My First SketchBox

Have you heard of SketchBox yet?

“Geisha Girl” created with #SketchBoxJANUARY art supplies by Teresa Kogut

I saw an advertisement for it somewhere…I think it was on Pinterest….and it immediately piqued my interest. I mean, who doesn’t love surprises, right?

So what the heck is it? SketchBox is a monthly subscription. You’ll receive new art supplies delivered to your doorstep each month! The Basic Subscription is $25.00/month plus $5.00 shipping and the Premium is $35.00/month plus $5.00 shipping.

My first SketchBox was delivered December 15(ish) and the following day I created “Geisha Girl” (shown above) with the supplies that came in the box. I had a blast using this limited color palette! It was a challenge and as an artist, I love a challenge that pushes me to try something new!

Let me be honest….before I signed up, I thought….”dang, $35.00 a month?” I was hesitant…..It sounded a little expensive but since I can cancel at any time, I decided why not give it a try. My concern was that the art supplies might be overpriced or that part of my monthly fee went towards the “membership”.  However, this is not the case. The price that SketchBox lists on the supply card is very comparable to the prices I found when I searched out each product online.

Here is my comparison of each product that came in the box:

• Kurtake Zig Brush #24: SketchBox $6.95 / Amazon $14.44
• Kurtake Gansai Tambi Watercolor Set : SketchBox $19.99 / Dick Blick $17.99
• Manuscript Gold & Silver Metallic Calligraphy Set : SketchBox $6.95 / Dick Blick $4.50
• Signature Flat Waterbrush: SketchBox $5.50 / Similar brushes $6.00-$8.00

Total Price for art supplies: SketchBox $39.39 / to purchase same art supplies separately approx $43.93 (Plus the shipping for SketchBox is only $5.00….to order these supplies from different places would cost more)

I tried but couldn’t find all four products from the same place. I had a really hard time finding the Signature Flat Waterbrush but found some that were comparable. My review of each product is as follows:

• Kurtake Zig Brush #24 – This was a treat to work with!! The water-based pigment ink is stored in the handle. When I needed more pigment, I just squeezed the plastic handle (which is easily replaceable when you run out of ink) Once the ink came out, I could use the Signature flat waterbrush to thin out the dark black or use it as a palette and pull color from it for some beautiful light grey tones.
• Kurtake Gansai Tambi Watercolor Set – I didn’t know metallic watercolors existed so this was a nice surprise! I LOVE the shimmer these watercolors leave behind when they dry. I love the variety of bronze, silver and gold so I could use it for her face, dress and background without it all looking the same.
• Manuscript Gold & Silver Metallic Calligraphy Set – These were great, too. However, I had just purchased a different brand and didn’t really need them but they are a fine product. I used mostly the silver one in her dress around the flower.
• Signature Flat Waterbrush – LOVED! I kept forgetting that I didn’t need to dip my brush to wet it, I simply squeezed the handle for water to come out when working with the watercolor set 🙂

A few other fun things about SketchBox:

• You can give a year subscription as a gift for that special someone!
• When you create your art, post it on Facebook, Pinterest and all other social media platforms using #SketchBoxJANUARY (or whatever month the supplies came) and your art may be printed on a future box lid!
• You can email your art to SketchBox and you may be chosen to be the featured artist!
• Once you join, you can refer 3 friends and if they join, you’ll get your next box FREE!

For me, the best part about SketchBox is that I may have never discovered these art supplies on my own let alone create art with them. As an artist, it’s important to keep pushing ourselves to try new things. Our best art could be waiting for us to discover a new product that will give our art exactly what it needs to make it unique and beautiful.

To learn more about SketchBox and to start your own subscription, go here.

Watch the video below and see me open my first SketchBox and watch me paint “Geisha Girl”.

Are you going to reach outside your comfort zone and try art supplies through SketchBox? It’s a new year…..no more perfect time to join and spend 2017 adding tools and techniques to your arsenal of creativity!

Blessings,

Teresa

PS – If you would like to watch me paint “Geisha Girl” in real-time so you can paint your own, you can do so by joining Kogut Studio Uncut. To learn more about it, go here.