ScrawlrBox Unboxings for August 2020-January 2021

It's time for another ginormous unboxing again! In this post Cutie Boots and I unbox the ScrawlrBoxes for August 2020 through January 2021. If you want to try some of these supplies for yourselves, 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.)

August 2020

When I first opened the August 2020 ScrawlrBox, it was empty except for the paper! All the supplies had fallen out in the mail! However, I contacted ScrawlrBox and they immediately sent me a free replacement. So when I opened the replacement, this is what I saw. Daler-Rowney acrylic paint! A favorite brand of mine!

The three main items were 20 ml tubes of heavy body Daler-Rowney acrylic paint. The heavy body acrylic paint is a little bit thicker than their regular paint. The colors I received were Lemon Yellow, Process Magenta, and Process Blue (the primary colors). At Jacksons Art these run about $8 per tube. Right now they are mostly available in the UK.

Cutie Boots gave it the sniff test, but he was disappointed because it wasn't chicken.

There was a ProArte #5 round paintbrush to go with the acrylic paint. This paintbrush is available in a set of eight brushes for around $12 on Amazon.

For sketching there was a Faber-Castell 2B pencil. This pencil is available in a set of 6 on Amazon for around $11.

There were three artboards to paint on. A 10 pack of Canson Artboards is available for around $16 on Amazon.

Then there was the supplies list, a print from the featured artist, a ScrawlrBox sticker, a plastic card to use for the acrylic paint, and a piece of bubblegum.

The ScrawlrZine featured portrait painting by the artist of the month.

Doodlin' Time!

The Daler-Rowney heavy body acrylic paint is thicker than their normal paint, but still not as thick as an oil paint. The colors were very bright and pigmented. The ProArte paintbrush worked well for details and the Faber-Castell pencil was good for beginning sketches.

'Blue Flower'

by Ellie Taylor

I was excited about trying out the artboards for acrylic paint because artboard has a different grain on it than a regular canvas board. I didn't use a white gesso with this paint so it was not as opaque as I normally have it, but I think it would be fine with a little added white paint. I like Daler-Rowney acrylic paint and I like this thicker version of the paint. It mixed and covered the canvas well. I could have layered the paint more, but I was just doing a quick painting. I liked that the artboard didn't buckle with water. Also, it is easier to cut custom sizes with this board than canvas board. This was a nice box with paint that I will definitely use for my regular artwork.

September 2020

The September 2020 ScrawlrBox featured Uni-Posca pens in two different sizes!

There were 3 big Uni-Posca paint pens with a 5M nib. The colors were lavender, corel pink, and aqua green. On Amazon a pack of fifteen 5 M Uni-Posca paint markers is available for around $30.

Then there were two smaller Uni-Posca paint pens and they came in Black and White with a 3M nib. A 15 pack of these fine nibs sells for around $25 on Amazon. At Blick Art Materials there are several different sizes and colors of Uni-Posca markers available from around $3.35 to $9.99 a piece.

The next item was a Faber-Castell Ecco Pigment pen with a 0.6 mm nib and lightfast waterproof black ink. This pen is available on Amazon in a pack of 4 for around $17.

There was also a Staedtler Mars Lumograph black 2B pencil. These pencils are available in a 6 pack for around $11 on Amazon.

Cutie Boots really liked the Staedtler pencil because it was easy to bite and carry in his mouth! These qualities are important to cats, haha!

For the paper, ScrawlrBox included an A5 ArtGecko Marker Sketch Pad made specifically for Uni-Posca pens. This sketchbook retails for around $5 on Amazon.

Then there was the supplies list, a print from the artist of the month, a ScrawlrBox sticker, and a Drumstick Rhubarb and Custard candy. It tasted like strawberries to me. I didn't think I would like it, but I did.

The ScrawlrZine had tips and tricks on how to use these paint markers.

The Uni-Posca paint markers had very pretty colors. The paint flowed very freely and a little went a long way! The Staedtler Lumograph pencil was very good for drawing dark lines. The Faber-Castell Ecco Pigment liner was very good for details. The Gecko Marker paper reminded me of Yupo marker paper. It was very smooth and the paint didn't go through the paper.

'Tree Frog'

by Ellie Taylor

I decided to paint a colorful tree frog. I sketched it out with the Staedtler pencil. Then using the paint sparingly, I colored in the frog. I found that when priming the markers, one should press lightly on the tip or else the paint can gush out and make big blobs. For the final details, I used the Faber-Castell Ecco Pigment liner and it layered over the Uni-Posca pens very well. In conclusion, I would say that these supplies are very nice and the Uni-Posca pens have very good quality paint that covers the painting surface thoroughly.

October 2020

The ScrawlrBox for October 2020 featured tools for calligraphy

The main item in this box was a set of 12 Manuscript Calli Creative Flexi markers. These markers have a chisel nib that is flexible and used for calligraphic work. This set retails for around $12 on Amazon.

The next item was a double sided Kuretake Fude Twin Tip marker. This marker had black and grey brush tip nibs. This pen is sold in Japan, but the Kuretake Brushables pen is similar and is available on Amazon for a little over $5.

The next item was a Centropen Liner. It had a fine tip. These pens are not readily available in the US, but you can still get them in the October 2020 ScrawlrBox on the ScrawlrBox website for around $23 (depending on the monetary exchange rate).

There was also a Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth B pencil to help sketch out the calligraphic letters. A 12 pack of these pencils in 4B size is available on Amazon for around $15.

For the paper there was 20 small sheets of 140 gsm cartridge paper made especially for the ScrawlrBox.

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

The ScrawlrZine had a lesson on how to make calligraphic strokes. The candy in the box was a mint ball.

Doodlin ' Time!

The Manuscript Calli Creative Flexi markers were very bright and colorful. The Kuretake Fude marker had a nice flexible nib that made brush like strokes. The Koh-I-Noor pencil was nice for sketching and the Centropen Liner was great for details. The cartridge paper was good for practicing calligraphical writing.

Here is my pathetic attempt at trying to write my name in calligraphy and some practice strokes. I like how the chisel nib on the Calli Creative markers makes thin and thick lines depending on the angle that you use.

I liked the colors so much that I tried a bunch of doodles. These Calli Creative Flexi markers really make some pretty colors, but they don't blend very much because they are water based. The Kuretake Fude pen does blend somewhat with the grey and black colors. I used the Centropen liner to add some final details.

Overall this was a really neat box and I liked the fact that there was a tutorial in the ScrawlrZine that showed how to do calligraphy.

November 2020

Hooray! In the November 2020 ScrawlrBox the main focus was Graphitint Paints! I had been wanting to try out these paints!

The main item in the box was a set of 12 graphitint paint pans. Graphitint paint is basically watercolor paint with watersoluble graphite in it. The colors are muted and give a more monotone look. This 12 pan set is available on Blick Art Materials for around $21 or you can buy the individual pans for around $2.79 a piece.

There was also a watersoluble Derwent Graphitint pencil. It was Midnight Black. I have received the pencils in a previous box and reviewed them. These pencils can be found open stock on Blick Art Materials for around $2.99 a piece.

The paper was an 8.3 by 5.9 inches pad of Daler-Rowney Langton cold pressed watercolor paper. A 5X7 inch pad of this paper is available for around $23 on Amazon.

Then there was the art supplies list, a print from the artist of the month, a ScrawlrBox sticker, and a menthol candy. In the US we use menthol mainly for medicinal throat drops and not candy, so that is a flavor that I am not fond of at all, haha!

The ScrawlrZine gave some tips on how to use the Graphitint paint.

Doodlin ' Time!

Cutie Boots helped me swatch the colors (or at least he smelled them, haha).

As I mentioned earlier, the Derwent Graphitint Paint has a muted tone with its colors, but you can still get reds, yellows, blues, greens, and purples. It is very much like watercolor except you can sort of erase it like regular graphite. The Graphitint pencils are somewhat like watercolor pencils, but also muted in their colors because they are mixed with graphite. The Daler-Rowney watercolor paper was nice and thick and didn't buckle.

'Yucca Sketch'

by Ellie Taylor

I painted a quick landscape scene with some mountains and a Yucca. There was a miniature waterbrush included in the pan set and I used it to make this painting. I really like the look of these colors. They looked like a traditional graphite sketch and watercolor, but I just used one medium instead of two. According to Derwent most of these colors in the set have a medium or high lightfastness rating. I really think there is some big potential for these paints and I want to explore them further! This was an awesome ScrawlrBox!

December 2020

For December 2020 the ScrawlrBox featured water soluble Marabu Art Crayons. These are sort of like water soluble oil pastels but more wax based than oil.

The main items in this box were three Marabu Art Crayons. The crayon colors were plum, pomegranate, and sunshine yellow. These crayons retail for around $3.45 a piece at Blick Art Materials.

There was also a Faber-Castell 6B pencil. On Amazon a box of 12 of these pencils retails for around $10.

The paintbrush was a Royal and Langnickel Round #2 Taklon Brush. This brush is available in a pack of 9 for around $18 on Amazon.

A Derwent kneadable eraser was also included. A pack of 4 on Amazon retails for a little over $7.

The Watercolor paper was from Derwent and featured a smooth surface for watercolor pencils. This paper comes in several different sizes in a 12 sheet pad and retails for around $20.

Cutie Boots liked the yellow crayon. Maybe it smelled good to him?

Little Kitty says, "Whatcha doing? Can I play too?"

The ScrawlrZine gave some tips on how to use the Marabu Art Crayons.

Doodlin' Time!

The Marabu Art Crayons dissolved with water, but not completely. They left some of the lines still showing on the paper. The Faber-Castell pencil worked for sketching and the Royal and Langnickel paintbrush spread the pigment around fairly well. The Derwent kneadable eraser worked well without tearing the paper. The Derwent watercolor paper seemed to stand up against water.

'Yellow Moon'

by Ellie Taylor

I drew the moon and star with the Faber-Castell pencil. Then I colored them in with the Marabu Art Crayons. I dipped the Royal and Langnickel brush in water and dissolved the pigment on the moon and star. I used purple to make a rough background. These Marabu Art Crayons seem to work best if you want a sort of sketchy look to your work. They don't completely dissolve with water. They layer a little bit, but can't take a lot of layers without getting too waxy. I have received these Marabu Art Crayons in other subscription boxes and they seem to work best as a background for oil pastels.

January 2021

In January 2021 the ScrawlrBox featured the new alcohol markers from Tombow.

The new Tombow markers are called Tombow ABT Pro Markers and unlike the other Tombow markers, these are alcohol markers. I received three colors, an aqua, a blue, and a grey color. There aren't any names on the markers, just letters and numbers, but if you look at Blick Art Materials the names are listed too. The colors are Holly Green, Navy Blue, and Cool Gray 3. These alcohol markers retail for around $5.24 a piece on Blick Art Materials. They are also available in several different sets and might be a little cheaper in the sets.

There was a special edition ScrawlrBox Blackwing pencil. These are available in a pack of 12 for around $25 on Blick Art Materials.

Next there was a Zig Millennium 03 pen which has archival ink. This pen is available in a pack of 5 for around $10 on Amazon.

A Clairefontaine Comic Book sketchbook was also included. A similar notebook on Amazon retails for around $7.

Then there was the supplies list, a ScrawlrBox sticker, a print from the artist of the month, and two candies. There were two candies in this box because they forgot to include one in the previous month.

For this month's ScrawlrZine there were tips on how to blend alcohol markers.

The Tombow ABT markers were very pretty colors and on this paper, Clairefontaine Comic Book paper, they blended fairly well. I have received them before and they did not blend very well on marker paper. The Zig Millennium fineliner made very nice thin lines and the graphite in Blackwing pencil was smooth and dark.

'Cute Butterfly'

by EllieTaylor

I sketched out a cute butterfly with the Blackwing pencil. I colored the butterfly with Tombow ABT markers and they blended fairly well. They seemed to be harder to blend than a lot of other alcohol marker brands, but their colors were really pretty. I finished the details out with the Zig Millennium fineliner. Overall this was a nice box and I am glad that I could try out some more of the Tombow alcohol markers on a different type of paper.

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