SketchBox is a monthly subscription box for art supplies. Each month, they'll send you 4-9 art supplies (often full kits), plus a piece of art to inspire you. The items included are for 2D media, such as pens, markers, pencils, paints, etc.
This is a review of the $35/month Premium box. SketchBox also offers a $25/month Basic box.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: SKETCH5
January is here, and with Christmas behind us, I am feeling a little blue. Our Minnesota weather is unseasonably warm, and we had the first brown Christmas in over 20 years. On Christmas Day, it actually was pouring rain! With a lack of sunshine, I am really trying to be intentional about fitting in self-care, and one of the ways I incorporate that is through creative time. This month's SketchBox arrived just in time to help curb those blues and spark a sense of creativity. Read below to see what I discovered this month and what I created with it.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
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SketchBox runs an ongoing contest to put a subscriber's artwork on the lid of their box. This month's featured art was created by @EmberKudo and is of a really cool howling wolf. Included in this box is information regarding how to enter the monthly contest on the info card. Check it out if you are interested.
What's Inside the Box
Content Card
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Each month we receive a content list of all the month's featured products, along with a short summary of each item and listed retail prices. Also included is a QR code for the SketchBox school where you can learn how to use the materials, try different techniques, and even create your own piece of artwork.
Artist Card
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This month's artist card was created by Alex Alford and showcases a beautiful portrait. Featuring a fantastic viewpoint, I am in awe of the talent these angles take! More of Alex's art can be found on his Instagram page @AlexDrawsLife. Check him out, he is very talented!
Sticker
Veering from the usual product sticker, this month SketchBox changed it up a bit with a cube featuring legs and shoes with the SketchBox logo. Hank is sneaker obsessed, so he took this little sticker and put it on his dresser.
Royal Talens Willow Charcoal - Retail Value $4.95
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If there's one thing about charcoal I know, it's that it's messy. It was actually a past SketchBox that introduced me to this lovely media in a way that I could truly enjoy using it. This particular product is a box containing three slender sticks of charcoal measuring in at 7-8 mm. Made from natural willow branches, these charcoal sticks are great for sketching. Fun to use, I really enjoyed this inclusion, and was anxious to see what the rest of the box would hold.
Derwent Drawing Pencils - Retail Value $10.47
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I love, love, love these drawing pencils! With China White, Ivory Black, and Light Sienna hues, these pencils glide across the paper with a velvety finish. Easy to use and hold, I was impressed with the pigments and quality of these pencils. Great for sketching, I have utilized the Light Sienna and Ivory Black the most, but am happy to add all three to my growing art supply collection.
CarbOthello Pastel Pencil - Retail Value $5.10
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Pastels are another medium that scare me a little bit, but when combined with charcoal and drawing pencils, they were a little less intimidating. We received a Caput Mortumm Red and English Deep Red pencil and while they look quite similar, have different qualities. Brilliantly pigmented and easy to draw with, these hit the paper a bit like chalk, but blend out beautifully. Fun for details, these matched the other included supplies nicely, and really rounded out the Premium Terracotta Charcoal Box.
Rembrandt Soft Pastels - Retail Value $10.75
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To coordinate with the pastel pencils, we also received a 5-piece set of Rembrandt soft pastels. In rich orange hues, this set is beautiful as well as versatile. A little messy to work with, but totally worth it, these pastels give you the ability to create some really intricate colorings. Free of pigments based on the metals lead, cadmium, and cobalt, these are great to work with, and include 218 total colors if you are looking to extend your collection.
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Big Brush - Retail Value $7.00
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Honestly, I think this was my favorite inclusion this month. Large in size, this Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen utilizes high-quality India ink, offering beautiful highlights when applied to toned paper. With a bright white color, this is fabulous for overlaying on other mediums and glides smoothly across the paper. Not only did I utilize this tool in my monthly project, but I also found it helpful with a watercolor project I was working on.
I utilized the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Big Brush a lot in this painting, and am still not finished. It dries fast, is easy to use, and you can make a variation of dot sizes as well as lines. Love, love, love!
Rembrandt Toned Paper - Retail Value $10.95
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The last item we received was a pack of 4" X 6", Sanguine Red, 120 lb paper. With 12 sheets, this stiff paper holds a variety of mediums and has a slight texture. While I've used toned papers before, this red hue is new to me, so I was really excited to try it out. See what I did with it below!
Testing
Fiery and deep, I am loving the terracotta theme this month!
SketchBox January Project
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Truth be told, I was soooo excited for winter break, and had a list a mile long of things I wanted/needed to complete. Lo and behold, I ended up with Influenza (3 weeks after Covid), so my to-do list really didn't get done. While on the mend, SketchBox came, and I was able to curl up at the table with my supplies and have a little creative time. This month, with all of the blacks and oranges, my school mascot came to mind. Once created, the page felt empty, so I added the monogram. Overall, it was fun to make and opened up the door for me to get into a something a little more in depth once I feel a bit better.
Charlie's Corner
Charlie asked if he could utilize this month's supplies, and of course I said yes. He opted for a landscape scene, and created a tree, some bushes, and a set of dropped antlers. You can also tell he is yearning for some snow after our brown Christmas, with his large snowflakes and snow covered ground. I sure love this kid!
The Verdict
SketchBox is a really fun subscription that keeps me on my toes. You never know what you might get, but always expect a set of items that work well together, and are fun. This month we received a variety of supplies including charcoal, pencils, pastels, and India ink, which fit the terracotta theme perfectly. Even though some of the items are ones that I struggle to use, I love trying them out and practicing. Discovering new products is fun for me, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness put into this curation. I can't wait to play around a little more and maybe try my own hand at a portrait! As always, I am already looking forward to see what we'll discovering in February. Any ideas?
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Value Breakdown
Because most of this month’s products were custom sizes or custom made for SketchBox, it was hard to determine an accurate retail value. BUT, now you can purchase some individual products from the Sketch Shop, making it easier to buy more of the items you love! The included contents card had a $49.17 value, which is over $10 more than the cost of the box. I felt this was a decent value, and a great way to try items I may not have discovered otherwise.
To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? According to SketchBox's website, the cutoff to purchase the January box was December 21st, but you can still subscribe to get next month's box.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: SKETCH5
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