Catching Up on ArtSnacks
I have a bunch of ArtSnacks boxes that need unboxing so here we go!
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.)
Hey, Cutie Boots do you want to help me unbox some art supplies?
No, he said. I am taking a bath!
But Cutie Boots we have a bunch of boxes to look at!
No, he said, I'm going to sleep. Okay, I said, I'm going to get Junior and Snowy to help. Fine, he said, I don't care!
What are ya gonna do? Cats will be cats!
ArtSnacks April 2021
Looks like there was a pen decorated with cows. That's something you don't see everyday!
This was a Zig Cocoiro Letter Pen. It came with a black ink brush pen. The inks could be changed and replaced with different colors. The body of the pen could also be changed to different designs. This type of pen retails for around $5 on Amazon.
The next item in the box was a Pentel Arts brush pen. This pen had a water based ink in it. There are other colors of this pen available on Amazon and it retails for around $7.51.
Next there was a Tombow ABT Pro alcohol marker. The color I received was Carmine and it had a brush nib and a chisel nib. This was one of Tombow's new alcohol markers. Previously Tombow has only had water based markers. These markers retail for around $4.11 on Blick Art Materials.
Finally there was a GraphGear 300 mechanical pencil with 0.7 mm lead. It retails for around $5 on Amazon.
Then there was the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and an Airheads cherry taffy.
Doodlin' Time!
The Cocoiro Letter Pen made nice thin lines. The Tombow ABT Pro marker blended nicely and didn't peel up the paper like their water based markers tend to do. The Pentel Arts Color brush pen had real bristles and made a nice painterly stroke. The Pentel GraphGear mechanical pencil had a nice balanced feel to it.
'Victorian Girl'
by Ellie Taylor
I used the GraphGear pencil to make the initial sketch of a Victorian girl. Then I used the Cocoiro Letter pen to sketch in the details. The Pentel Arts brush pen worked well for the hair and thicker lines. I used the Tombow ABT Pro marker to add a splash of red to the flower pattern on her dress and bonnet.
ArtSnacks May 2021
The May Artsnacks box featured gouache.
It contained two tubes of Royal Talens extra fine gouache. The colors I received were Permanent Rose Magenta and Yellow Ochre. A 20 ml tube of this gouache goes for around $10.63 on Blick Art Materials.
To go with the gouache there was a KingArt Golden Taklon brush. This was a 3/8 inch Dagger brush. The Dagger brush style has an angled taper to the end of the brush. To me it is like a filbert brush with a diagonal cut on the end. It might work well for painting grass. This brush can be found in a set of four retailing around $26 on Amazon.
For sketching there was a 2B General's Graphite pencil. This pencil can be found in a set of 12 for around $5 on Amazon.
Next there was a Tombow Mono Dust Catch eraser. This eraser retails for $1.40 on Blick Art Materials.
Lastly there was the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and some Smarties candy.
Doodlin' Time!
The General's Graphite pencil was nice for quick studies and the Tombow eraser did seem to have a lot less dust. The KingArt Dagger brush was nice for making angles. The Royal Talens Gouache was highly pigmented.
Gouache Experiments by Ellie Taylor
I haven't quite got the knack of painting with gouache yet, but I gave it a try. First I sketched out a butterfly on a flower. Then I tried to use a thick layer of gouache on it. I used the pencil to draw some details on the butterfly and flower, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted. So next I painted a mushroom with thick paint and tried to add the yellow ochre spots over the Rose Magenta color, but it didn't show up very well. So finally, I sketched a rose, used a thin wash of Rose Magenta for the first layer and added a thicker layer for shadows. This seemed to work for me.
I think the secret of working with gouache is building up layers and working from thin paint layers to thick layers. I need to study this medium further and I think I might get it figured out.
Artsnacks June 2021
For June the ArtSnacks Box featured a huge marker!
The giant marker was a Montana Bold Alcohol Marker. The marker had an 8 mm nib and black ink. This marker retails for around $10 on Amazon and Blick Art Materials.
On a smaller level, there was a Zig Fudegokochi Fine Tip brush pen. The ink was black. A pack of 3 retails on Amazon for around $8.
For a contrast, there was a Uniball Signo white gel pen. A pack of 5 costs around $12 on Amazon.
There were two Derwent Lightfast colored pencils. The colors were Green Earth and Granite. These are high quality artist pencils and retail for around $4.79 per pencil on Blick Art Materials. They also come in sets of 12, 24, 36, 72, and now 100 on Amazon.
Then there was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a Warheads sour candy.
Doodlin' Time!
The Kuretake Zig Fudegokochi brush pen made fine lines. The Montana Bold marker worked great for covering large areas with black ink. The Uniball Signo white gel layered over the black ink very well. The Derwent Lightfast colored pencils had a fairly soft tip and good coverage. They have recently been expanded to a 100 pencil set giving them a better variety of colors.
'Mesa at Night'
by Ellie Taylor
I painted a black background with the Montana Bold marker. Then I sketched some distant mountains, a pueblo house, the stars, and a Native American spirit with the Uni-ball Signo pen. It showed up very well on the black alcohol ink. Then I filled in the ground and distant mountains with the Granite Derwent colored pencil. The Green Earth Derwent colored pencil worked nicely on the spirit and the adobe pueblo door. I used the Kuretake zig pen to correct some mistakes that I made with the white gel pen. Overall, I felt that all these supplies worked together really well. Most of these products were lightfast and can be used for professional work except for the alcohol ink marker. Alcohol inks are dye based and therefore not lightfast. However you can make prints of your alcohol ink work and preserve it that way.
ArtSnacks July 2021
In July the ArtSnacks Box had a roll of cute ArtSnacks themed Washi tape in it.
The first item was a Marabu Waterbrush. It had a round tip with real brush bristles. It retails at Michael's or Joanns. It is very similar to the Sargent Art water brushes on Amazon that retail in a pack of 3 for around $7.
For a sketching pencil there was a Cretacolor Fine Arts F pencil. This pencil can be found in a pack of 12 for around $22 on Amazon.
Next there was a 5 ml tube of Daniel Smith watercolor. The color was Prussian Blue. These are professional grade watercolors with a high lightfast rating and retail for around $6.31 per tube on Blick Art Materials.
There was some Washi tape with the cute ArtSnacks logo in it. This tape is available on the ArtSnacks website for around $2.99.
The last supply was a Marabou Mixed Media Art Crayon. (These crayons are like oil pastels, but they are water soluble.) The color was Cherry Red. This color is available in a set of 5 on Amazon for around $14. It is also available open stock on Blick Art Materials.
There was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a piece of Dubble Bubble gum.
Doodlin' Time!
The washi tape had the cute ArtSnacks logo on it and could be used for a border. The Daniel Smith watercolor was very pigmented. The Cretacolor Fine Art pencil sketched nicely. The Marabu Mixed Media Crayon dissolved fairly well with water and the Marabu water brush spread the paint evenly.
Kokopelli Variations
by Ellie Taylor
I put some washi tape on the page to see if it would stick on the paper and it did. Then I doodled some Kokopellis with the Cretacolor pencil. I used the Marabu water brush to add the Prussian Blue Daniel Smith watercolor on the arms, legs, and music notes. I colored a small amount of red on the Kokopelli in the middle and spread the paint out on the body. (The secret to using this Marabu crayon is a little goes a long way so be sparing with the pigment.) On the other two Kokopellis, I first added the Marabu Crayon and then the Prussian Blue watercolor paint. This made a nice magenta color. The Daniel Smith watercolor and the Marabu Crayon mixed very well together as long as the amounts of pigment were small. I think I may have finally figured out how to use these water soluble crayons/oil pastels!
ArtSnacks August 2021
Hey Junior, want to help unbox art supplies? When we opened the box, Junior said, "I want food not Copic markers!"
Ah well, cats will be cats. Anyway, the first item was a Copic Sketchmarker. These alcohol markers have a brush nib and a chisel edge nib. The color was Crimson. On Blick Art Materials these markers retail for around $5.85.
Next there was an Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencil. This pencil had a mechanism that rotated the lead to keep it sharp. Amazon has this for around $9.80.
Kingart Pro Color Brush pens in a pack of four were the next items in the box. These are water based markers. These shades of blue can be found in a 10 pack on Amazon for around $15.
For a details, there was a Stabilo Point 88 fineliner with a 0.4 mm nib. The color was light tan. This pen is available in available in a pack of 30 for around $20.
Finally there was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and an Airheads taffy candy.
Doodlin' Time!
The Copic marker blended nicely as usual. The KingArt markers were very pretty blue colors. The Stabilo Fineliner was good for details and the Uri Kuru Toga pencil felt nice in my hand.
"Blue Flower with Ladybug"
by Ellie Taylor
I used the mechanical pencil to sketch the flower and ladybug. Then I used the KingArt markers to color the flower. Since those were waterbased markers, they didn't blend very well. I used the Crimson Copic marker for the ladybug and to darken the base of the blue flower. I added a sketchy background with the stabilo pen. These markers are nice for sketchbook work or scrapbooking, but probably not for lightfast work.
September Artsnacks 2021
The September ArtSnacks box was all about pens.
The main item in the box was 3 Sepia Derwent Line Maker pens. The sizes were 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, and 0.5 mm. This available on Amazon for around $10.
Next there was a Montana Acrylic Pen with 2 mm nib. The color was Royal Red. This pen retails for $6.05 on Blick Art Materials.
Next there was a Tombow Twin Tip Brush Marker. This pen had a grey nib and a black nib.
These pens retail around $7.49 on Amazon.
For the pencil there was a 2H ShinHan Art Touch Drawing Pencil. This pencil can be found in a set of 12 for around $24 on Blick Art Materials.
There was also a Kum pencil sharpener. This can be found in a pack of 3 for around $8 on Amazon.
There was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a Warheads sour blue raspberry candy.
Doodlin' Time!
The Derwent Line Makers pens had three different brown colors and drew very thin lines. The Tombow pen was very handy when switching between the grey and black colors. The ShinHan pencil was good for sketching and the Kum pencil sharpener sharpened it to a fine tip.
'Ruined Mission'
by Ellie Taylor
I made a quick sketch of a mission church ruin. (The belltower is all that is standing now.) I used the pencil to sketch the scene. Then I used the Tombow pen to make the grey hills. I used the Derwent sepia pens to sketch in the bricks of the mission ruins and walls. Next I used the black nib of the Tombow pen to put in the crosses in the old church graveyard. I really liked the sepia pen set and would like to try some more sketches with them.
October Artsnacks 2021
For October there was a bottle of ink, but it was a bright color!
This ink was Liquitex Acrylic Yellow Deep color. (A very bright yellow.)
Next there was a Kuretake-Zig Manga Liner. It had an extra fine nib and the color seemed to be a metallic copper. This pen is also available on the ArtSnacks website for around $4.30.
There was an ergonomically shaped synthetic sable brush from Winsor and Newton. The brush was a size 0 round brush. It retails for around $7.17 on Blick Art Materials.
There was the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a strawberry lollipop.
Doodlin' Time!
The Mitsubishi pencil was nice for sketches, The liquitex acrylic ink was very bright. I wasn't sure what color the Kuretake-Zig Manga Liner was, but it looked to be a copper color. The Winsor Newton paintbrush was a nice fit in my hand with its ergonomically shaped handle.
'Honey Bee'
by Ellie Taylor
I sketched a cartoon bee with a paint brush covered in honey. I used the yellow acrylic ink to paint the bee and the metallic ink for the honey on the brush. The inks were very pigmented.
November Artsnacks 2021
In November ArtSnacks featured a new product, liquid watercolor! I've never seen that before!
The main product was Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant concentrated watercolor. The color was Daffodil Yellow. This was a dye based watercolor that could be used straight from the bottle or diluted with water. A bottle on Blick Art Materials retails for around $7.86.
Snowy decided to bite the Derwent push button water brush. Don't bite a hole in it Snowy! This brush retails for around $12 on Amazon.
Next there was some Faber-Castell Gelatos. These are sort of like water soluble oil pastels. The colors I received were Iced Current and Blueberry.
There was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a cherry flavored Airheads taffy.
The concentrated watercolor was very pigmented and a little went a long way. The Faber-Castell Gelatos dissolved very well with water and combined with the liquid watercolor to make different colors. The water brush worked very well with these supplies.
'Yellow Flowers'
by Ellie Taylor
I think I've finally cracked the code on all these water soluble crayons and oil pastels. The secret is sort of like painting with oils: start out with thin layers and gradually add thicker layers. I used the concentrated watercolor for the first layer and then mixed in some of the Gelato stick to make a reddish flower. I used the blue Gelato stick to draw in the stems and brushed some of the Daffodil Yellow concentrated watercolor to blend with it and make a green color. This concentrated liquid watercolor is a really neat product!
December Artsnacks 2021
In the ArtSnacks box for December there was a gigantic paint marker!
The paint marker was a 5-10 mm Edding Acrylic Paint marker. (This is the biggest paint marker I have ever seen!) It is available on Blick Art Materials for around $8.
The next product was a Tombow Mono Twin marker. This marker had a 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm bullet nib. The ink was black and fade resistant. It sells on Amazon for around $5.
Also, there were some Tombow ABT Alcohol markers. These markers have a brush nib and a bullet nib. The colors were Saddle Brown and Rhodamine Red. These markers can be found open stock at Blick Art Materials for $4.11.
Lastly there was a cute tiny accordion sketchbook from Hahnemuhle. The size was 2X2 inches. It retails on Amazon for around $10.
There was the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, a coupon (it's expired, sorry, I wanted to pass it on but I got to this blog too late.) and a Swedish Fish gummy candy.
This cute little accordion sketchbook had thick paper in it and it worked well with Tombow markers. Usually I have trouble with the Tombow markers peeling up the paper, but not with this paper. It didn't peel at all. The Edding paint marker worked well with this paper, too.
'Mushroom People'
by Ellie Taylor
I doodled some quick sketches of mushroom people. I found that the Tombow Mono Twin pen colored over the alcohol markers and the acrylic marker. The Tombow ABT colors were really bright and vibrant. The Edding paint marker had very nice coverage.
This sketchbook is a nice little thing to carry for quick drawings or watercolor sketches.
January ArtSnacks 2022
In January's ArtSnacks box pastels were on the menu.
The main product was a box of Sennelier Extra Soft Pastels. This was a pack of 6 Autumnal Landscape colors. This pack is available on Blick Art Materials for $12.51.
Next there was a mechanical pencil with a square 0.9 mm lead. The pencil was a Zebra MLP2 with an elliptical shape and a big eraser. It retails for around $6 on Amazon.
There was a Prismacolor Kneaded Eraser. It can be found in a 3 pack for around $5.
There was also a Sakura Pigma Micron pen with grey ink in it. This pen can be found in a 3 pack for around $9 on Blick Art Materials.
Last there was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a lollipop.
The Sennelier pastels were very bright and pigmented. The Zebra mechanical pencil had a very nice ergonomic feel in my hand. The Sakura Pigma pen had a nice unobtrusive grey ink that could be used for backgrounds. The kneaded rubber eraser worked well.
'Autumn Leaf'
by Ellie Taylor
I sketched a fall leaf with the mechanical pencil and added the pastel for the fall colors. The Sennelier pastels were very soft and easy to blend. The colors were very pretty and perfect for fall colors. Sennelier pastels are usually high quality and good for professional work.
ArtSnacks February 2022
For February 2022 Artsnacks featured Koi watercolors.
The brand of watercolors was Sakura Koi and I received two 12 ml tubes. The colors were Ultramarine Blue and Magenta. These colors can be found in a 24 pack for around $48.
There was a Princeton Heritage Series Round #6 paintbrush to go with the watercolors. The price for it is around $9.42 on Amazon.
Finally there was a Zebra Zensations brush pen. It had black ink and was water resistant. It costs around $3 on Amazon.
Then there was an art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and a Blue Raspberry Laffy Taffy.
Doodlin ' Time!
The Zebra Zensations brush pen was very nice for making sketchy lines. I really like Sakura Koi watercolors because they are vibrant and bright. I have done a review of them here at:
The Princeton paintbrush had a nice tapered tip which was helpful in making detailed paintings.
'Purple Flowers'
by Ellie Taylor
I created a watercolor wash with the Koi watercolors and then mixed the blue and magenta colors to make a purple for the flowers. Then I used the Zebra brush pen to add the final details. I really liked the Koi watercolors in a tube. I don't think they are very lighfast, but you can make prints from your work and sell it that way.
Artsnacks March 2022
In March 2022 ArtSnacks featured metallic ink pens.
The first metallic pen was a Pentel Arts Dual Metallic Brush. This pen had a dye based black ink mixed with red glitter ink. It made a double tone color of black and metallic red. This brush pen retails for around $10 on Amazon and Blick Art Materials.
The next group of pens had two Karin Pigment Decobrush pens. These pens had an acrylic ink and were permanent and lightfast. I received Egyptian Blue and Plum color. These acrylic pens are available at Blick Art Materials for around $3.90 a piece.
Then for a gel pen, I got a Moonlight Gelly Roll pen. A pack of 5 pens retails for around $8 on Blick Art Materials.
Another metallic pen was the Uni-Ball Signo Impact gel pen. This had waterproof ink and was a light metallic pink. This pen can be found in a pack of 5 for around $13 on Amazon.
Finally there was the art supplies list, an ArtSnacks sticker, and some Smarties candy.
Doodlin' Time!
The Uni-Ball Signo gel pen had a really pretty light pink color and the metallic ink in it shows up very well in the right light. The Karin Decobrush markers are very pigmented. The Moonlight color of the Gelly Roll pen was kind of a grey color. The Pentel Arts Dual Metallic brush pen looked almost black until I held it where it could catch the light. Then the red showed up fairly well.
'Music Notes'
by Ellie Taylor
I made a background of the metallic Pentel Arts red and black ink. The red shows up well on a large area. I tried to use the Karin Decobrush acrylic pens on the top of the Pentel Arts ink, and they didn't really show up that well. The Moonlight pen didn't show up at all on the metallic red ink. The gelly roll pen didn't show up on the metallic red. The Uni-Ball Signo pen worked the best for layering on the metallic red.
'Kokopelli Doodles'
by Ellie Taylor
I tried to use the Karin Decobrush for a background and layer the Pentel Arts Ink on top of it. That didn't work very well. Then I used the Uni-Ball Signo pen and again it was the best for layering. The Gelly Roll pen didn't show up again as a layer. I doodled some Kokopellis with the Pentel Arts ink and layered on the Uni-Ball Signo ink for some details. On one kokopelli, I just outlined the shape with the Pentel Arts ink and filled it in with the Decobrush.
So Basically the Uni-Ball Signo Impact Pen was the only pen that layered well. All the others had to be used side by side in order for them to show up or look metallic, especially the Moonlight Gelly Roll pen. It is very transparent! Overall these are nice pens, I just had to figure out their limitations.
Well, this was a very nice lot of art supplies. I will be taking a break from ArtSnacks and trying a new premium box which I will introduce in my next blog. Stay tuned!
If you want to try out this subscription box company, their website is http://www.artsnacks.co/ The boxes start at $25 a month plus shipping to the United States. International shipping is available for $35 plus 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