Hey Everyone!
Isn’t it hard to believe there are less than 2 months left in 2018? I’m not sure where the time has gone, but I know that many things have occurred to make this a really special year for me. I’m especially grateful for all of the new art supplies I have been turned on to from these monthly box subscriptions. If you really love art and art supplies I highly recommend you try out an art supply subscription box! With that, let’s look closer at what was in this month’s box!
Items in the Box:
- Liquitex Acrylic Gouache
- Cretacolor MegaGraphite Pencil, HB
- Winsor & Newton Galeria Short Handle Brush, Round Size 3
- Sakura Microperm Pen
- The Snack – Sweetarts
Cretacolor MegaGraphite Pencil, HB
Artsnacks seems to put a lot of jumbo size products in their boxes. I’m not sure why exactly this is a thing. I suppose the idea is that it’s like having two of the same product in one, or perhaps even the idea of covering large areas. I can’t honestly say that a jumbo-sized art product has changed my life significantly in any way, but maybe I’m just not thinking big enough. 😉
This 10mm diameter body pencil comes in different grades and has an extra-smooth graphite core. It definitely is incredibly strong and it held a point extremely well. In fact, I didn’t have to sharpen it once and it still maintained a pretty sharp point. It almost felt like using a harder colored pencil actually.
Liquitex Acrylic Gouache
I was super excited about this product. If you’ve ever wanted the matte, opaque and watercolor-like qualities of a gouache with the permanence and water-resistance of an acrylic paint, this is for you. There’s no need to water this product down to have excellent fluidity, though for my demo illustration I did. Because this product is ultra-pigmented even in its watered down form you still get a rich color. This also means a little goes a long way. The nozzle-like tip on the container also makes it easy to only dispense a little for the container.
Winsor & Newton Galeria Short Handle Brush, Round Size
In my sketchbook where I write all of my preliminary notes for these reviews, I wrote that I was excited about this product before even trying it. It did not disappoint. This brush was specifically formulated for use with acrylic products. It has a combination of synthetic filaments that are uniquely crafted to make it durable but also flexible. This brush was great for delicate line work and also washes for slightly bigger areas. This is definitely going in my favorite brushes cup.
Sakura Microperm Pen
After kinda throwing some shade at the fineliners in last month’s box, this pen actually renewed my faith in them. It worked beautifully and a no point did it show signs of not performing as expected. The permanent and waterproof ink had great flow and went over the top of the pencil and acrylic gouache with ease. It has a light scent to it, which I found a little surprising for a pen of this type, but its nothing that would be extremely bothersome. Either way, I will definitely be using this pen again in the future.
Final Thoughts
This box was a really great mix of products. The only one I probably won’t use much in the future is the Cretacolor MegaGraphite pencil but that is more due to the fact that I don’t really use graphite too much anymore and has nothing to do with the product itself. I have a theory that the acrylic gouache might be a great combination with colored pencil so stay tuned for my future explorations with that.
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!
