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.
This is a review of the $35/month Premium box. SketchBox also offers a $25/month Basic box.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: SKETCH5
December is here, and I am so excited for it! With twinkling Christmas lights and hot cocoa, this is my very favorite month. While I enjoy summer and the beautiful sunshine, there is just something relaxing about the short days and early evenings. This time of year is when my creativity seems to flow more easily, so the December SketchBox arrived just in time! Read below to see what I discovered this month and what I created with it.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
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SketchBox runs an ongoing contest to put a subscriber's artwork on the lid of their box. This months featured art was created by @Tori_mixedmedia and is of the cutest owl. Included in this box is information regarding how to enter the monthly contest on the info card. Check it out if you are interested.
What's Inside the Box
Content Card
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Each month we receive a content list of all the month's featured products, along with a short summary of each item and listed retail prices. Also included is a QR code for the SketchBox school where you can learn how to use the materials, try different techniques, and even create your own piece of artwork.
Artist Card
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This month's artist card was created by Alison Keller and showcases a fantastic dragon in the moonlight. Giving GOT vibes, I absolutely love how she utilized the gold acrylic liner and blue tones. More of Alison's art can be found on her Instagram page @tehshadowdargon. Check her out, she is very talented!
Sticker
Instead of choosing one product to focus on in this month's sticker, they featured the whole box - plus some! With cute cartoon colored pencils and markers, this is a great summary of what SketchBox just might contain and will look great on my laptop.
Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils - Retail Value $10.05
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Some of my personal favorite art forms include watercolor, charcoal, and pencil drawings, but I seem to struggle with colored pencils. Every piece of artwork I make feels very cartoonish, and it ends up leaving me frustrated. This month we received three Faber-Castell colored pencils in Indanthrene Blue, Magenta, and Juniper Green. These pencils are oil-based and are of premium quality. With beautiful hues, I did notice an ease of use while coloring, and loved the variation in value they could create. While colored pencils still aren't my favorite medium, I did appreciate the opportunity to try high-quality pencils, and ended up having more fun than I thought I would.
Stoneground Gouache - Retail Value $10.25
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I have a little experience with gouache, so I was really excited to receive this Blue Spruce variation from The Stoneground Paint Co. Hand ground, this medium offers transparent washes, or thick opaque layers and can go on like watercolor. It's beautifully pigmented and a little goes a long way. One of my favorite inclusions in this box, I love the textures and washes it creates!
SketchBox Signature Round Brush Size 6 - Retail Value $7
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I am always up for more tools, so I was really happy to see a Size 6 Round Brush exclusively made by SketchBox in this curation. With a long, comfortable handle, the tip is flexible and works well for fine details and lines. This size is one of my favorites for watercoloring, and I was happy to add it to my collection.
Uchida Le Plume Marker - Retail Value $3.79
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Paint markers are my fave, and this Uchida Le Plume one is no exception. With a bright white pigment, this works great on top of colored pencils, or by itself. Quick to dry, and easy to use, this was a fun way to add highlights into this month's creation.
Kuretake Zig Acrylic Liner - Retail Value $4.40
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My ultimate favorite item in this month's curation was the Kuretake Zig Acrylic Liner in gold. With a shimmery application, this is pretty much the most beautiful acrylic liner I've ever seen. Used to add sparkling details to any creation, it really brings artwork to life, and is super fun to use. I definitely need more of these in my life!
Rembrandt Rough Watercolor Paper 4" X 6" - Retail Value $13.50
The last item we received was a pad of Rembrandt Rough Watercolor Paper. With 10 sheets of 4" X 6", 140lb paper, this textured pad is perfect for all of the included mediums. Because of the thickness, the corners didn't curl, and the gouache didn't bleed through. Excellent for small postcards and little art, the texture added a bit of dimension, while also being easy to use.
Testing
Winter is here! Very similar to the colors of our recent Northern Lights, this curation was not only beautiful, but fun to play with!
SketchBox December Project
Like I mentioned above, when I use colored pencils, I end up with a cartoon drawing instead of a realistic one. Because of that, I decided to ultimately draw a cartoon. With Christmas right around the corner, I decided to create my own Christmas gnome. Utilizing all of this month's tools and supplies, I sketched out this little guy as a postcard to my sister. I have since worked on a few colored pencil tutorials, but just can't get them right, so will continue to march on. Ekkk!
Hank's Corner
Hank decided he also wanted to try out this month's curation, and started watching a colored pencil tutorial. The one he watched ended up going way too fast, so he scrapped it and decided to start again a different day.
The Verdict
SketchBox is a really fun subscription that keeps me guessing! I love creating, and while I have my preferences for mediums, I am always willing to try new things and learn new techniques. Even though I struggle with colored pencils, I was happy to receive a higher-quality version and try my hand at them again. Discovering new products is fun for me, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness put into this curation. Even though the main item wasn't my favorite, the other 5 were, which makes it worth it. I can't wait to sit down with these pencils again and do a little more formal tutorial. As always, I am already looking forward to see what we'll discover in January. Any ideas?
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Value Breakdown
Because most of this month’s products were custom sizes or custom made for SketchBox, it was hard to determine an accurate retail value. BUT, now you can purchase some individual products from the Sketch Shop, making it easier to buy more of the items you love! The included contents card had a $48.99 value, which is over $10 more than the cost of the box! Because we received exclusive launch items and this amazing of a curation, I felt this was a decent value, and a great way to try items I may not have discovered otherwise.
To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? According to SketchBox's website, the cutoff to purchase the December box was November 21st, but you can still subscribe to get next month's box.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: SKETCH5
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