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
Hello February! Heading into the tail end of the boys' basketball season, I am ready for a weekend without traveling! Between afternoon practices and Saturday tournaments, our time for crafting is pretty much non-existent. That being said, when we spotted this month's SketchBox in our mailbox, we scheduled time to sit down and enjoy each others company, all while discovering new art products. Read below to see what we discovered this month and what we 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 month's featured art was created by @AmySake and is of a really cool 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 Jennie Marie and showcases a beautiful vase of flowers. More of Jenlees's art can be found on her Instagram page @Jenlee.Marie.Art. Check her out, she is very talented!
Sticker
I love the creativity SketchBox shows with their monthly stickers. This particular one features two bottles of watercolor and legs. Cute in design, this is a great addition to our sticker stash.
Schmincke Aqua Drop - Retail Value $12.55
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I love watercolors, and this magenta color is fantastic! With beautiful pigment, this liquid color comes in a glass bottle and features a dropper for easy use. Transparent and lightfast, this formula can be built up or watered down, making it extremely versatile. Perfect for painting, sketching, and calligraphy, I found this formula really easy to use and fun.
Jacquard HiTones Liquid Watercolor Set- Retail Value $13
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Another new brand of watercolor (to me anyways) were these dropper bottles of concentrated dye. The violet and leaf green colors not only coordinated with each other perfectly, but with the included magenta too. With brilliant pigment and tranparency, these colors are giving off definite spring vibes and bled into each other magnificently.
Staedtler Triangular Colored Pencils - Retail Value $3.50
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Useful for creating sketches as well as adding texture to a finished painting, these colored pencils were neutral enough in color to pair well with the bright watercolors all while adding a bit of depth. A great addition to an already fabulous box, I'm happy to add these pencils to my collection.
Jacquard Bleed-Proof White - Retail Value $9
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Another fun inclusion was this container of bleed-proof white. Used for highlights, this really adds a pop of light to a finished piece. Also useful for mixing with the aqua drops and liquid watercolors for a variety of tints, this is one of my favorite products!
Zebra Sarasa - Retail Value $1.98
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Fineliners are the best and I literally cannot get enough of them. With a small nib, this pen works great for outlining artwork, as well as adding small details. I'll take more of these pens any day!
Winsor & Newton Bamboo Brush Size 4 - Retail Value $8.69
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A SketchBox curation wouldn't be complete without a paintbrush inclusion, and this size 4 brush is quite exceptional. With a large tip, this worked great for calligraphy-style lines and texturing. The bamboo handle fit very comfortably in my hand and was a pleasure to use.
Bienfang Watercolor Paper - Retail Value $7.99
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Last but not least was our paper inclusion. With 12 sheets of 4" X 6" paper, this 140lb paper is useful for a variety of medias, but works really well with watercolor. Bright in color and perfect in size for a postcard, it held a large amount of water and laid flat when dry.
SketchBox February Project
This month I have really wanted to set time aside for crafting, but just haven't had time, so I made it very intentional when this box arrived. Holding my favorite medium, and these beautiful colors, I couldn't resist sketching out a floral scene, with an inspirational word. To sketch, I utilized the brown and green colored pencils, and filled in with the mixture of watercolors. Are there imperfections in this piece? Absolutely. Did I have a ton of time to work on it? Sadly no, but I did get to sit alongside my boys and try out these awesome products. I love, love, loved the colors they included this month, as well as the white and fineliner. They were not only fun to use, but really cohesive as well.
Kid's Corner
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Hank and Charlie are basketball shoe obsessed at the moment, so what would be more fitting than custom watercolor Nikes? Pretty much nothing! Just look at that color blend! If Giannis is reading - we would totally buy those color schemed shoes!!
The Verdict
SketchBox is a really fun subscription that is inspirational and unique. While I never know what to expect, all items work well together and give you opportunities to create a multitude of projects. This month included my very favorite medium, and the extras were spot on. While I haven't used a lot of the included brands, I am really excited to have the opportunity to try things I may not have even heard of. As always, I am already looking forward to see what we'll discover in March. 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 $56.71 value, which is over $20 more than the cost of the box. 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 February box was January 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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