Another Mega Unboxing of ScrawlrBoxes

I have accumulated quite a bunch of art boxes so it is time to catch up on my ScrawlrBoxes again. Here's a mega unboxing for March 2020 through July 2020. If you want to try these supplies for yourself, I have included my Amazon and Blick Art Materials affiliate links down below.

March 2020 ScrawlrBox

The March ScrawlrBox featured the new Tri-Blend Spectrum Noir alcohol markers!

"Hey Cutie Boots come out from under the bed and look at these markers!" I said.

"No." he said, "It's too hot!" Oh well. Cats! Whatcha gonna do!

The main items were three Tri-Blend Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. I have been wanting to try these out for a while! These are 3 markers in one and they are 3 different shades of a one color. For example, one of the markers is Blue Turquoise and it has a light, medium, and dark shade of this color. Each marker is segmented into 3 sections with bullet nibs. They are a little bit longer than a normal marker. The other two colors were Gold Brown Blend and Antique Pink Blend. These markers are $4.16 a piece on Blick Art Materials.

The second item was a Molotow Blackliner with a 0.4 mm nib. It had a water resistant pigmented ink that is archival. This pen retails for $3.50.

For a quick sketch there was a Lyra Rembrandt HB Art Design pencil. You can find this pencil in a set of 12 for around $14 on Amazon.

There was a dust free Faber Castell eraser. These are available in a 4 pack on Amazon for around $6.

ScrawlrBox included an exclusive Clairefontaine Goldline bleedproof paper. This was 70 gsm paper. Similar paper retails for $26.49 per pad.

There was the art supplies list, a ScrawlrBox sticker, a print from the artist of the month, and a taffy candy called Vimto Chew Bar.

The Clairefontaine Goldline paper was sort of thin, but it really was bleedproof. The Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend markers blended very well on this paper. The pencil and eraser worked well for sketching. The Molotow pen was very nice for line work and didn't smudge.

"Blue Window"

by Ellie Taylor

I created a sketch of a window and flowers with the Lyra pencil. I then used the Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend alcohol markers to create washes of color on the window, wall, and flowers. I added the details with the Molotow Blackliner. (I really like how smooth that liner is.) The Tri-Blend worked really nice for creating gradient type blends. I like that you don't have to search for colors similar to each other because they are all in one pen. I hope they will expand on this line. Right now there are 24 markers. Because each pen has 3 colors 24 pens gives a total of 72 colors. That's a pretty good selection, but more colors are always welcome! I think I these are my favorite Spectrum Noir markers. There are some Tri-Blend Spectrum markers now with brushtip nibs and I will have to check them out!

April 2020 ScrawlrBox

In April the ScrawlrBox featured some Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Markers. I just received two of these in an ArtSnacks box and liked them.

This time I received a blue and a yellow Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor marker. The colors were Cadmium Yellow and Phthalo Blue. These can be found in sets of 5, 10, 20, and 30. They can also be found open stock on Blick Art Materials for $3.92 a piece.

Next there were three Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Magnus watercolor pencils. The colors I received were Deep Scarlet Red, Emerald Green, and Walnut Brown. These watercolor pencils come in sets of 6, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 120 or open stock for $2.34 a piece.

There was a round #6 ProArte Polar white nylon paintbrush. This can be found in a set of four on Amazon for $15.

Next there was an HB Derwent sketching pencil. This pencil can be found in a 6 pack for around $10 on Amazon.

ScrawlrBox featured 8 sheets of 300 gsm cold pressed watercolor paper.

There was an art supplies list, a ScrawlrBox sticker, a print from the featured artist, and a banana caramel eclair candy. (Not my favorite flavor.)

In this box ScrawlrBox introduced their first issue of the ScrawlrZine. This mini magazine has information on the supplies, the featured artist, and techniques on how to use the monthly supplies.

So in my first review of the Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Markers, I thought they were not as vivid as the Winsor Newton watercolor markers. However, I attributed that to the regular sketchbook paper that I used. When I used this cold pressed watercolor paper, the colors were much more vivid. In fact, they were just as vivid as the Winsor Newton watercolor markers. The Faber-Castell watercolor pencils were also very pigmented and bright. The ProArte Polar paintbrush worked fine for spreading the pigment.

'Cartoon Leopard'

by Ellie Taylor

I used the pencil to sketch a cartoon leopard. Then I added yellow and blue colors to the drawing using the Faber-Castell watercolor markers. The paint dissolved nicely and was very vivid. I used the watercolor pencils to add the facial features and the spots. I was really impressed with the Faber-Castell watercolor pencils and how they dissolved in water. (Stay tuned for my upcoming review on a set of these watercolor pencils.)

So I have to change my original opinion and say that the Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Markers are just as pigmented as the Winsor Newton watercolor markers. They are both excellent quality watercolor markers with very good lightfastness and can be used for professional work.

May 2020 ScrawlrBox

The May ScrawlrBox featured charcoal materials. I am always up for more charcoal supplies!

The first item was a Koh-I-Noor Giaconda charcoal pencil. This pencil can be found in a 12 pack for around $30 on Amazon.

Next there were two Lyra Rembrandt chalk pencils. The colors were white and sepia light. This was interesting to compare to the General's white charcoal pencils. I usually use that brand for my highlights in my charcoal pictures. These pencils can be found in a set of 12 for around $28.

Then there was a Seawhite compressed charcoal stick and some Coates vine charcoal sticks. They were wrapped in paper to protect them. Vine charcoal is a very soft charcoal and compressed charcoal is harder and a little darker. Charcoal sticks are usually around a 6 pack of charcoal for $8 to $10. I can't find Seawhite except on their site, but I use General's charcoal a lot and you can get 6 sticks for around $8 on Amazon. Coates vine charcoal runs around 30 sticks for $13 on Amazon.

Then there was a Faber-Castell Perfection eraser stick. It was double ended. Amazon has this eraser for around $4.23.

Then there was a Lyra Rembrandt Splender wax blender pencil. These are mostly used for colored pencil blending. A two pack of these pencils retails around $7 on Amazon.

Next there was a Winsor Newton kneaded eraser and a Kum pencil sharpener. The kneaded eraser can be used to lift out highlights from the charcoal. I am not sure what a Winsor Newton kneaded eraser costs, but you can get a pack of General's kneaded erasers for around $5. The KUM eraser can be bought in a 3 pack for around $7 on Amazon.

For blending the charcoal, there were some cotton q-tips included. They can make soft blends. Regular blending stumps also work well for softening charcoal pencil lines and they last longer.

Next there was pad of grey Clairefontaine 8X5 inch PaintOn paper. I have gotten several pads of this paper in grey and black colors in previous art subscription boxes and I really like it. You can get a pad with 20 sheets on Blick Art Materials for around $8.

There was also a ScrawlrBox sticker, an art supplies lists, a print from the artist of the month, and a mint candy.

The ScrawlrZine for May shows different techniques that can be used with charcoal.

All the black charcoal showed up well on the grey paper. The white and sepia colored chalk pencils also showed up well. The PaintOn paper has enough tooth to work well with these types of supplies.

'Unfinished Boot Sketch'

by Ellie Taylor

Since I use charcoal all the time, I wanted to try the chalk pencils and the Splender blender. I sketched a pair of boots with the sepia and white chalk pencils and the charcoal pencil. Then I tried to blend them with the wax Splender blender. After using the Splender blender, I couldn't add any more layers of charcoal or chalk to finish the picture. So I learned that if you use the Splender wax blender, it must be added last. I think I will just keep this Splender blender for colored pencil blending only.

'Sun and Moon'

by Ellie Taylor

After the disaster with the wax blender, I tried a new picture with just the charcoal and chalk pencils. I drew a very sketchy version of the Sun and Moon in Venetian mask style. This worked nicely and I was able to add layers, blend edges, and add highlights. I left a lot of the paper showing through and I liked that look. I really liked all these supplies and will use them in my charcoal pictures. However, I will not use the wax blender for charcoal, haha!

'Old West Antiquities'

by Ellie Taylor

I wanted to show an example of how I use charcoal. This picture was created using Arches Cover paper, charcoal sticks, charcoal pencils, white charcoal, pencil erasers, and eraser sticks. I work subtractively, which means I erase and lift out charcoal from the paper. First I cover all the paper with charcoal and rub it in. Then I erase/draw the shapes with eraser sticks. Once I get the shapes correct, I add dark or light lines with the charcoal pencils and blend with the stumps. The final highlights and designs are added with General's white charcoal pencils.

'Bill Berry, Champion Roper'

by Ellie Taylor

Here is another example of one of my charcoal pictures. To frame it, I cut out a grey mat and framed it with a weathered wood frame. I always put glass on my charcoal pictures.

June 2020 ScrawlrBox

The June ScrawlrBox featured Inktense Blocks.

The first item was a black Caran d'Ache Prismalo pencil. This pencil has water soluble pigment. These pencils come in a tin of 12 for $30 on Amazon.

Then there was a #6 Seawhite round paintbrush. This can be found on the Seawhite website.

There was a white Sakura Gelly Roll gel pen. A pack of 3 retails around $4 on Amazon.

The main item in the box was a set of 6 Derwent Inktense Blocks. These sticks consist of dry ink pigment that is water soluble. The color number is stamped on the sticks. These Inktense Blocks are around $2.57 a piece on Blick Art Materials and come in sets of 12, 24, 36, and 72.

There was some Seawhite 350 gsm watercolor paper. A pack of ten 11X16 inch sheets retails for around $18 on Amazon.

Finally there was the art supplies list, a ScrawlrBox sticker, a print from the artist of the month, and a Drumstick Choos candy. (Tasted like a mild orange Starburst.)

The ScrawlrZine had a story on the artist of the month and techniques on how to use Inktense blocks.

I have reviewed these Inktense sticks before in a previous post and they are very pigmented. The Caran d'Ache Prismalo pencil seemed to dissolve a little with water. The Gelly Roll pen wrote over the dissolved Inktense sticks, but was not very opaque.

'Blue Door'

by Ellie Taylor

I drew a quick sketch of an adobe house with a blue door. I used the Prismalo pencil to make the initial drawing. Then I added the color with Inktense blocks. I dry colored different patches of adobe on the wall and added water to dissolve the pigment and blend the colors. For the highlights on the door, wall, and window, I used the white Gelly Roll pen. I added more details on the wall with a dry Prismalo pencil.

Inktense sticks are very interesting to use because often the pigment color is different from the dry when water is added. Lightfastness is an issue with some of the Inktense colors, but they are professional quality supplies. Here is my initial review. http://ellietaylorartist1.wixsite.com/ellie-taylor-artist/post/2018/10/03/scrawlrbox-for-august-2018-and-inktense-review

Hey Cutie Boots, are you ever going to come out! Hmmm, guess not! Maybe when it cools off, haha!

July 2020 ScrawlrBox

In the July ScrawlrBox, Liquid Pencil was featured. I had never seen this supply before!

There were three 12 ml tubes of Derivan Liquid Pencil. This is a liquid graphite that reactivates when water is added. It was tinted Yellow, Blue, and Grey 9. A set of 6 retails for around $39 on Amazon.

There were two water soluble Derwent Sketching pencils. One was a dark wash and one was a medium wash. These pencils can be found in a set of 6 for around $17.

There was a ScrawlrBox flat #10 paintbrush.

There was a pencil and pen Koh-I-Noor eraser. This eraser is supposed to erase ink and graphite. A large version of this eraser retails on Amazon for $7.

For paper to use, ScrawlrBox had 8 sheets of Clairefontaine 5X8 inch Aquarelle watercolor paper. The paper was 300 gsm and cold pressed. A 12X15 inch pad of 10 sheets retails on Amazon for around $17.

There was an art supplies list, a ScrawlrBox sticker, a print from the artist of the month, and a mint candy.

The ScrawlrZine showed how to use Liquid Pencil and featured an expert artist on liquid graphite.

The Liquid Pencil does have different tints of graphite. It was very staining to the paper and created a dark wash. The Derwent sketching pencils dissolved very well with water too. Now about that eraser. It did erase some of the graphite, but not very much. I think this is a property of the liquid graphite and not much to do with the eraser quality.

'Fruit in a Bowl'

by Ellie Taylor

I used the Liquid Pencil and the Derwent sketching pencils to make a rough drawing of fruit in a bowl. I used the tinted graphite on the fruit and created a wash on the fruit and bowl. I used the eraser to lift highlights out of the graphite on the fruit. That was as bright as I could get them. The paper was very tinted from the liquid pencil graphite. I left some sketchy lines from the Derwent sketching pencil showing through.

I had purchased some water soluble Derwent Graphitint graphite pencils to try and I wanted to see how they compared to the Liquid Pencil. These pencils were tinted with 12 different colors, mostly earth tones. I have noticed that the tinted graphite colors are usually very muted because the graphite dulls the colors.

The Graphitint colors come in sets of 6, 12, and 24. I decided to try the 12 set to see if I liked it. I purchased this set for around $22 on Blick Art Materials. They are also available open stock there too for around $2.99 a piece.

The colors were low key, but they were strongly pigmented. They dissolved nicely with water.

'Apple'

by Ellie Taylor

Since I had a red toned Graphitint pencil, I painted an apple. (After all some apples are dark red.) I used purple for the shadowed side of the apple and green and brown for the leaf and stem. Then I used blue for the cast shadow. I used the Faber Castell eraser to make highlights on the apple. Again I couldn't get a really bright highlight like I can when erasing charcoal. Watersoluble graphite seems to stain the paper more than charcoal.

'Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings'

by Ellie Taylor

I was determined to figure this medium out, so I tried one more picture. I have drawn the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings in charcoal many times, so I wanted to see if I could do this in graphite. I used the Liquid pencil, the black Derwent pencils, and the Graphitint pencils. I wanted to be able to erase out the highlights on the dwellings, but it just didn't work with this medium. You have to treat this water soluble graphite like watercolor and preserve the white paper. With dry graphite you can erase out highlights, but after the wash is added it just doesn't work that well.

So in conclusion, I really like the look of these watersoluble graphite tools, but I need to figure them out a little more. They give really neat effects, I just need to find a way to make the highlights stand out more. Perhaps acrylic paint pens might work or gouache.

I think these colors are mostly lightfast, so they definitely are suitable for professional work.

This was an interesting bunch of boxes with some really unique art supplies. I really enjoyed trying out these new supplies and trying to figure them out!

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. For the US, the total cost is roughly $25 to $30 including the shipping cost. Subscribe through my referral link at http://rwrd.io/fj41uxb