Art Snacks is a monthly art supply subscription service that curates products to help inspire you to create. Art Snacks is the brainchild of siblings Lee and Sarah Rubenstein, founders of eatsleepdraw.com, a user-submitted art site.
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.)
About Art Snacks
The Subscription Box: Art Snacks
The Cost: $24 a month, with savings on 6- and 12-month subscriptions
Or, use code JAKEPARKER to save 10% off your first subscription or gift box!
The Products: 4-5 full-size premium art products, along with best practices and new techniques
Ships to: The US for free, everywhere else for $10 per box
Art Snacks January 2019 Review
This is my first Art Snacks box and I'm super excited. I'm a graphic designer but have always loved studio art. Plus, I LOVE art supplies! I got a sneak peek of this box on Art Snack's YouTube channel and am using their idea for the project I'll complete with my new goodies. Let's check them out!
Each month, a "menu" of the supplies is included with the retail value of each and information about how to use them. You'll also get a cute sticker and a sweet.
Stabilo Sensor Black Fineliner, F-Tip - Retail Value $2
I really like this pen! The felt tip is firm and great for drawing anything from fine lines to filling in bold areas. The cool part is that when you put pressure on the tip, it retracts into the metal casing to protect it then it pops right back out. The ink is matte black and permanent on most surfaces.
Golden Fluid Acrylics in Carbon Black and Titan Green Pale - Retail Value $6.69 each
These are the most pigmented, thinnest acrylics I've tried. They have a consistency like heavy cream and are made from lightfast pigments and not dyes. This makes them perfect for using as-is for high coverage or for thinning out to create washes and stains without losing intensity. The permanent pigments have varying level of opacity which is shown on the swatches on the front of the bottle. On the swatches above you can see a swatch of the solid color and one of the pigments diluted with water.
Kingart Original Gold 9000 Series Golden Taklon Brush, Round Size 2 - Retail Value $8.99
The bristles on this brush are soft and smooth yet resist fraying and keep their shape. The thin point is perfect for filling in detailed areas and line work.
Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Heavy Mini Paper Pad by Legion Paper - Bonus Item
A mini paper pad is included as a bonus this month. It has 5 pieces of thick, slightly-textured paper that are sturdy enough to hold many layers of wet medium. This is a great way to try out the paper before purchasing a regular size pad.
Art Snacks is not a guided project box, so besides the info about how to use the supplies, there's no further instruction. However, they post YouTube unboxing videos every month with a complete sample project. You can take part in the #artsnackschallenge, which is Art Snacks' monthly challenge to create an original piece of art using all of the products in our box. This month I used some different techniques with the paints to create some little greeting cards.
I started by drawing out my sayings with my Generals Draughting Pencil from December's box.
Next, I outlined the letters with the Stabilo Sensor Fineliner.
I used the green Golden Fluid Acrylic paint as-is to fill in the "THANK" card. I then filled in the background of the "YAY" card by wetting the paper and letting it draw the paint from the Kingart Brush onto the Stonehenge Paper. I also experienced with marbling the black and green paints with water to fill in the "YOU!"
I picked up the Stabilo pen again to sharpen and vary some line thicknesses and added a few little dots.
I love how tiny and cute these cards are. They're perfect for tossing into packages or hanging on gifts.
Verdict: Art Snacks is such a great way for me to get back into my fine arts side! I love being introduced to new supplies and constantly refreshing my stock. Plus, the Art Snacks Challange is such a great way to motivate yourself to use each item and to interact with other Art Snackers. This month's retail value comes to $24.37, which is basically the same as the cost of the box. It may not seem like much, but the value for me comes from being served up new types of supplies each month. Also, many items have to be purchased in sets which are more expensive, so this gives me a chance to try different pens, paints, etc. without a big initial investment or waste.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the March box.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $24 with free shipping, which means that each of the 4 items in the box has an average cost of $6.09. The total value of materials included is $24.37, which is just a few cents over the cost of the box.
Check out all of our Art Snacks reviews and the DIY + Craft Subscription Box List for more art boxes!
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What did you create with the January's Art Snacks items?
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