SketchBox is a monthly subscription box for art supplies. Each month, they'll send you 4-9 art supplies (often full kits) plus a piece of art to inspire you. The items included are for 2D media, such as pens, markers, pencils, paints, etc.
SketchBox runs an ongoing contest to put a subscriber's artwork on the lid of their box each month. There's information on how to enter their monthly contest on the info card!
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.)
This is a review of the $35/month Premium box. SketchBox also offers a $25/month Basic box.
About SketchBox
The Subscription Box: SketchBox
The Cost: $35.00 + $5.00 U.S. shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: SKETCH5
The Products: A selection of hand-picked art supplies, plus an art print to inspire.
Ships to: The U.S. for $5.00, Canada for $10.00, International for $15.00
My SketchBox February 2021 Review
Their info card includes a list of the products and why they were chosen for the box. There is also a link to SketchBox School, a video they release each month showing you how to use your items and demonstrations, too! If you are new to art, these are really great, and even if you aren't, they are filled with helpful knowledge and smart tidbits.
You also get a card with a drawing by this month's featured artist, Cassandra Murphy.
There was also a super cute SketchBox box sticker. This month, it is in the shape of a pink eraser.
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Cretacolor Watercolor Graphite Set - Retail Value $14.95
I love getting a set! This one is especially cool because it looks like it is all grey graphite pencils but three of them are actually tinted. You don't see it until you get them wet. Also included are two grey graphite pencils in different hardnesses and a white pencil for highlighting.
Here are our pencils dry. It's interesting that you can't really see the hidden colors until you use water on them:
And boom! Here is the color. Because it is hard to see when they are dry it might make for some unexpected placement, but sometimes accidents are what makes a piece magical.
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Derwent Graphitint Pencils in 'Chestnut' and 'Ivy' - Retail Value $2.99 each
These appear and act a lot more like your normal water-soluble colored pencils. I like the green and brown colors chosen this month because they would be really great for springtime landscape pieces! The colors are pretty and vibrant on their own but really come alive and become even more saturated when you add water.
Left, Chestnut. Right, Ivy.
The colors really pop with water!
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Spectrum Noir Colortint Pencil in 'Cafe Au Lait' - Listed Value $2.00
Our next pencil is a more demure brown shade. It's a little less orange than the 'Chestnut' shade, and you can create a lot by combining the colors for subtle shifts and contrast.
Dry...
... and wet!
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Derwent Graphitint in 'Dark Indigo' and 'Juniper' - Retail Value $3.99 each
Anything in a pan gets me excited! I collect and make watercolors, and I have hundreds of these little things floating around my studio. These shades look mostly grey in the pan but add water, and they transform into a beautiful smokey indigo and a fun lilac. They were a lot more pigmented than I expected too!
These are really gorgeous to work with.
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Princeton Heritage Round #6 Brush - Retail Value $14.05
Much like my makeup brush collection, my art brush collection is pretty extensive. That being said, I can always use more, especially since some of mine have become designated oil paintbrushes and I store them apart from the water-soluble media brushes. This is a super nice and endlessly useful round in a great size. It's able to lend itself to detail work due to the sharp point, but you can also use it for smaller washes if you use its edge because it holds a lot of water.
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ArtGraph Drawing Graphite Putty - Retail Value $12.23
Our final item is a pretty sizable chunk of putty. At first, I thought this was an eraser, but it actually is water soluble and you can use it to paint with! It's flexible, so you can rip off a little or a lot depending on your needs. It is a little on the messy side, but it's really fun!
I used my finger to smear a little, then tried blending it out and adding some water.
I tried to paint a nebula this month and instead made a big mess. I hope you enjoy it anyways:
1 of 10 | I started by taping off a nice, clean rectangle.
This was the final piece. It's a little more Pollock than celestial. You win some, you lose some.
The Verdict: This month's SketchBox had some great supplies, though my piece this month was a bit of a bust. I will have to revisit the whole solar idea at a later time when I have recovered from the mess I made this time. I adore watercolors and though these are graphite based they work very similarly and are surprising and fun to play with. The colors were all rich and very complimentary to eachother. And even though my piece was a dud, the journey was fun!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. At the time of publication, you'll likely receive the April box. Also, SketchBox is currently fully operational during COVID-19.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: SKETCH5
Value Breakdown: Since this box costs $40.00 after shipping, each of the 6 items has an average cost of $6.67.
Check out all of our SketchBox reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory!
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