ArtSnacks Plus Subscription Box Review – July 2020

ArtSnacks is a monthly art supply subscription service that curates products to help inspire you to create. ArtSnacks is the brainchild of siblings Lee and Sarah Rubenstein, founders of eatsleepdraw.com, a user-submitted art site.

There are two subscription tiers for ArtSnacks: $24 or $39 for the Plus box.

This is a review of the $39 Plus box. 

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About ArtSnacks

The Subscription Box: ArtSnacks

The Cost: $24.00 a month, with savings on 6- and 12-month subscriptions OR buy the Plus box for $39.00 a month. International boxes cost $34 for the base box or $39 for the Plus.

The Products: 4-5 full-size premium art products in the base box OR 5-6 full-size premium supplies plus a full-size work surface in the Plus box.

Ships to: The US and worldwide for free!

ArtSnacks Plus July 2020 Review

Shall we peek inside?

A very cute ArtSnacks sticker arrived.

As well as our little snack!

Here is the menu for July. These are also the items that should arrive in the base box.

And here is the card showcasing what additional items arrived in our Plus box.

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Kuretake-ZIG Gansai Tambi Watercolor Pans - Retail Value $2.50 each (or buy a huge 48 pan set here for $49.99)

FYI: The shades I received were Lilac (no. 13) and Maroon (no. 72). You might receive different colors. 

I absolutely LOVE these paints! I really enjoy both watercolor and gouache, and these feel like some sort of in between the two. I also prefer to work out of pans, and these are downright huge, meaning loads of space to pick up paint. I knew I would really like the lilac shade at first sight, but I was super surprised that the other pan (which I thought was brown) was actually the most lovely maroon shade. The lilac paint is more opaque and feels like a gouache, while the maroon is sheer and reminds me of many of my watercolors. Both wet easily and reward with loads of pigment. Swooning over these.

Left, Lilac. Right, Maroon. Which rhymes with SWOON.

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Kuretake-ZIG BrusH2O Petit Water Brush - Retail Value $4.00

These sorts of water brushes are ideal if you like to paint on the go. They house enough water inside for some decent painting time without the worry of hauling around water in a cup. It is easy to fill, too! Simply pull off the blue body, fill with water, and reattach! You can control the flow of water with the pressure of your hand.

Here is a little randomness using the water pen.

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Plumchester P8 Fineliner - Retail Value $2.99

I LOVE large tips on pens because I love creating bold lines. This pen is exceptional! Because it is waterproof when dry, I can use it with watercolors. I plan on ordering a few more of these because it could easily become that sort of pen I use for a very long time for anything from painting and sketching to aggressive grocery lists.

I like thick nibs and I cannot lie!

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Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Stick in 'Quinacridone Violet' - Retail Value $14.57

Daniel Smith is my go-to watercolor brand. They just have the most exceptional quality paints. I had never used one of the stick watercolors from this brand so I was thrilled to see a vibrant quinacridone violet arrive inside. The quinacridone gang is known for being pretty loud and vibrant and this shade totally lived up to that legacy. It looks rather dull when you first lay it down, but add water and wait to be AMAZED. This shade is a dream. It's rich, loud, and lush.

Oh, look. More SWOONING. This color!!

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Grumbacher Hidden Wire Mixed Media Sketchbook - Retail Value $22.00

I tend to always keep a sketchbook on my person. It is a practice I picked up in middle school and I have just never quit. You never know when you might want to get a quick sketch or idea on paper! This is a very nice size for a larger purse or bag and the wire binding is covered so you don't have to worry about it bending or getting stuck on things. Another noteworthy mention of this notebook is that the pages have a custom "in and out" feature, meaning you can remove them but also place them back into the wire binding if you want. Pretty clever if you like working on paper outside of a book but want to put your creations back inside to keep them together and safe.

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Molotow GRAFX Masking Fluid Pump Marker - Retail Value $12.38

For someone who uses watercolors so often, I haven't really ever taken to masking fluid. I think my style is very "happy accident" and masking fluid feels like I am trying to control a medium I cherish because it is so, well, uncontrollable! I get that this product has a place though. I have calligrapher + watercolor pals who LOVE it for laying down lettering before painting over.

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3 of 3 | I managed to get most of it off easily, but the areas where my application had been too thin stuck around. I will know better for next time!

1 of 3 | Here is what it looked like after I painted over the masking liquid.

2 of 3 | I rubbed it off by hand.

3 of 3 | I managed to get most of it off easily, but the areas where my application had been too thin stuck around. I will know better for next time!

1 of 3 | Here is what it looked like after I painted over the masking liquid.

2 of 3 | I rubbed it off by hand.

3 of 3 | I managed to get most of it off easily, but the areas where my application had been too thin stuck around. I will know better for next time!

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I felt like these shades just screamed to be used in a big flower.

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13 of 13 | I layered it over the same maroon shade on the leaves to give depth.

1 of 13 | I started with a rough outline.

2 of 13 | Adding more of the stick to where I knew I would want more color saturation.

3 of 13 | Here is the complete outline.

4 of 13 | Time to add water! BOOM!

5 of 13 | I live for this color.

6 of 13 | I then added in some of the Maroon paint.

7 of 13 | It was similar to the stick, but darker in a good way.

8 of 13 | Time to add in some pretty lilac.

9 of 13 | The lilac had a chalkiness that worked to tone down as well as enhance the bolder shades.

10 of 13 | I cheated here and used some of my favorite inks (my ink set was a gift from Marne!)

11 of 13 | I then just flicked the yellows out with a brush.

12 of 13 | And how could I resist some green?

13 of 13 | I layered it over the same maroon shade on the leaves to give depth.

1 of 13 | I started with a rough outline.

2 of 13 | Adding more of the stick to where I knew I would want more color saturation.

3 of 13 | Here is the complete outline.

4 of 13 | Time to add water! BOOM!

5 of 13 | I live for this color.

6 of 13 | I then added in some of the Maroon paint.

7 of 13 | It was similar to the stick, but darker in a good way.

8 of 13 | Time to add in some pretty lilac.

9 of 13 | The lilac had a chalkiness that worked to tone down as well as enhance the bolder shades.

10 of 13 | I cheated here and used some of my favorite inks (my ink set was a gift from Marne!)

11 of 13 | I then just flicked the yellows out with a brush.

12 of 13 | And how could I resist some green?

13 of 13 | I layered it over the same maroon shade on the leaves to give depth.

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And here is the completed flower.

Verdict: ArtSnacks does it again. I absolutely loved this assortment. The fastest way to my artist's heart is with Daniel Smith products and it was a true joy to try out a watercolor stick in such a dreamy and bold shade. This subscription sends out the same sites in color variants, so you never really know what is going to arrive in your box color-wise. I feel like I hit the jackpot this time with lush maroons and lilacs. I also am in love with that Plumchester pen and the notebook is a dream for someone like myself. The total value of this box was over $60 too! I am pretty thrilled with this July box.

FYI, if you need help or inspiration, try the ArtSnacks online community. 

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the July box if you subscribe. 

Value Breakdown: This box costs $39 with free shipping, meaning each of the 7 items has an average cost of $5.57.

Check out all of our ArtSnacks reviews and the best arts & crafts subscription boxes of 2020!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What did you create with the July ArtSnacks items?