Opening ScrawlrBoxes and SketchBoxes

In my last blog post, I promised to reveal the new subscription box that I am trying out. It is the SketchBox Premium box! I have tried the SketchBox Basic box in the past, but now I have switched to the Premium. For now this is the only box I am getting and I have put my ArtSnacks and ScrawlrBox subscriptions on hold. In this blog I will be taking a look at my last 3 ScrawlrBoxes and checking out my new subscription, the Sketchbox Premium Box.

I have included my Amazon 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.)

Cutie Boots has given up on art supplies and is now collecting plushies. Here he is with a Star Wars Bantha.

February ScrawlrBox 2022

In February, the ScrawlrBox featured a watercolor travel set.

The main item was a Derwent Pastel Watercolors travel set complete with a sponge and water brush. The set consisted of 12 pastel shades: Lemon, Peach, Coral Pink, Pink Flamingo, Orchid Pink, Lavender, Cornflower Blue, Turquoise, Mint, Artichoke, Storm Grey, and Silver Blue. This set retails on Amazon for around $27.

For white highlights there was a white Gelly Roll pen. This pen can be found in a set of 6 for around $9 on Amazon.

The Scrawlrzine featured an article on the artist of the month, Katie Smith.

Then there was an art supplies list, a print from the featured artist, a Scrawlrbox sticker, and some Fizzy Rolls candy.

Last there was some 300 gsm Goldline Aquapad watercolor paper. It was cold press and roughly 5 X 8 inches. This is a new line of watercolor paper from the Clairefontaine brand. It seems to be only available on UK websites right now.

Doodlin' Time!

I swatched out all the Derwent Pastel watercolors. They are light shades but still fairly pigmented. The little travel water brush worked well with them. The Gelly Roll pen did layer on the watercolors, but because the watercolors were so light colored it was hard to see the Gelly Roll ink.

'Church on an Island'

by Ellie Taylor

I used the Goldline watercolor paper to paint a silhouette of a church on an island. I painted a sunset sky with the pinks and yellows and reflected it into the water. Then I used blues and purples for the distant mountains and trees. Finally I used the Storm Grey and Cornflower Blue colors for the church and its reflection. I added some final highlights and water ripples with the Gelly Roll pen. These pastel colors are very pretty, but I couldn't get very dark colors when I wanted shadows. Therefore, one definitely needs the other Derwent travel set of colors in conjunction with this set and then it would be perfect for travel sketching.

ScrawlrBox March 2022

March's ScrawlrBox featured some brown toned sketch markers

The main item was a set of 6 Graphix Sketch Markers. The colors were all shades of grey. The markers were alcohol based ink and had a small brush nib and a chisel tip.

There was a 3B Koh-i-noor sketching pencil.

For color there was a Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor colored pencil. The color was Dark Violet. These pencils can be found open stock on Blick Art Materials for $2.35 a piece.

There was a 0.3 mm Copic Multi Liner with black waterproof ink. This pen retails for around $3.49 on Blick Art Materials.

For the paper there was some A5 White Card Stock made especially for ScrawlrBox.

The Scrawlrzine had an article about the featured artist, Imrie.

Then there was toffee chew bar, an art supplies list, a print from the featured artist, and a ScrawlrBox sticker.

Doodlin' Time!

The Marabu Markers were the Alpha Robot set and consisted of blue and brown greys. The markers blended fairly well. The Lyra Polycolor colored pencil had a nice pigmented color. The Koh-i-noor pencil was good for sketching and the Copic multiliner made nice details.

'Sun Hat'

by Ellie Taylor

I decided to try a monotone sketch of a lady with a sun hat. I made a pencil sketch and colored in the hat, body, and dress. I used the violet Lyra Polycolor colored pencil to make shadows. For the final details, I used the Copic liner. I really liked how this quick little sketch turned out. The muted tones were really pretty.

ScrawlrBox April 2022

My last ScrawlrBox (for now) was in April.

The April ScrawlrBox featured Derwent Chromaflow Pencils.

There were six Derwent Chromaflow colored pencils. The colors were White, Foliage, Golden Sun, Basil, Raisin, and Black. These were wax based colored pencils. They come in sets of 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 on Amazon and Blick Art Materials.

Next there was a Uni Pin fine line brush pen. This brush nib on this pen was very extra fine which meant it was thin and flexible like a Script brush. The ink was black and water resistant. It can be found at JetPens.com

There was a Factis Eraser for erasing the colored pencils. It retails for around $1.10 at Blick Art Materials.

To sharpen the pencils there was a Staedtler pencil sharpener. It can be found in a pack of 2 for $7 on Amazon.

The ScrawlrBox had some A5 toned paper made especially for their brand.

The Scrawlrzine had an interview with April's featured artist.

Then there was a butterscotch candy, a ScrawlrBox sticker, a print from the artist of the month, and the art supplies list.

Doodlin' Time!

The toned paper was a really neat background to work with and the Uni Pin fineliner made a very thin brush-like line. The earthtone colors of the Chromaflow pencils looked very nice on the toned paper and the Factis Eraser worked well on the Chromaflow pencils.

'Pathway'

by Ellie Taylor

Since I had Earth tones for the Chromaflow pencils, I sketched a pathway with a tree surrounded by grass. I added in some distant mountains and sketched the final details with the brush pen. I sort of sketched the details around the wax pencil strokes instead of on them and that the picture gave a nice sketchy look.

SketchBox Premium

In May I started my new subscription to the SketchBox Premium art box.

SketchBox Premium May 2022

For May the SketchBox featured the artwork of Elliott Waehner.

When I opened the box I couldn't figure out what those mysterious round things were! (Keep reading I think you'll like them.)

The first item was 22ml Liquitex Titanium White Acrylic Gouache. Acrylic gouache is different from regular gouache in that it can't be reactivated by water. Also, it has a more matte finish than regular acrylic. A 59 ml bottle of this paint can be found at Blick Art Materials for around $10.

Then there was some regular 5 ml Holbein Gouache in tubes. The colors were Peony, Light Ochre, Hummingbird Blue, and Myosotis Blue. Usually these can be found in 15 ml tubes for around $8 to $13 on Blick Art Materials.

The SketchBox featured a specially made Tri Wedge brush.

There was a 0.3 mm Copic Multi Liner with Cobalt Blue ink. The ink is waterproof and lightfast. It is available on Blick Art Materials for around $3.49.

Those mysterious round things were sheets of 140 lb rough Magnani Toscana watercolor paper. I had never seen round watercolor paper! A block of 20 sheets costs around $33 on Amazon and Blick Art Materials.

Finally there was an art supplies list, a print from the artist of the month, and a SketchBox sticker.

Doodlin' Time!

I tried out the round watercolor block and the paper didn't wrinkle at all. The Holbein gouache colors were very bright and pigmented. The tri wedge brush made nice grass-like strokes. The white Liquitex acrylic gouache worked well for highlights. The Copic multi-liner worked well on the watercolor paper.

'Blue Flower'

by Ellie Taylor

The secret to making gouache work for me is to treat it like watercolor. So I made thin washes of each color and painted in the flower. I used the white acrylic gouache for highlights and the Copic multi-liner for the final details. I really liked these round watercolor paper blocks. They made a neat painting.

SketchBox Premium June 2022

The SketchBox for June featured a painting by Tyliea Spero.

Inside the box was some more Chromaflow colored pencils.

This time there was a box of 12 Derwent Chromaflow colored pencils.

There was some SketchBox Signature Paper. This paper was 140lb 300gsm cold press surface.

The next two items were Holbein colored pencils. The colors were Jaune Brilliant and Pink. These are highly pigmented colored pencils and very expensive. They retail for around $4.25 a piece on Blick Art Materials.

Then there was a round Snap! Brush. This was to be used with the next item. This paintbrush can be found in a set of 4 retailing around $10 on Amazon.

The next item was Meltz Aqueous Blender. This was a liquid solution that made the colored pencils dissolve on paper. This product runs around $9.50 at Blick Art Materials.

Finally, there was the art supplies list, a print from the artist of the month and a SketchBox sticker.

Doodlin' Time!

The 12 Derwent Chromaflow colored pencils were soft tipped and easy to layer. The Holbein colored pencils made a nice opaque layer. The Holbein Meltz blender worked nicely to blend the colored pencils. The Snap! paintbrush worked well with the blending solution.

'Rose'

by Ellie Taylor

I decided to draw a rose with the colored pencils. I used the Holbein colored pencils for the body of the rose. Then I used the green Chromaflow pencils for the stem and the light blue color for the background. I used the Chromaflow Lilac to add details to the rose. The Holbein Meltz blender worked best when used last. I took my paintbrush and blended the Holbein pencil colors on the rose. I blended the greens on the stem, too. The Meltz blender seemed to work best with Holbein colored pencils and fairly well with the Chromaflow colored pencils. The secret of making a good blend with the Holbein Meltz solution seemed to be using plenty of pigment. Less pigment doesn't blend as well.

Derwent Chromaflow 24 Set

I liked the Derwent colored pencils so well that I purchased the 24 set.

When I first purchased the set of 24 there were not any bigger sets available, but now there are sets of 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72. These sets range from around $17 to $110 in price depending on the set size.

The box of 24 had two tiers consisting of reds, yellows, blues, greens, browns, and black and white.

I swatched out the 24 colors and there was a nice range of primary colors, but not many greys or browns. The softness of these pencils was very close to Prismacolor colored pencils, but maybe not quite as soft. The colors were very vibrant.

Doodlin' Time!

'Desert Hills'

by Ellie Taylor

I decided to do a desert sketch of an old road and distant mountains. I was able to add several layers and blend the colors together. Even on several layers, I could still add details without the picture being too waxy. These pencils really do feel like Prismacolor colored pencils, but they might not be as lightfast. They seem to have a medium lightfast rating and so might be best suited for sketching, coloring books and art projects that don't receive a lot of exposure to daylight. Ah well, I was hoping they would be for professional work, but it is probably best to use them for the above mentioned tasks. They are definitely worth buying!

Check out the ScrawlrBox at http://scrawlrbox.uk/ They start at £16.95 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

The SketchBox Premium costs $35 plus $5 for United States, $10 shipping for Canada, and $15 for all other international shipping. 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