent HB pencil was good for sketching, the Derwent Inktense pencil was a nice brown color, the Golden Slow-Drying Acrylic paint was a little bit thicker than normal acrylics and it took a while to dry. The synthetic sable brush was really nice with the flexible bristles.
'Cartoon Octopus'
by Ellie Taylor
I sketched the octopus and inked it in first. Next I added a little bit of Inktense to the spots on the octopus. I painted the body of the octopus with the slow drying acrylic paint. It took around two hours for this type of paint to dry. I like fast drying paint, but if I was wanting a slow drying paint this is what I would get. You get the slow drying process of oil paint without the messy clean up of oils or the faster drying alkyd oils. These paints just clean up with water instead of thinners. I would recommend these paints as an oil paint alternative.
ArtSnacks September 2020
The September 2020 ArtSnacks Box featured paint and ink pens.
The first item was a Kuretake Zig Cambio Tambien brush pen filled with water based pigment ink. This pen had real brush bristles and was similar to regular water brushes. It had reddish orange ink in it. This brush pen is available in a set of 6 for around $25 on Amazon.
Second there was an Uni-Posca paint marker with a brush tip nib, too. It also had real bristles. The color was Light Blue. It is available on Blick Art Materials for around $7.26.
There was a Micron Pigma pen with waterproof archival ink. The pen had a 0.25 mm nib. This pen is available in a pack of 6 for around $11 on Amazon.
A Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencil was also included. The color was Cobalt Blue. These are oil based colored pencils and are very lightfast and high quality. They are available on Blick Art Materials for $2.34 each.
Finally, there was the art supplies list and an ArtSnacks sticker.
Doodlin ' Time!
The Uni-Posca paint brush pen was sort of like using a regular paintbrush except I just pushed down the end for more paint. The Kuretake Brush Pen was also a lot like using a regular paintbrush. It worked nicely for applying the ink. The Micron Pigma pen was nice because it was waterproof and could be applied before or after ink and paint were added. The Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencil was very smooth and layered nicely.
'Window Box Flowers'
by Ellie Taylor
I used the Micron Pigma pen to make a loose sketch of a window with flowers. I used the Uni-Posca pen to paint the window and the Kuretake pen to color the flowers. Then I added some Cobalt Blue to make the dark background in the windows. I left the green parts of the flowers white because I didn't have any green colors in this box. I added a few more details with the Micron Pigma pens on the window.
ArtSnacks October 2020
The October ArtSnacks Box featured supplies for Inktober including a dip pen and a bottle of India Ink.
Cutie Boots thought the paint pens would be fun to play with.
For Inktober there was a Speedball dip pen included. The S12 nib was removable and could be replaced with other kinds of nibs. This pen and nib are available on Blick Art Materials for around $4 total, but they are sold separately.
Next there was a Sennelier brush pen filled with Forest Green watercolor ink. These ink brushes are available on Blick Art Materials for around $4.37.
ArtSnacks has its own brand of art supplies called Plumchester. This time they had an acrylic paint pen with a Mauve color. This paint pen had a reversible nib with a 3mm bullet nib and a 5mm chisel nib. They are available in several different colors on the ArtSnacks website for $8.99 each.
There was a Winsor and Newton 0.3 mm Fineliner pen with lightfast black ink. This pen is available in a 5 pack for around $15 on Amazon.
To go along with the dip pen there was a bottle of India Ink. A 2 oz. bottle of Speedball India Ink retails for around $8.50.
There was the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a peach mango lollipop.
Doodlin ' Time!
The Plumchester paint pen had a nice mauve color that reminded me of lilacs. the ink in the Sennelier ink brush had very nice coverage and was very pigmented. The Winsor Newton fineliner had a nice smooth line that I liked very much. The Speedball dip pen with the S12 nib made very nice thin lines.
'Lilacs'
by Ellie Taylor
The Plumchester paint pen's mauve color really reminded me of lilacs so I did a quick pen sketch of them. I used the Winsor and Newton fineliner to sketch out the lilacs. I used the Sennelier ink brush on the leaves. Then I painted in the flowers with the Plumchester paint pen and it had very good coverage. The paint did change to a darker purple when I painted on the leaves and gave it a natural shadow color. I used the dip pen for the final details on the flowers, leaves, and branches.
ArtSnacks November 2020
The November ArtSnacks box featured Marabu alcohol markers. Marabu is known for its watercolor inks, but they also have alcohol markers. These markers had a chisel nib and a bullet nib. The color I received was red, but I didn't see a name on it, just a number. These markers are available in a pack of 12 on Amazon.
Next there was a Tombow Monograph mechanical pencil. This was a different kind of mechanical pecil in that you shook it to get the lead to come out. It also had a twistable eraser. I was skeptical at first, but it really did work when I shook it! The lead came out! You can find one on Amazon for around $7.
Next there were two colored pencils from one of the top colored pencil brands in the world: the Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils. These colored pencils are one of the most lightfast pencils in the world. I received Raw Sienna and Dark Sap Green. These pencils are available open stock at Blick Art Materials for around $8.59 each.
There was a Tombow Fudenosuke Neon Brush pen. The color was a neon green with a firm brush nib. This pen is available on Blick Art Materials for around $2.79 each.
Last there was a ArtSnacks sticker, an art supplies list, and a watermelon Airhead candy.
Doodlin' Time!
The Tombow Mono graph pencil had a 0.5 mm lead and sketched great. The Marabu Graphix marker seemed to blend well. The Tombow Neon Brush was a pretty green color. Caran d'Ache colored pencils were nice, smooth, and layered well.
'Pumpkin Patch'
by Ellie Taylor
I used the Tombow mechanical pencil to sketch the picture. I then used the Caran d'Ache colored pencils to color the fence and pumpkins. I added the darker red-orange to the pumpkins with the Marabu Graphix marker. The Tombow Neon Brush worked for making good strands of grass and the pumpkin stems.
ArtSnacks December 2020
For December 2020 Artsnacks had: 2 Derwent Paint Pens, 2 Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens, a Graphit TwinTip marker, and a Kuretake Zig Clean Color marker. I have looked everywhere and I can't find pictures of this box. (Can't find the box either. Someday I will get organized, haha!) I appear to have lost them, but I did swatch everything and paint a picture.
The Derwent Paint Pens had extremely fine nibs and very liquid paint. The colors I received were Mid Green and Ocean Blue. I liked the idea of fine tip paint pens, but the paint really gushed out with these Derwent pens. They retail for around $5.29 each on Blick Art Materials. The Kuretake Zig Clean Color marker was double ended and had 0.5 mm nib and a 1.2 mm nib. This was water based marker and was blendable. Its color was Persian Green. It is available in a set of 24 for around $20 on Amazon. There was also a Graph'it Twin Tip alcohol marker which was double ended with a fineliner nib and a brush nib. The color was Blush. These markers can be found in a 12 pack for around $25 on Amazon. The last two items were Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens. These pens had watercolor ink and were water soluble. The colors were Sepia Deep and Deep Ochre. They are available on Blick Art Materials for around $4.25 each.
'Peacock Feather Abstract'
By Ellie Taylor
So I tried to paint a Peacock feather. I used the Kuretake pen to paint in the blue feathers and I used the Ecoline Brush Pens for the dark feathers and the light brown feathers. I created the background with the Marabu Graph'it marker. Then I used the paint pens to add the green and blue feathers. That's were it went wrong. The blue pen released a giant blob of paint and I had to use a tissue to direct the paint in the right way. It covered up all the detail from the markers. I think the fine nibs on the Derwent Paint pens are just too small and the paint leaks around them. A nice idea to have a very small nib, but it doesn't seem to work very well. (Note: After looking at the description on Blick Art Materials, this is evidently a feature and not a bug. Meaning the paint is supposed to be very fluid. However, it makes it hard to do detail work with these Derwent Paint pens.)
ArtSnacks January 2021
In January 2021, the ArtSnacks Box featured ShinHan Touch Liners.
ShinHan Touch Liners in a 5 pack were the main item in this box. The liners were grey and ranged in size from 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, chisel nib, and a brush nib. The ink was highly pigmented and water resistant. This pack retails for around $20 on Amazon.
There was a Karin Decobrush marker with metallic ink. The color was Metallic Pink. These are available in a set of 10 for around $34 on Amazon.
The next item was Marvy Uchida LePen Flex with a bullet nib. The color was Pale Blue. This pen is available in a set of 6 pastel colors for around $11 on Amazon.
For sketching there was a Zebra M-350 mechanical pencil. This pencil is available in a two pack for around $10 on Amazon.
Finally there was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a Dum-Dums lollipop.
Doodlin' Time!
The ShinHan liners were really neat because I could make a variety of lines sizes. The Karin Decobrush had a really pretty color of metallic ink and would probably be great on toned paper. The Zebra mechanical pencil had a very nice feel in my hand and worked fine for sketching. It also had a nice dark lead. The Marvy LePen was a really pretty blue color.
'Fancy Boots'
By Ellie Taylor
I used the mechanical pencil to sketch the boots. I then used the grey ShinHan liners for shading. The Marvy LePen was used to make the color for bottom of the Boots and the vine design. The Karin Decobrush pen made pretty rose shapes, but I couldn't layer any color over them. Perhaps those pens are best used for final touches.
Artsnacks February 2021
In February 2021 the ArtSnacks Box featured a new acrylic ink.
The main item in the box was Ultramarine Blue Higgins Acrylic ink. This is a new product and so far only available in the February 2021 ArtSnacks box.
To go with the ink was a Princeton Velvetouch round #4 paintbrush. This brush is available on Blick Art Materials for a little over $5.
Next there was a Kuretake Zig Clean Color Dot marker. This pen has a bullet nib and a dot nib. The color was a metallic red. This pen is on Amazon for around $4.
When I first saw this, I had no idea what it was, but it turned out to be a fancy eraser. It was a Koh-i-noor Thermoplastic eraser that is ergonomically designed and not supposed to make crumbs. It is available in a 3 pack on Amazon for around $9.
There was a Carn d'Ache Grafstone woodless pencil. The lead was HB. This pencil can be found on Blick Art Materials for around $6.
Last there was an art supplies list, a jaw busters candy, and an ArtSnacks sticker.
Doodlin' Time!
The Caran d'Ache woodless pencil and the Koh-i-noor Thermoplastic eraser worked well together and that shape of eraser was easier to hold. The Kuretake Dot marker made really nice polkadots and the metallic red color was pretty. The Princeton Velvetouch brush worked well with the Higgins Acrylic ink and brushed it on like a transparent watercolor.
'Singing Bird'
by Ellie Taylor
I decided to do a cartoon style sketch of a blue bird singing. I used the Caran d'Ache Grafstone pencil to sketch the bird and music notes. Next I used the Princeton paintbrush to paint the bluebird with the Ultramarine Blue Higgins ink. Then I used the bullet nib part of the Kuretake Dot pen to make the grass, outline the bluebird, and part of the music notes. I flipped the Kuretake pen around and used the dot nib to make the rest of the music notes and added some leaf-like vegetation to the grass. Overall, this was a neat box with some nice new products to try out.
ArtSnacks March 2021
The March 2021 ArtSnacks Box featured a new brush paint pen from their Plumchester line.
ArtSnacks has its own brand of art supplies with the brand Plumchester and in March they released a new brush paint pen with real bristles. The color was blue.
There was also a Blackwing pencil. These are high end pencils with more carbon in the lead which makes a darker line. A 12 pack of these pencils costs around $25 on Amazon.
The third item was a Kuretake Brush Pen with a really thin liner brush. This brush pen comes from Japan, but is available on JetPens for around $8.
Next there was a two tone Chameleon colored pencil. I have reviewed these before in another blog post. Check it out at https://ellietaylorartist1.wixsite.com/ellie-taylor-artist/post/2017/07/13/june-2017-scrawlrboxchameleon-marker-review
These come in a set of 50 on Amazon for around $24.
For the pencil there was a Kum pencil sharpener with a container to catch the shavings. This rectangular sharpener is available on Amazon for around $6.
Doodlin' Time!
The Plumchester brush pen worked well with no paint blobs. The Chameleon two tone colored pencil had a soft wax tip and worked well for blending and layering. The colors of it were Basil and Pear. The Kuretake liner brush pen was very much like a script brush and made very thin lines. The Blackwing pencil worked great for blending and shading.
St. Patrick's Day
By Ellie Taylor
Since it was March, I drew a couple of doodles for St. Patrick's Day. I used the Blackwing pencil to sketch the Leprechaun hat and the Shamrock. Then I colored them in using the two tones of green on the Chameleon colored pencil. I used the Plumchester brush pen to paint the hat band and added the final details with the Kuretake liner brush pen.
This bunch of boxes had some really high quality supplies in them and were a great way for people to try out more expensive supplies. That way people can see if they like them and want to invest more money in those types of supplies without having to buy a whole bunch of them first. (And find out they don't like them later.) For example, the Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils are very expensive, but ArtSnacks put some in their box so people could test it out first before buying a whole bunch of expensive pencils.
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. ArtSnacks now has a referral program and if you go through my link, first time customers can get 10% off of their very first order. My referral link is http://artsnacks.refr.cc/eleanortÂ