Facebook PixelSketchbox Subscription Box Review - September 2016 | MSA
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Sketchbox Subscription Box Review – September 2016

Anna Rodriguez
ByAnna RodriguezSep 23, 2016 | 6 comments

sketchbox-september-2016-box

SketchBox
3.5 overall rating
16 Ratings | 8 Reviews

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!

sketchbox-september-2016-box-side

I love the design of this box, by the way! This is the artwork of one of their subscribers. Very cool!

sketchbox-september-2016-inside-box

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

sketchbox-september-2016-review

The Subscription Box: Sketchbox

The Cost: $25 + $5 shipping = $30 per month, with savings on longer length subscriptions. There is also a $35 per month "premium" option for higher-quality supplies (also with $5 shipping = $40 per month).

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

Ships to: US for $5, Canada for $10, International for $15

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

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

This review is of the premium box.

sketchbox-september-2016-booklet

This is the info card that was included with this month's package. This month is all about drawing with charcoal! It explains why they chose the items they sent.

sketchbox-september-2016-project

This is our "art print to inspire" for the month. The artist is Caitlin Stevens.

These are the supplies we received this month:

sketchbox-september-2016-charcoal-set

sketchbox-september-2016-inside-charcoal-set

Cretacolor Noir Charcoal Set - Value $15.59

I love getting full sets in boxes. It just seems so much more special to me! I love sets! My husband agrees, and said this is a good one.

sketchbox-september-2016-cloth

Loew-Cornell Chamois - Value $9

This is a natural leather chamois, used for blending and shading.

sketchbox-september-2016-chalk

Royal Brush Blending Stumps - Value $1.26

Blending stumps give you better precision blending than a chamois when needed.

sketchbox-september-2016-pencils

General's Pencil Charcoal White Pencil, 2B and 6B Black Pencils - Value $0.91 each

This is an assortment of charcoal pencils.

sketchbox-september-2016-pen

Sakura Pigma Brush Pen - Value $2.50

My husband LOVES Sakura pens! He proclaims them the best of art pens. He was happy to get this one.

sketchbox-september-2016-pencil-drawing

This is my husband's charcoal skecth. I think it turned out great! I love having such a talented partner. I am TERRIBLE at charcoal drawing, my hands just drag the charcoal all over the place. So I have a lot of respect for people who can do it well.

Verdict: Sketchbox is great! The value of this month's items comes to $31.08, which is a little less than the cost of the box, but to be fair many of the values I have listed are sale prices. At the same time, art supplies online always seem to have sale prices, so I'm not 100% sure what the real value is. From my experience, art supply boxes don't tend to have a huge return on investment. Selecting the right fine arts box really depends on what you are looking for. With Sketchbox, you don't get a specific project with instructions, but you do get a suggested "inspiration" for a type of drawing, plus a sampling of high quality instruments to try it out. There's definitely a discovery element that comes with Sketchbox. If you are a big fan of drawing and painting, it's a really fun box to try out!

What do you think of Sketchbox?

Starting at $25.00
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Save $5 off your first box!
Use Coupon Code SKETCH5
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SketchBox delivers premium art supplies right to your doorstep along with a unique piece of art to help inspire you. They feature a new artist every month and encourage you to share your art with the world. What would you make if art supplies were delivered to you every month?

Anna Rodriguez
Anna Rodriguez
Anna has been a fan of subscription boxes since joining Birchbox in 2013, but didn't become a true addict until discovering subscriptions she could share with her children. Her favorites include Kiwi Crate and Fab Kids.

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6 comments

Betty-Lou Hope

I bought Sketchbook for 6 months for my granddaughter at what I thought was an exorbitant price but she liked it. Now the company has automatically renewed the order and charged me another $333 which I can’t afford. This is such a scam.

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LMH

I have had nothing but problems with our subscription. I found the contents to be underwhelming–I could get the same products far cheaper from local craft stores. The first box was one week late in delivery which meant that I missed the date to cancel future boxes. The company has taken no responsibility and offered no help.

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Gg

I. Ordered a SketchBox for a friends’ daughter in college who lives in s dorm. She never received delivery, and they offered no recourse for the problem, even though they claimed they have encouraged tested this same problem in the past. Subscription was canceled.

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Cheree

I love the box, but I have so many art supplies that I cannot justify the price! I wish I could, because it would give me inspiration to draw more often.. I would like to see the larger box…

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Jessica McKelvin

I love General’s charcoal pencils.
This looks like a neat box, but I feel really comfortable with all of my charcoal supplies so this month definitely wouldn’t be for me. I think I’ll go look into their other offering though, I want to check out that premium box too.

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CMB

I like this box idea! But doesn’t the card say the “retail value” of the items? Good to know sale/online prices, but since you mention it…
Regardless, I’ll keep an eye on future boxes. I’m starting to get into drawing/sketching again, but I don’t know if I’ll need new supplies every month 🙂

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