Paletteful Packs is a carefully-themed selection of art supplies for artists of every skill level and all ages. Every box will include a variety of media. Products include paint, pens, pencils, brushes, markers, and more! There are 3 different pack options including:
- Petite Pack: 4+ artist quality supplies per box for $24.95/month
- Premier Pack: 5+ artist quality supplies per box for $35.95/month
- Young Artist: for ages 8 and up, 4+ items per box for $30.95/month
This review is for the $35.95/month Premier Pack.
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out the review processes post to learn more about how we review boxes)
About Paletteful Packs
The Subscription Box: Paletteful Packs
The Cost: $35.95 per month + free shipping (save with longer commitments)
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first box!
CODE: FIRSTMONTH10
The Products: Carefully-selected art supplies provided to create a unique project
Ships to: The US for free, Canada for $10, and International for $15
Paletteful Packs January 2020 Review
This month's box features the "Penuary Challenge!" The January Paletteful Packs Premier box includes enough supplies to create fifteen 8" X 8" pieces of artwork using a variety of artist pens!
Each month we are sent a postcard with the content list, retail values, helpful hints, and a link to the Paletteful Packs YouTube channel. On the opposing side, we are given the Prompt and Challenge. If you choose to participate, you can make a drawing/painting based on your interpretation of the prompt, and post it to social media. If you are chosen, you could be featured on their Instagram! Because this month is dedicated to ALL of "Penuary" there are 31 prompts! I better get busy!
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Stonehenge White Paper Pad 8X8 - Listed Value $18.38, Retail Value $13.59
I love paper pads and get so excited to see them in this subscription! While I have become familiar with a lot of different brands, I have never had the pleasure of working on this particular brand of paper. I must say, seeing the listed value had me wondering what could make a piece of paper so special, but this stuff is magnificent! Stonehenge is 100% cotton rag, acid-free, and heavyweight. It is made in the USA and has a smooth texture that feels so different from regular paper. It almost has a vellum feel to it and worked so unbelievably well with the included pens. Apparently, this paper was originally created for printmakers but works extremely well for pen and ink drawing, watercolor, pencil, pastel, and colored pencil drawings. I was amazed at how smoothly my pen glided across this paper, and will definitely be buying it in more sizes!
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Pentel Micro Brush Sign Pens (Black, Blue, and Grey) - Retail Value $14.97
These. Pens. Are. AWESOME! So I am not much of a painter, but the way these pens sail across the Stonehenge paper will make anyone feel like Picasso! I love the teeny brush and how it creates a variety of widths and lines! They are ideal for drawing, detailing, lettering, and journaling, and can also be used to create washes with a wet brush. I really need the set of 12 colors, because these are seriously amazing!
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Regular Brush Sign Pen (Black) - Listed Value $2.99, Retail Value $3.49
This Pentel brush sign pen has a stout tip that is great for a variety of techniques such as feathering, cross-hatching, calligraphy, detailed line work, and outlining. I also admire the fact that the brush tip wipes clean with a paper towel, and the pen will not dry out if left uncapped. I found it to be very easy to work with and loved how well it glided on the paper. I will definitely be practicing some calligraphy with this baby!
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Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen (Black) - Listed Value $3.60 Retail Value $2.49
Last but not least is this Faber-Castell PITT pen. This 199 nib pen is pigmented with India Ink and is acid-free and pH neutral while offering unsurpassed lightfastness. It is suggested to be used for sketches, journals, cartooning, and fine ink drawings. I found it to be helpful in adding some shading to my sketch and really enjoyed the movement and smoothness of this ink.
Here are all of the pens swatched on a sheet of the included paper. I plan on visiting Pinterest for some calligraphy help in the days to come!
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Artist's Storage Pod - Listed Value $10.95, Retail Value $7.43
The last item in our box was this Artist's Storage Pod. It is designed to hold about 4 pens or a set of 12 pencils. It is constructed from hand-sanded hardwood and has a sliding lid with a ball bearing closure. While the item itself seems to be of good quality, I could only fit 3 of the 4 pens inside of it. I like the idea of them sending storage items, but I think I would have rather had an extra pen or two instead.
Cardinal Sketch
Pens make me slightly nervous because I can't erase, but I didn't want to risk a pencil outline showing, so I decided to go out of my comfort zone and just go for it! I found a cardinal via Google for inspiration and started with the beak and head using the black Pentel Micro Brush pen.
Check out how detailed you can get with these pens! The brush tip is so fine it can create the tiniest of dots! This entire section was done with that one brush. Check out the different widths of lines. It's amazing!
Still using the Black Pentel Micro Brush pen, I went ahead and added some detail to the bird. I found I was able to create different textures in the feathers by holding the pen in slightly different ways.
Playing around with these pens was so much fun! I used the Pentel Micro Brush in grey to add a little contrast, and I used the Faber and regular brush pen for depth to the shaded areas. I was pretty happy with the way this sketch came out, and can't wait to work with these pens more! The only color I did not add was the blue. My son loves blue jays, so maybe I will sketch one out to see how the blue looks! I highly suggest you check out #palettefulpacks to see how amazing some of these artists are. It is truly mindblowing!
The Verdict: I am obsessed with Paletteful Packs. I get so excited to see that green rectangular box in my mailbox each month! Since I have had kids, my passion for arts and crafts has skyrocketed, and this box has really taken it to the next level. While I love cute kid crafts, having a box that contains high-quality art supplies for creating multiple pieces of art, while sharing these techniques with my kids, really has been special. I had a blast this month with my new set of pens, and I totally dig the included paper. While I didn't love the storage pod, I think the colored pencils I received in a previous box will fit right in it. I plan on doing some practice with calligraphy and working on that blue jay in days to come! I can't wait to see what kind of technique we will learn next month!
This subscription costs $35.95 a month. The content card shows a listed value of $50.89 in this box. I was able to find retail prices for all of the items I received, and my total came to $41.90. That's not to mention the price that it would cost to ship all of those items separately. I feel the curation of the box, the surprise of high-quality art supplies, and the amount of fun I had with this box is totally worth the monthly price. If you want to explore the world of art and try out new art supplies, I highly suggest this box!
To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive the February box. The 26th of every month is the cutoff date to order the box for the coming month. If your order is placed after the 26th, you'll receive the following month's box.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first box!
CODE: FIRSTMONTH10
Value Breakdown: At $35.95 for the box including 7 unique items, you’re paying approximately $5.13 per item.
Check out all of our Paletteful Packs reviews and the best arts & crafts subscription boxes of 2019!
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What did you think of the Paletteful Packs December box? What would you create?
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