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.
It’s time to celebrate—not just America, but my birthday too! July is always an exciting month for me, and this month’s SketchBox arrived just in time to help kick off the fun. Check out the artwork I created with it below!
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
SketchBox used to have an ongoing contest where a subscriber's artwork was featured on the lid of their box. For the past few months, they’ve been sending out repeat boxes—likely to use up inventory—but they mentioned that new artwork would return in the new year. However, we've still been receiving repeat boxes up until now. But here’s a twist—there’s no artwork on the box at all this time! It looks like they’ve decided to continue showcasing the winning artwork on the back of the pamphlet instead, which you’ll see below.
What's Inside the Box
Content Pamphlet
Instead of the traditional postcard, SketchBox has now transitioned to a full pamphlet featuring the box’s contents, a QR code for SketchBox School where you can learn how to use the materials, additional tips, and even details on how to enter a giveaway! This month even includes a written tutorial! You can also see the winner of the monthly contest here, which is usually featured on the shipping box. This month’s winning artwork, created by @Themidnightdoodler, is a beautiful branch of flower blossoms. Check out her Instagram to see all of her awesome work!
SketchBox Signature 12-Set Professional Travel Watercolors - Retail Value $24.99
The first item we received was the SketchBox Signature set of professional watercolors. This travel kit features 12 beautiful shades, including Canary Yellow, Pumpkin, Lipstick Red, Beet Red, Payne’s Grey, Berlin Blue, Caribbean Blue, Eggplant, Imperial Purple, Emerald, Yellow Ochre, and Chestnut Brown. Vibrant and easy to use, the tin travels well and securely holds all the colors in place with clips to ensure safe arrival at any destination. With such a wide range of shades, even more color options become available through mixing. I think this might be my new favorite!
SketchBox Signature Long Round Brush Size 4 - Retail Value $11.99
The next item we received was another SketchBox Signature product—a long round size 4 brush. It’s sleek and well-balanced, with a comfortable grip. The fine bristles allow for detailed work at the tip, while the side of the brush can be used to apply broader strokes of color. In my opinion, this is the ideal brush for watercoloring, as it can easily create texture, shadows, and highlights. It was a great inclusion—I was able to toss the entire set into my bag for a trip to my mom’s and had everything I needed with me!
Caran d'Ache NeoColor II - Retail Value $2.50
I’ve been watercoloring for years, but I had never tried a water-soluble wax pastel—now I’m wondering why I waited so long! This little dark grey pastel was fantastic for creating an initial sketch. Because it's water-soluble, it blends seamlessly into the painting as you add water, adding a depth and dimension you just don’t get with pencil. I was happy to receive a neutral shade similar to graphite, but now I’d love to add a few more colors to my collection. What a fun find!
Hahnemuhle Zig Zag Book - Retail Value $18.90
The last item we received was an accordion-style paper book. Measuring 4" x 6", this sketchbook unfolds to reveal 18 sheets. It’s a great little cloth-covered book for keeping your sketches safe. It felt a bit strange to leave my project inside the book instead of hanging it on the fridge, but I enjoyed the change! It’s a fun and unique format, and I’m excited to fill it with all sorts of landscape paintings!
Testing
I am truly impressed by the vivid colors this month's color palette possesses. They are all amazing and create some really beautiful mixes!
SketchBox July Project
A relatively new addition to the monthly SketchBox is the paper pamphlet featuring step-by-step instructions for creating a piece of artwork. The tutorial includes photos and written directions to help you make the most of the included materials. This month, we learned how to create a watercolor landscape. This has always been an area I’ve struggled with, so I had a lot of fun and learned a lot through Lana’s in-depth instructions. I also appreciated the YouTube video for additional guidance. The little tips and tricks were a great bonus, and my finished piece turned out pretty well! I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn next month!
The Verdict
SketchBox is a fantastic subscription that delivers high-quality supplies in a wide variety of mediums. This month's Watercolor Journey box featured the best tin full of watercolors and I couldn't wait to utilize them, even on vacation! With enough materials to create an 18 page book, I was really pleased with the curation and plan to keep experimenting with them over the weekend. Overall, I had a ton of fun! I can’t wait to see what we’ll discover in August. Any guesses?
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Value Breakdown
Being a repeat box, you can find all these items as as set in the Sketch Shop as the Watercolor Journey Premium Box for $40. The included contents card had a $58.38 value, which is higher than the cost of the box and allowed me to discover products I probably wouldn't 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 July box was June 21st, but you can still subscribe to get next month's box or buy this box in their shop as the Watercolor Journey Premium Box.
What do you think of SketchBox?
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