Smart Art Subscription Box Review + Coupon – August 2016

Smart Art is a fine arts subscription service that sends a new project every month and all the supplies needed to complete it. My husband and I are both artists, and we have been having a blast with our Smart Art subscription!

This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Subscription Box: Smart Art

The Cost: $49.99 per month with free shipping

COUPON: Use code MSA20 to save 20% off your first box

The Products: A fine arts project, complete with instructions and supplies

Ships to: US only

Good to know: It’s a different project in a different media every month, using different techniques!

Check out all of our Smart Art reviews and the Craft Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

This month’s project was sgraffito oil pastel painting! We didn’t know what that was, but it’s a lot like those black scratch pads the kids get sometimes where you scratch a drawing in the black top layer and vibrant colors come through. This is the booklet that Smart Art sends every month. It includes art history related to the project, a list of the included supplies, project pointers, and instructions.

Subscribers can upload a picture of their finished project to Smart Art’s Facebook page for a chance to win a free box! That’s really cool! On the other hand, our projects usually take forever, so we always seem to miss the boat on this contest.

This is the inside of the booklet. On the left are the art history and project pointers, and on the right there’s some info on oil pastels plus the supply list.

The instructions are printed on the back of the booklet. They are pretty clear and easy to follow, but they still allow for as much creativity as you like.

Here are the supplies that were included for this month’s project.

Art Alternatives Oil Pastel (24-pc set) – Value $9.99

Ampersand Claybord (two 8×8 panels, one 5×5 panel) – Total Value $15 (on sale at Jerry’s for $9)

Higgins Black Magic Waterproof India Ink (1 oz.) – Value $2.45 each

Royal Brush Engraving Tool Set – Value $4.70

Pro Stroke Premium Medium White Bristle Brush, Round 6 – Value $8.95 (on sale at Jerry’s for $1.73)

This is my husband’s completed painting! I love it, as usual, but it is really different from most of his work. It’s so depressing! He really took advantage of the black medium. I think he was disappointed that his oil pastels did not come through more vibrantly, but I think the softer colors work well with his theme.

Verdict: My husband and I are both huge fans of Smart Art! It’s funny but when the box comes every month, we know pretty much right away whether it’s a project for me or for him. I’m always kind of sad when it’s a box for him! I love doing the projects so much! The value of everything this month totals around $45 retail or $31 sale… I think whatever value you use, this is a subscription box with a fairly subjective value. I am happy to pay a premium to have someone else gather all the supplies for me and tell me what to do with them. It’s so much fun!

What do you think of Smart Art?