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 March 2020 Review
The March Paletteful Packs Premier box included all of the supplies to create twenty-four 9" X 12" Rembrandt Soft Pastel projects!
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Every month we receive a postcard with the content list, retail values, helpful hints, and a link to the Paletteful Packs YouTube channel. On the opposite side, we are given the prompts for this month's challenge. If you want to participate, you can create a piece of artwork using the current month's supplies interpreting the 4 weeks of prompts and post it to social media. This month's prompts are Contest, Influence, Emoji, and Instrument. If you are chosen, you could be featured on their Instagram page!
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Rembrandt Soft Pastels Half Stick 10 pc Set - Listed Value $19.95, Retail Value $14.96
Check out the brightness of these pastels! I am dazzled with the variety of colors, and while I am definitely an amateur in the pastel department, I found these sticks to be of supreme quality! These round sticks are manufactured with pure pigments from quality kaolin clay in The Netherlands. I found the pigments to be some of the most vivid I have ever used. I am not the biggest fan of pastels because I find them extremely messy, but I had a lot of fun creating lunch box notes with such an array of colors! See below for photos of my creations.
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Strathmore 400 Series Pastel Paper Pad, Assorted Tints - Listed Value $8.35, Retail Value $5.01
I love that this subscription sends all of the needed supplies to create finished artwork, and I am really excited to add more Strathmore paper to my collection! This 80 lb. paper is designed to provide a subtle and luxurious background for all types of pastel drawings, as well as for other mixed media- so it is extremely versatile! Also, check out the color assortment- it's beautiful! While I only used the light-colored paper for this month's projects so far, I have big plans for the other colors after I brush up my techniques a bit!
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Carbothello Pastel Pencils (4 Colors) - Listed Value $8.80, Retail Value $5.60
Now, these are more my style! I am LOVING the way these German-made pastel pencils write, blend and can be used like watercolors! I really would have been happy with a full set of these pencils as I found them easier to use and a lot less messy than the sticks!
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General Pencil Little Red All Art Sharpener - Listed Value $2.39, Retail Value $5.19
This little plastic pencil sharpener is so cute! Ideal for pastel chalk, charcoal, and colored pencils, this steel-bladed sharpener works smoothly and quickly, all while containing the shavings. It sharpened the included pencils to a perfect point, and is easy to use and store. My kids were even able to use this sharpener!
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10 pc Stumps & Tortillons Set - Listed Value $7.49 (similar product found here for $5.10)
These double-ended, pointed stumps and tortillons are to be used to blend and smooth pastels, charcoal, graphite, and other dry medias. I found them to work very well, and are easy to use. I loved the softer look they gave to some of my lines, and how they blended the colors together for an ombre look. I was happy to receive a variety of sizes for different applications!
Wolf Drawing
Like I said above, I am not the biggest fan of pastels, but I am always looking to branch out and try new techniques so I was excited to try out these bright pastels. I found a drawing on Pinterest that inspired me, so I gave it a shot with my included supplies. Check it out below...
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The first step in my pastel process was to sketch out the basis of my picture. I used a regular pencil and added the wolf and basic lines. Once I was satisfied with the wolf's shape, I used the Carbothello 760 pencil and filled in the wolf. Using a blending stump, I softened the wolf up a bit, and started working on the rock. Because the rock was so large, I decided to use the black pastel stick. I found it to be a lot darker than the included pencil, so I colored the upper portion dark, and using a large stump, shaded it down to the bottom to create more dimension. Once that was done, I flipped my paper upside down to work on the colorful part. In hindsight, I should have started with the brighter colors because as you can see, the black pastel smeared EVERYWHERE. Anyways...I blended in the blue, green, and yellow pastels and using the 760 pencils, I added some trees. Once this step was complete, I went back and added the black pastel stick to the bright sky to darken it a bit. Using the white pastel, I added the moon and some stars. As you can see in my finished piece, I added more black to my "ledge." While this was not my desired look, I accidentally smudged the pastel all over that area and tried covering it up...rookie mistake, but now I know for next time! I had a lot of fun playing around with these, and can't wait to learn more!
Lunch Box Notes
With two and a half more months of school left, I still have quite a few lunch box notes to go, and I am running low on ideas! Thanks to Paletteful Packs I have a new media to use to create these fun little pieces, which my kids look forward to every day. Check out my speedy lunch note art below!
As a side note - I thought my kids were just throwing their notes in the garbage, but found out last week that they both have been saving them in the secret zipper compartment of their lunch boxes! Every note I have made them this year is in that compartment because they said they couldn't bear to throw them away! My heart just about burst!
So these notes weren't probably my most creative, but I was in a time crunch and had to get these done! Don't these bright colors just make you happy though?!
The Verdict: I love Paletteful Packs. The first week of the month I am always eagerly awaiting this green box in the mail! I can't open the box fast enough to discover what's inside! While we have received pastels in the past, these were different than the previous ones, which I was excited by. I love how they sometimes send the same types of media but in different forms. I found I enjoyed pastels a lot more this time around because of the stick form and the pencil form, while I really struggled when they sent the pans of pastels. This box has taught me a lot about art, and allows me create finished pieces using only the items included. I can't wait to test these supplies out more and brush up on my techniques!
This subscription costs $35.95 a month. The listed value on the content card had a value of $46.98, which is actually one of the lowest values I have seen in this box. I was able to find all of these items online, and the total retail value came to $35.86. While this is more than $10 less than the listed value, and $0.09 less than the subscription cost, I know you would have to pay some shipping costs if you purchased them separately, but I would have liked to have seen a couple more pencils in this box to bring up the value a tiny bit. Even without the extra pencils, I can say that without this subscription I never would have discovered these products, so I think the price is fair. If you love art and want to discover new supplies, I highly suggest this box! I am already looking forward to seeing what they send next month!
To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive the April 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 5 unique items, you’re paying approximately $7.19 per item.
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What did you think of the Paletteful Packs March box? What would you create?
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