June 2016 ArtSnacks Vs SketchBox Basic
Thanks to Denise Hillburn (my mother) for the gift of ArtSnacks for the year! SketchBox Basic subscription purchased by me out of personal funds. If you would like to help support this blog, and continue posts like this, please consider donating to my Paypal, or contributing to my Patreon. Future unboxings and reviews will be unlocked to the public at the $15 level each month, but backers have access regardless of funds raised.
This post was just about written when Blogspot had a hiccup, deleted my post, and then saved over that, erasing all my hard work for good. Since I'm already behind on this recap, and since I just lost about 7 hours of very boring linking, formatting, and rehashing things stated in my video, I'm going to do this as cut and dry as possible, since most of this content is covered in the videos. If you find this absolutely unforgiveable, and the videos don't make up for the written content, I apologize. Rewriting this post entirely would put me behind a massive amount, and I'd rather just focus on moving forward and getting to July's Unboxing goodness.
Special May Thanks To:
Ryan
C.Ellis
Andrew Benedict
Yolaine
Wayne Norris
Chris
Michael Suriano
Yusagi
Hoff
Entreat
Ella Dee
Lee
Ristro
Chandra
Previous SketchBox Vs. ArtSnacks
January- Winner: ArtSnacks
February- Winner: SketchBox
March- Winner: ArtSnacks
April- Winner: ArtSnacks
May- Winner: ArtSnacks
SketchBox: $25mo/$240 yr
ArtSnacks: $20mo/$200 yr
Spectra AD Marker
$2.85 on Carpe Diem Markers
$2.99 on Art Supply Warehouse
https://carpediemmarkers.com/chartpak/chartpak-spectra-markers/spectra-ad-marker.html
Color chart: https://www.carpediemmarkers.com/media/catalog/category/colorchart/Spectra
Spectra AD Marker video
Alcohol based
Twin Tipped
I haven't had a chance to review these yet, but I plan on remedying that soon.
Kuretake No 7
$6.95 on Amazon
$7.00 on JetPens
I have not reviewed this brush pen yet, and look forward to checking it out.
General's Layout Pencil No. 555
A review of the General's Layout Pencil No. 555
Package of 12, on DickBlick $5.39
$1.59 openstock on Cheap Joe's Art Stuff
Fibralo Brush
15 color assortment on the Caran d'Ache site- $33.75 ($2.25 per marker)
15 color set on Amazon with Prime- $35.71
15 piece set on DickBlick- $27.07
(these look different- did Caran d'Ache change the body a bit?) ($1.80 per marker)
Owings Art video review:
Yet another product I haven't had a chance to review yet, Fibralo markers have been on my radar for about a year, but this is my first opportunity to play with one.
Denik Custom Mini SketchBook
http://denik.com/shop/
Denik doesn't really offer anything in this mini size in their usual lineup (there are notebook+phone case combos, but those are limited, and most are on sale), so it's difficult to determine a price for this mini sketchbook.
The closest I can find are the Phone Case and Pocket Notebook Combos (http://denik.com/phone-cases-pocket-notebooks/green-aztec), which are on sale for $15.00, and normally sell for $29.95.
Their larger 5.25"x 8.25" softcover books (http://denik.com/shop/succulents) are $11.95 each.
I estimate that these little books are worth between $3-$5, especially considering this company donates a portion of their profits, and this tends to mean the products cost a bit more.
Totals:
MSRP: $20.15
Total Lowest Retail Value: $18.64
Box Cost: $20, shipped
I didn't feel particularly inspired by this box, and felt like the included goodies weren't cohesive enough, so I've augmented the June ArtSnacks heavily from my own collection of materials.
Used Layout Pencil for initial sketch, inked over with a Sailor Mitsuo Aida. Erased pencil after 24 hours- severe ghosting, even with a Mono Eraser. This is NOT a good pencil to ink over if you want clean inks with no digital manipulation.
The Salmon colored Chartpak Marker is more fluroesent than originally thought- and when layered it's more of a hot orange than a salmon or pink. It's quickly neutralized (almost to the point of non existence) with any addition of blue
This post was just about written when Blogspot had a hiccup, deleted my post, and then saved over that, erasing all my hard work for good. Since I'm already behind on this recap, and since I just lost about 7 hours of very boring linking, formatting, and rehashing things stated in my video, I'm going to do this as cut and dry as possible, since most of this content is covered in the videos. If you find this absolutely unforgiveable, and the videos don't make up for the written content, I apologize. Rewriting this post entirely would put me behind a massive amount, and I'd rather just focus on moving forward and getting to July's Unboxing goodness.
Special May Thanks To:
Ryan
C.Ellis
Andrew Benedict
Yolaine
Wayne Norris
Chris
Michael Suriano
Yusagi
Hoff
Entreat
Ella Dee
Lee
Ristro
Chandra
Previous SketchBox Vs. ArtSnacks
January- Winner: ArtSnacks
February- Winner: SketchBox
March- Winner: ArtSnacks
April- Winner: ArtSnacks
May- Winner: ArtSnacks
SketchBox: $25mo/$240 yr
ArtSnacks: $20mo/$200 yr
ArtSnacks
Unboxing
June 2016 ArtSnacks Unboxing-Becca Hillburn
Video includes unboxing, card reading, going over materials.
Overview
June 2016 ArtSnacks Overview-Becca Hillburn
Video includes prices, total, and demonstration of materials, including a few side by side comparisons.
Photos:
Spectra AD Marker
$2.85 on Carpe Diem Markers
$2.99 on Art Supply Warehouse
https://carpediemmarkers.com/chartpak/chartpak-spectra-markers/spectra-ad-marker.html
Color chart: https://www.carpediemmarkers.com/media/catalog/category/colorchart/Spectra
Spectra AD Marker video
Alcohol based
Twin Tipped
I haven't had a chance to review these yet, but I plan on remedying that soon.
Kuretake No 7
$6.95 on Amazon
$7.00 on JetPens
I have not reviewed this brush pen yet, and look forward to checking it out.
General's Layout Pencil No. 555
A review of the General's Layout Pencil No. 555
Package of 12, on DickBlick $5.39
$1.59 openstock on Cheap Joe's Art Stuff
Fibralo Brush
15 color assortment on the Caran d'Ache site- $33.75 ($2.25 per marker)
15 color set on Amazon with Prime- $35.71
15 piece set on DickBlick- $27.07
(these look different- did Caran d'Ache change the body a bit?) ($1.80 per marker)
Owings Art video review:
Yet another product I haven't had a chance to review yet, Fibralo markers have been on my radar for about a year, but this is my first opportunity to play with one.
Denik Custom Mini SketchBook
http://denik.com/shop/
Denik doesn't really offer anything in this mini size in their usual lineup (there are notebook+phone case combos, but those are limited, and most are on sale), so it's difficult to determine a price for this mini sketchbook.
The closest I can find are the Phone Case and Pocket Notebook Combos (http://denik.com/phone-cases-pocket-notebooks/green-aztec), which are on sale for $15.00, and normally sell for $29.95.
Their larger 5.25"x 8.25" softcover books (http://denik.com/shop/succulents) are $11.95 each.
I estimate that these little books are worth between $3-$5, especially considering this company donates a portion of their profits, and this tends to mean the products cost a bit more.
Totals:
MSRP: $20.15
Total Lowest Retail Value: $18.64
Box Cost: $20, shipped
Fibralo Brush
These are some of the most expensive consumer grade waterbased markers I've come across, but I've heard really good things about these markers, so I'm excited to get the chance to play with one.
Kuretake No 7
Waterbased ink
felt tipped
can also use the No 8 cartridge
These are some of the most expensive consumer grade waterbased markers I've come across, but I've heard really good things about these markers, so I'm excited to get the chance to play with one.
Kuretake No 7
Waterbased ink
felt tipped
can also use the No 8 cartridge
Challenge
Insert video here
This video includes process from start to finish, as well as the demonstration of several techniques. Because this month's box did not really speak to me, I included many materials from my own studio to complete this piece.
Photos
I didn't feel particularly inspired by this box, and felt like the included goodies weren't cohesive enough, so I've augmented the June ArtSnacks heavily from my own collection of materials.
Used Layout Pencil for initial sketch, inked over with a Sailor Mitsuo Aida. Erased pencil after 24 hours- severe ghosting, even with a Mono Eraser. This is NOT a good pencil to ink over if you want clean inks with no digital manipulation.
The Salmon colored Chartpak Marker is more fluroesent than originally thought- and when layered it's more of a hot orange than a salmon or pink. It's quickly neutralized (almost to the point of non existence) with any addition of blue
I really used the materials mostly as inspiration- a combination of waterbased and alcohol based markers, and I tried to play that up throughout the challenge, adding in Spectrum Aqua waterbased markers, a variety of Copic markers and alcohol ink sprays. Not all of them play well together- the dye based inks (Spectrum Aquas, Fibralo) reactivate when water is added, which can make layering difficult. It was also difficult to build up washes of color with the Fibralo ArtSnacks provided this month.
SketchBox Basic
Unboxing
SketchBox Basic Unboxing- Becca Hillburn
Video includes unboxing, reading cards, showcasing materials.
Photos:
Overview
June 2016 SketchBox Basic and Premium Overview-Becca Hillburn
Video includes prices, total, and demonstration of materials, including a few side by side comparisons.
SketchBox June Basic- Pastel
Pan Pastels (2)
"This exclusive color pack is brought to you by a partnership between SketchBox and PanPastel"
"This exclusive color pack is brought to you by a partnership between SketchBox and PanPastel"
Marvy LePen Brush
Pigmented Ink
Also available in .1, .05, .03, .8, .5, .3
Review via The Pen Addict
Pigmented Ink
Also available in .1, .05, .03, .8, .5, .3
Review via The Pen Addict
$1.59 at Jetpens
Conte a Paris
Sofft Art Sponge Set
These are REALLY similar to inexpensive makeup sponges sold at Walmart and Dollar Tree
These are REALLY similar to inexpensive makeup sponges sold at Walmart and Dollar Tree
Site does not list an MSRP, does have authorized dealers, I selected shops from that list.
$3.19 at Cheap Joes
$2.61 at DickBlick
$3.19 at Cheap Joes
$2.61 at DickBlick
Totals:
High end total: $17.52
Low end* total: $16.62
Low end* total: $16.62
*Not counting bulk and wholesale rates.
Photos:
Challenge
June 2016 SketchBox Basic and Premium Challenge- Becca Hillburn
Video includes using the materials to create a coherent illustration, demonstrating several techniques, as well as commentary on the materials inside the box.
Photos:
The Premium Box
This is the unboxing video. For totals, please watch the overview video linked above.
The Verdict
Although I appreciate both boxes, I feel that this month, SketchBox Basic had the more coherent box. Although I am not a pastel artist, and am not very experienced with handling pastels, I really enjoyed using the Pan Pastels, and I quickly found inspiration for a piece. The ArtSnacks box for this month was far less coherent, and although I was delighted to receive two products I hadn't had an opportunity to review yet, it was difficult for me to decide on a Challenge topic.
That said, June's Basic was woefully anemic, a trend that seems to plague SketchBox Basic month to month. This does not change my overall recommendation that A: SketchBox beef up their Basic boxes with SOMETHING and B: ArtSnacks is still the best value for your dollar, subscription-box wise.
The Winner: SketchBox
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