ArtSnacks Unboxing for February 2020 thru July 2020

In this post I am catching up on my ArtSnacks boxes again. There were lots of watercolor supply and new products to try! For those who are interested in trying these supplies for themselves, I have included my Amazon, Misterart, and Blick Art Materials affiliate links down below.

For February 2020 ArtSnacks featured the new Faber-Castell highly pigmented watercolor markers! I really like the Winsor Newton watercolor markers and I wanted to see how they compare to these Faber-Castell watercolor markers.

Cutie Boots said 'It's too hot to unbox stuff today! I'm going to lay down." Then he crawled under the bed. Ah, well cats will be cats, haha!

The main items in this box were the Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Markers. They were double ended with a bullet and brush nib. These markers were lightfast and highly pigmented like the Winsor and Newton watercolor markers. The colors I received were Dark Phthalo Green and Dark Chrome Yellow. These retail for $4.07 a piece on Blick Art Materials and are available in sets of 5, 10, 20, and 30 from around $17 to $100.

The next item was a Zig Clean Color Dot marker. This marker is water based and has a big round nib on one end and a small round nib on the other. I received a pink colored marker.

On dickblick.com these Dot markers are around $2.64 a piece. They have a set of 4 or 12 markers which range from around $13 to $35.

Possum came by for a visit and checked out the Zig marker.

Then there was a Princeton Glacier #2 round paintbrush. It had a clear plastic handle. It retails for around $5.42 on dickblick.com.

Last, there was a Viarco ArtGraf water soluble 2B pencil. This pencil contains water soluble graphite. It can be found in a 2 pack with a 6B pencil on Amazon for around $7.

Then there was an ArtSnacks supplies list, a Dum-Dums lollipop, and an ArtSnacks sticker.

Doodlin' Time!

The water soluble graphite pencil dissolved very well and created a nice wash. The Zig marker made very uniform dots and worked well for polka-dots. The Princeton brush made nice washes. The pigment from the Faber-Castell watercolor markers dissolved fairly well.

'Flower Doodlin'

by Ellie Taylor

I played around with the Faber-Castell watercolor markers and doodled a couple of flowers. On the sunflower I used the water soluble pencil to make a sketch first then I colored the petals and leaves. The markers mixed with the graphite and the colors were darkened. I wanted to see how vivid the Faber-Castell markers were so I painted the tulip without a beginning sketch and added some color with the pink Zig marker. I also did a quick sketch of a watering can with just the graphite pencil to see how it worked by itself. The graphite made some very nice shading.

So how do the Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Markers compare to the Winsor Newton markers? I think that the Winsor Newton markers are a bit more vivid and pigmented. They also dissolve a little bit better than the Faber-Castell watercolors. I like the Faber-Castell watercolor markers, but I give the edge to Winsor Newton. However, both of these brands have a very high quality marker and they are lightfast. This means they can both be used for professional quality work!

Artsnacks for March 2020

For March 2020 ArtSnacks featured a high quality watercolor brand and colored pencils.

The first item in the box was a tube of Rembrandt watercolor. The color was Orange Quinacridone. These are high quality watercolors and a 10ml tube is about $9.71 on dickblick.com.

The next item was a Graph'it Brush Liner. This pen had highly pigmented ink that was waterproof. This pen is for sale in the ArtSnacks shop and costs $3.79.

There was a 4 pack of Bruynzeel colored pencils. This pack had grey, brown, black, and white colors. You can also get these in a pack of 12 on Amazon for around $10.

To go with the watercolor there was a Royal and Langnickel Menta #4 round paintbrush. This is available at the ArtSnacks shop for around $4.19.

There was the art supplies list, some Smarties candy, and an ArtSnacks sticker.

Doodlin' Time!

The Graph'it brush liner pen felt a lot like a real paintbrush. The Rembrandt watercolor was very pigmented and not chalky at all. The Bruynzeel colored pencils were fairly soft and had good coverage. The Royal and Langnickel paintbrush made nice strokes.

'Old Post'

by Ellie Taylor

I did a quick sketch of an old fence post. I used the Bruynzeel colored pencils to make the fence post and added the highlights with the Rembrandt watercolor. Then I added the final details with the Graph'it pen including the old wire.

I was really impressed with the Rembrandt watercolor. It was very pigmented and not chalky at all. It had a nice transparency. I really liked the rusty orange color because it worked well for weathered wood along with the colors in the colored pencil pack. Rembrandt watercolors can definitely be used for professional work and are lightfast.

Artsnacks Box for April 2020

The April box for ArtSnacks featured gigantic markers!

The first two items were Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt pens. These pens contained India ink and were lightfast and waterproof. They had a big barrel with a brush pen nib. I received the colors Green Gold and Cobalt Blue. These pens run from around $4.59 on Misterart.

There was also a Pigma Micron PN pen with black archival ink. These are available on Amazon in a 3 pack for around $8.

There were two Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua watercolor pencils. I got a yellow color and burnt sienna color. There were no names on the pencils, just numbers.. These colored pencils are available in a 48 color set for around $40 on Amazon.

To go with the the watercolor pencils, there was a Tombow waterbrush. This was a flat tip waterbrush. This waterbrush is available on Amazon in a 3 pack for $16.99.

Then there was an art supplies list, some Smarties candy, and an ArtSnacks sticker.

Doodlin' Time!

In subscription boxes, I get a lot of Micron pens and one can always use the Pigma Micron pens for detail work. This one worked fine. The Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush pens were highly pigmented. The Faber-Castell watercolor pencils dissolved nicely with water and made good washes. The flat tip Tombow waterbrush worked very well for painting edges.

'Yellow Flower'

by Ellie Taylor

I drew the yellow flower first and used the Goldfaber watercolor pencils to paint it. When I added water, the pigment faded out quite a bit so I added a layer of dry pigment to brighten the flower color. Then I used the Faber-Castell Big Brush pens to make the leaves and the blue around the flower. These pens worked best when I needed to cover big areas with ink. These pens have India ink so they don't blend like alcohol markers but they are very lightfast. I added the final details to the flower with the Micron Pigma pen. All of these supplies are supposed to have good lightfastness so they can be used for professional work. I might get some more Goldfaber watercolor pencils, I liked these.

ArtSnacks Box for May 2020

The May 2020 ArtSnacks Box featured KingArt Real Brush watercolor pens

The main item was a set of 4 KingArt Real Brush Pens. These pens have an actual brush tip with individual synthetic hairs. They actually look a lot like the Arteza Brush Pens. This pack had shades of orange. These real brush pens are available on Amazon in a 48 set for around $47.

Next there was a Tombow Irojiten colored pencil. I received the color Asparagus. These colored pencils are available in individual colors for $2.63 a piece on Blick Art Materials. They also come in sets of 5, 12, and 30.

Next there was a Higgins India Ink Pump Marker. This marker had a chisel nib with black ink and was water resistant. This marker retails for around $12 on Amazon and Blick Art Materials.

There was also a Copic Multi-Liner with a 0.5 mm nib and waterproof black ink. This pen is available in a set of 7 for around $20 on Amazon.

Finally there was a Marabu Aqua Pen Graphix marker. This pen was water soluble and had a brush nib and a bullet nib. The color was a pink shade. These pens are available in a set of 48 for around $28 on Amazon.

Then there was the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and Warheads lemon candy. (Too sour for me!)

Doodlin Time!

The KingArt Real Brush Pens were bright and dissolved into smooth washes. The Tombow Irojiten colored pencil was a nice light green. These wax pencils are usually not as soft as Primacolors and don't layer as well. The Higgins India Ink was good for large areas of black. The Marabu Graphix pen was a nice bright color. The Copic Multi-Liner made nice detailed lines.

'Cross Silhouettes'

by Ellie Taylor

Since all the colors were orange and pink hues, I created a sunset picture with 3 cross silhouettes. I made a wash in the sky with the KingArt brushpens and clouds with the Marabu Graphix pen. Then I made the cross and ground silhouettes with the Higgins Pump Marker and the Copic Multi-Liner. I didn't know what to do with the green colored pencil so I just colored over the black ink. It didn't show up over the ink, but the Irojiten colored pencil works fine on regular white paper. The KingArt Real Brush Pens are supposed to be lightfast, so they can be used for professional quality work.

Artsnacks Box for June 2020

Chalk pastels were the main theme of the June box. Hooray! More Rembrandt pastels!

The main item was a 5 pack of soft pastel half sticks. This was the Rose Violets set. It retails on Blick Art Materials for around $8.

Next there was Mega Cretacolor colored pencil. The color was Magenta. These pencils come in sets of 12, 24, and 36. The sets range from $30 to $60 on Amazon. They are available individually for $1.61 on dickblick.com.

Then there was a Zebra Zensations mechanical pencil with a 0.9 mm lead. It is available on Amazon for around $8.

Another item was an Edding 1200 red metallic pen. This is available in a pack of 6 for around $16 on Amazon.

For blending the pastels a Royal and Langnickel chamois cloth was included. It retails for around $9 on Amazon.

There was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a Dum-Dums lollipops.

The Zebra technical pencil worked fine. The Edding 1200 metallic pen made a nice shiny red color. The Mega Cretacolor colored pencil had a soft wax tip with good coverage. The Rembrandt soft pastels were highly pigmented and blended nicely. The chamois cloth worked well to make a smooth blend. (These cloths also make great cleaners for your eyeglasses.)

'Pink Flower'

by Ellie Taylor

I did a quick sketch of a pink flower using the mechanical pencil for the base sketch. Then I added magenta with the Mega Cretacolor colored pencil. I added the final colors with the Rembrandt pastels. I roughly blended the pastels with the chamois cloth. I added the flower stamens with the Eddings 1200 metallic pen and it layered easily over the chalk pastels. I have gotten several Rembrandt pastel packs in past art subscription boxes and they are professional quality supplies, definitely suitable for creating saleable works.

Artsnacks Box for July 2020

The July ArtSnacks box featured high quality Kuretake-Zig pan watercolors.

The first items were two pans of Kuretake-Zig Gansai Tambi watercolors. These were a professional watercolor and not chalky at all. I received a blue and red color. These pans come in sets of 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48. The set price range from $18 to $50.

The next item was something I had never seen, a Daniel Smith Extra Fine watercolor stick! A watercolor stick! I've seen lots of water soluble products like gelatto pastels, Inktense sticks, crayons, etc., but not a stick of pure watercolor pigment. The color was a Pyrrol Orange. Blick Art Materials retails these for around $9.18 a piece. (Note to self: Look into these and maybe get some more.)

The next item was ArtSnacks' own Plumchester P8 Fineliner. It was highly pigmented with 0.8 mm nib. This pen is for sale on the ArtSnacks shop for $2.99.

Then there was a cute little travel Zig H2O Petit waterbrush. This little water brush comes in two pieces and the brush fits in the handle when not filled with water. This item retails for $4 on the ArtSnacks shop.

There was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and some Smarties candy.

The Plumchester Pen handled well and made fine lines. The Gansai Tambi watercolors made very pretty washes. The Daniel Smith watercolor stick was very bright and pigmented. The cute little waterbrush worked great for painting.

'Trumpet Vine'

by Ellie Taylor

The color of the Daniel Smith watercolor stick reminded me of the trumpet vines that used to grow on the back porch of my grandfather's house, so I painted a trumpet vine flower. I used the Daniel Smith watercolor stick for the main color of the flower. Then I used the Gansai Tambi red color to make a shadow color on the flower. I painted blue and red around the flower as a background. For the final details, I loosely sketched the flower petals with the Plumchester P8 Fineliner.

March 2020 Bonus Box Featuring Tombow

In March, Tombow and ArtSnacks partnered together and released a bonus box featuring the new Tombow alcohol markers. Previously Tombow only made water based markers, so I was excited to try these out!

There were 5 Tombow ABT Pro Alcohol markers. Each marker had a chisel tip and a brush tip nib. There was no color name on them, but each marker was numbered. I got red, green, blue, purple, and yellow. Right now these are available on the Tombow website in sets of 5 and 12 for $29.99 and $69.99.

There was also a Tombow Mono Drawing Pen. This pen has a 0.5 mm nib with water based black ink. This pen is available in a 3 pack for $6.80 on Amazon.

There was also a Tombow Mono J Drawing pencil. It was a HB pencil. You can find it in a set of12 for around $19 on Amazon.

There was also some marker paper, but I didn't see any brand name.

There was a Tombow Alcohol marker info sheet, an art supplies list, a lifesavers candy, and a Tombow sticker.

The Tombow drawing pen was smooth and good for detailed work. The Tombow Drawing pencil was great for shading. The Tombow alcohol markers were brightly colored.

'Grapes'

by Ellie Taylor

I drew some grapes with the Tombow Drawing pencil and it was great for sketching and shading. Then I tried to blend the alcohol markers on another grape drawing. Maybe it was because I was using regular sketchbook paper, but I couldn't really get them to blend.

Since I couldn't get the Tombow alcohol markers to blend on regular paper, I tried them on the slick marker paper. They did blend better on that kind of paper, but still not as well as other brands. Maybe I needed more in-between colors, but I was kind of disappointed with their lack of blending properties. Perhaps I needed the colorless blender to make them work better. However, I did think the colors were very bright and pretty and I liked the flexible brush nib.

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/eleanort