Smart Art is a fine arts subscription service that sends a new project every month and all the supplies needed to complete it. My husband and I are both artists, and we have been having a blast with our Smart Art subscription!
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Smart Art
The Cost: $49.99 per month with free shipping
COUPON: Use code MSA20 to save 20% off your first box
The Products: A fine arts project, complete with instructions and supplies
Ships to: U.S. only
Good to know: It's a different project in a different media every month, using different techniques!
Check out all of our Smart Art reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
This month's project was to create a painting with watercolor pencils! This is the booklet that Smart Art sends every month. It includes art history related to the project, a list of the included supplies, project pointers, and instructions.
Subscribers can upload a picture of their finished project to Smart Art's Facebook page for a chance to win a free box! That's really cool! On the other hand, our projects usually take forever, so we always seem to miss the boat on this contest.
The instructions are printed on the back of the booklet. They are pretty clear and easy to follow, but they still allow for as much creativity as you like.
Here are the supplies that were included for this month's project.
Art Alternatives Watercolor Pencil Set of 12 - Value $12.99
Sakura Water Brush - Value $5.02
Kum Mikro 2 in 1 2-Hole Sharpener - Value $6.73
Fabriano Studio Watercolor Pad 8x10" - Value $7.40
Watercolor Brush Set With Bamboo Roll Up - Value $24.99
Please note that most of the values listed here are list prices. Almost all of them can be found for less at most online discount art supply stores.
My husband's absolute favorite creative media is watercolor, so he took on this project. He started by making a rough sketch of his design.
He then started to pencil in some of the basic colors.
He then fully penciled in the colors with the watercolor pencils.
He then went back and added some detail.
This is my husband's completed painting! He wound up using the water brush to just blend some colors and give it a watercolor texture. He said that the watercolor brush set was really nice, and we both love that they have been including pads and multiple canvases every month lately to do additional work. He was thrilled with the array of supplies that came in this month's box! And I think his painting turned out great!
Verdict: My husband and I are both huge fans of Smart Art! My husband had a great time with this painting, and I really like the way it turned out. He also loved the supplies this month! The value of everything totals around $57, which is a little on the high side for Smart Art, so that's wonderful. The project selection, the instruction, and the material sourcing also adds a lot of additional value for me. We love Smart Art!
What do you think of Smart Art?
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