Sketchbox Subscription Box Review + Coupon – April 2015

Sketchbox is a monthly subscription service for artists. They provide 5-6 art supplies plus a small print intended to inspire. Additionally, artists are encouraged to share their work with the Sketchbox community, and in some cases, have their work featured in a future box!

I love the design of this box, by the way! Very cool!

This box was sent to us for review purposes.

The Subscription Box: Sketchbox

The Cost: $25 per month, with savings on longer length subscriptions. There is also a $35 per month “premium” option for higher-quality supplies.

The Products: A selection of hand-picked art supplies, plus an art print to inspire

Ships to: Shipping varies based on location.

This review is of the basic box.

Sketchbox’s letter introduces the featured artist for this month and explains why they chose the supplies they included. The featured artist this month is Morgan Ashley from San Francisco, and her art print is the candy skull drawing on the right. Just below that is a sticker from Sketchbox. The print is made using all materials from this month’s Sketchbox! While this artwork is not my style, I think it’s great that they include an example of what can be accomplished using only the supplies they have sent!

Tombow ABT Watercolor Markers – Value $2.50 each

Sketchbox did not include any information on the exact model of the supplies they sent, or the values, so these are estimations I am making based on the prices at Google and / or Amazon.

These little markers are pretty awesome. They are dual tipped to select thickness, and a little pressure can increase the thickness of either point. Additionally, if you apply water with a brush, they can be used as watercolors! Neat!

Princeton angled brush – Value $4

They sent three of the Tombow markers plus this brush to try out the watercolor feature.

Sakura Pigma Micron pens – $2.50 each

My husband was so excited to see these in the box! He said these are his favorite drawing pens! They are both black, but have two different thicknesses.

My husband was kind enough to make a little drawing / painting to give his own example of what can be done with the contents of this box. I think he also used a tiny bit of traditional blue watercolor for the sky. I think it turned out beautiful! Of course, I am biased.

Verdict: My husband was really impressed with the quality of everything in this box, and he was super excited about the Micron pens. Having said that, the value of the items comes to only about $16.50, which is much less than the $25 cost of the box. This doesn’t factor in the value of the art print, which is somewhat subjective, but if you liked the print then the value would be higher for you. I do think that the curation adds value. The inclusion of the art print is almost like a little challenge, as in, here are some supplies and an idea of what you could create, now go make something! Plus it is a good opportunity to sample some supplies you might not otherwise try. If those things appeal to you, then this would be a good box. If you are looking to ramp up your art supply cabinet at a discount, then this might not be the best box for you.

What do you think of Sketchbox?