Hey Everyone!
October was Art Supply Christmas at my house with an influx of packages containing all the little items that make my heart so very happy. With an almost two week vacation and some other commitments, however, *cough cough Inktober* Someone had to wait their turn to be tested out and sadly it was this little box here.
Normally I post reviews for these boxes in the same month they come out, but sometimes life happens and there aren’t enough hours in the day. I like to live by the saying “better late than never” in times like this, and with that – on to the review!
Items in the Box:
- Amsterdam Paint Marker, 2mm
- Kuretake Bimoji Fude Brush Pen
- Marabu Graphix Colour Fineliners, 0.5mm
- Sakura Classic White Gelly Roll Pen, 0.5 mm
- The Snack – Sour Punch
Amsterdam Paint Marker, 2mm
I’ve been trying out a lot of paint markers lately and I have to say the brands that have this type of nib are my favorite. One of the reasons for this is that they don’t seem to clog as easily. The type with a fineliner type nib for me always seem to be awesome at first and later a nightmare. I’m not ruling out user error on that, I’m just saying these seem to work a lot better for me.
The Amsterdam marker was probably the most versatile item in this box allowing for precise line work as well as using it as a watered down wash, with the aid of a paintbrush and some water. This product is great for mixed media as it is also permanent and waterproof when dry.
Kuretake Bimoji Fude Brush Pen
Not to be confused with the personalized avatar company Bitmoji, the Bimoji Fude pen was a nice highlight of this box. The pattern on the body of the pen is one of 10 designs that were an Artsnacks Exclusive and limited edition. The rubber grip on this pen in combination with the felt tip made it a dream to work with. If you’re into lettering this pen is a perfect match since Bimoji quite literally translates to “beautiful letters” from Japanese. This pen was really nice for illustrating as well though and had a nice relatively matte finish on the Denik sketchbook paper I used it on.
Marabu Graphix Colour Fineliners, 0.5mm
I can appreciate a good fineliner as much as the next artist. I just don’t know that I loved these. Don’t get me wrong it’s not that they were bad, they just didn’t wow me. In fact, 2 of the 4 lightfast, water-based ink pens seemed to be almost drying out after only a couple of uses. That’s sort of my complaint with fineliners in general actually. I love the idea that these come in color sets though. I’m going to give this product another chance on a different paper for a different project at some point, but for right now, it was the least impressive part of this box for me.
Sakura Classic White Gelly Roll Pen, 0.5 mm
This product was one I was already familiar with. Having used it for highlights and details previously in my colored pencil work, I was already acquainted with this opaque white ink’s capabilities. In this scenario it worked will over top of the areas where I used the Bimoji brush pen, however not so much over the Graphix pens. The ink flow out of this product also has a tendency to be inconsistent at times. When it does work well though, it’s a really great addition to any mixed media artist’s toolbox.
Here’s a closer look at my final illustration of the Egyptian God Anubis using all of the items in the October Artsnacks box.
Final Thoughts
This box was a mix of awesome and disappointing for me. Normally the Artsnacks boxes, in my opinion, are pretty solid so this is kind of a rare occurrence. I’m not ruling out the Marabu Graphix pens entirely, they just didn’t give me a great first impression.
I used the Denik sketchbook paper from the Inktober Special Edition box for this drawing as well and if you read my review on that, you know that it also wasn’t my fave. That paper is quite smooth and in a lot of ways ideal for ink and markers but also has some challenges if you are used to working on a paper with a lot more tooth.
The other products in this box, however, I can quickly see becoming regulars in my sketchbook and mixed media drawings.
For a more in-depth look at my process behind these drawings and to see the products in action, check out my YouTube video below.
Sign up for your own Artsnacks box by following the link: http://www.artsnacks.co/
Have you tried any of the items in this review? Which did you like best?
Share with me in the comments!
Please Note: I am in no way being paid to promote this product. The opinions in the blog post are my own.
