Facebook PixelSmart Art Subscription Box Review + Coupon - July 2018 | MSA
My Subscription Addiction
My Subscription Addiction
Our reviewers research, test, and recommend the best subscriptions and products independently; click to learn more about our editorial guidelines. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site.

Smart Art Subscription Box Review + Coupon – July 2018

Anna Rodriguez
ByAnna RodriguezAug 13, 2018 | 3 comments
Smart Art
5 overall rating
2 Ratings | 2 Reviews

smart art july 2018 box

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!

smart art june 2018 box inside

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).

smart art june 2018 review

About Smart Art

The Subscription Box: Smart Art

The Cost: $49.95 per month with free shipping. Save with 3, 6, and 12-month subscriptions.

ACTIVE DEAL: $5 off your first subscription
CODE: ENJOYART5

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!

Smart Art July 2018 Review

smart art june 2018 booklet

This month's project was creating a cubist painting! 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.

smart art june 2018 booklet 2

This is the inside of the booklet. On the left are the art history and project pointers, and on the right, there's some info on Pebeo 4Artist Markers plus the supply list.

smart art june 2018 booklet 3

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.

smart art june 2018 supplies

Here are the supplies that were included for this month's project.

Pebeo 4Artists Oil Marker Set, 5 pcs - Retail Value $39.99

Da Vinci Plein Air Bristle Brush Flat, 4 - Retail Value $11.50 (on sale here for $7.15)

Gamblin Gamsol, 4 oz - Retail Value $7.95 (on sale here for $4.77)

Art Alternatives Artist Panel 8"x10" - Retail Value $15.99 (on sale here for $9.59) 

Please note that the values listed here are list prices. Almost all of them can be found for less at most online discount art supply stores.

smart art june 2018 process

My husband decided to take this month's project on! His first step was to arrange the objects for a still life, and I have to stop and admire his ability to always arrange things so artfully. I love his subject. He then laid down the foundation for the painting in pencil.

smart art june 2018 process 2

His second step was to draw from different angles to establish the classic cubist shapes.

smart art june 2018 process 3

He then started shading objects and adding color with the oil paint markers. He really enjoyed working with these markers! He was impressed by how easily the oil flows from them, and how vibrant the colors are. He also felt that the markers have a nice advantage over traditional oil paint in that they are more controllable and precise.

smart art june 2018 process 4

Another cool feature of these markers is that you can pump out some paint to be used with a brush, as seen here.

smart art june 2018 process 5

With a combination of the markers and brush, he continued filling in the color on the painting.

smart art june 2018 painting

His final step was to outline all the original sketch lines with black marker. This is his completed painting, I love it!

The Verdict: My husband and I are both huge fans of Smart Art!  My husband loves painting, and he really enjoyed trying out this new technique of painting with markers! I think it turned out really beautiful! The value this month was outstanding at $75.43 packed into a $50 box. It's especially good for a fine arts subscription box. I also definitely feel like the curation and instruction adds to the overall value of the box, but it is subjective, so you would have to decide for yourself if it is worth it to you.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the September box. From Smart Art:

Sign up on or before the last day of the month to get the current box that will be released on the 1st of the following month! All orders processed after the last day of the month will ship the following month. For example, a purchase made on April 30th will be shipped May 1st.

Coupon – Use code COLORJOY to save $5 off your first box!

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!

What do you think of Smart Art?

Starting at $50.00
Active Deal
$5 off your first subscription
Use Coupon Code ENJOYART5
Subscribe Now
This is a box for aspiring artists. Each month subscribers receive a new box featuring a different artist that highlights their time period, 8-11 trial/full sized art supplies, a suggested project and a detailed pamphlet introducing a new art medium.
Anna Rodriguez
Anna Rodriguez
Anna has been a fan of subscription boxes since joining Birchbox in 2013, but didn't become a true addict until discovering subscriptions she could share with her children. Her favorites include Kiwi Crate and Fab Kids.

Join the Conversation

Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.

3 comments

Shelli

I’ve never seen such a botched* price comparison!

– You correctly list the markers as a 5-piece set, and then link to the 10-piece set anyway. The 5-piece set is sold by the same vendor (Michael’s) that you used for your price check, but it is half the price ($20.99).

– When quoting the cost of the brush, you gave it a nice upgrade to a filbert, even though you typed out “flat” correctly. On the same exact page you link, the actual brush included shows a list price of $6.75, sold (not “on sale”, but rather Dick Blick’s regular price) for $4.13.

– The most grevious price comparison is with the Alt Alternatives artist panel. There was no reason not to link directly to a product page, but instead you linked to search results that numbered 272 items – none of which were the product in the box: an 8″x10″ canvas art panel. (The price you did quote was for a gallery-stretched canvas, which was not the product included in the box.) The actual price for the item on Amazon is $14.17 – FOR A PACKAGE OF TWELVE. (This also explains why the panels were not individually wrapped.)

*Botched? Practically every price comparison in this review seemed designed for misdirection and subterfuge. Sure, mistakes get made. But on 3/4ths of the products in a box, and THIS glaringly? It’s obvious you make your money with referral codes and so slight embellishing about how much you like a box is to be expected, and I’m okay with that. But this is disingenuous to the point of dishonesty and I’d really like to hear what you have to say for yourselves. One YouTuber said that she really felt the tutorial write up was worth the price difference, and if that’s your feeling too, I think people could respect that even if they don’t agree with it. But these tactics – linking to a search results page of 272 items in the hopes that we won’t persevere to find the actual product? quoting prices for products double in size or even totally different products, when the right one is on the same page? I don’t think that anyone can have respect for that approach.

Reply ButtonReply

Mellissa Plowman

Did anyone else see the YouTube review blasting this box?

Reply ButtonReply

Chanell

That looks really cool! Your husband is talented.

Reply ButtonReply