In this blog post, I'm going to share a group of chibis that I recently created in January as a way to show supporters, and especially potential supporters, of my Patreon what a "chibi" actually is, since chibis are a big part of the rewards system there. I decided to draw two human chibis, one in physical media and one in digital, and two animal chibis the same way. I hope that the four chibis together will be enough to show the variety of subjects and finished looks that my supporters can choose from when they receive a chibi drawing as a reward.
Ink, marker, and colored pencil on index paper, 4x6", Completed January 2018
So this chibi is the first human, done in physical media. I used a photo of myself from a 5K race that I had run just the weekend before as reference. This drawing is pretty much all in line with the reference photo except that I changed the color of the mug I was holding (it was an awful neon green originally) and added a generous red tint to my hair and eyes. And well, of course I went really strong with the blush on the cheeks, just as I always do with chibi humans X3
Ink, marker, and colored pencil on index paper, 4x6", Completed January 2018
Next is the first animal, done in physical media. I decided to draw the Studio Mikarts mascot, Ranger, a black and red (as opposed to tan) Shiba Inu. I had only ever drawn her once before and I realized that not only was she a perfect subject for this series of chibis, featuring the artist and the mascot serving as examples of Studio Mikarts, it was a great opportunity to draw her with my current level of skill. I still like the original drawing of Ranger, but this one is definitely much more well done.
Manga Studio and Lazy Nezumi Pro, 4x6", Completed January 2018
This chibi is the second human, done in digital media. I used a reference photo of myself again but this time chose a completely different look. Instead of a sporty, post-race runner, now chibi Mika is a glamorous newlywed! Indeed, I used a photo from my wedding reception as reference for this chibi :3 My chibi dress turned out super cute, lol. I was able to use a lot of techniques here that really show what's different about what I produce in digital media.
Manga Studio and Lazy Nezumi Pro, 4x6", Completed January 2018
And finally, this chibi is the second animal, done in digital media. It's the Studio Mikarts mascot again, Ranger the black and red Shiba Inu! The two previous drawings I've done of her were both stationary positions so this time I searched for a really active, dynamic reference image. I think Ranger looks even better leaping! Shows off her pretty markings. In fact, I had to decide on her fur pattern in some areas while drawing this because the other positions never showed those areas of her body. The biggest thing I gave her in that respect was the cute skunk stripe on her tail :3
As I said at the top of this post, I created these chibis as reward examples for my Patreon supporters. That could easily include you! Every backer at the $5 level and above gets entered into a monthly contest for a free chibi character. Some higher support levels include discounts on art commissions (which obviously could be used toward chibis) and the top level includes a free chibi each and every month, on top of the chance to win the monthly contest! You can check it all out and become a member of Studio Mikarts here: https://www.patreon.com/studiomikarts
Happy Valentine's Day! It's a bit late, but I'm finally here with my unboxing and review of the February 2018 monthly ArtSnacks box! For anyone who doesn't know, ArtSnacks offers monthly blind boxes on several different subscription plans. These boxes always contain at least four (and often five or six or more) full-size, premium art supplies. This is the last box of my third year being subscribed to the service and I'm still not bored of it! Let's see what came in my box this month.
I love when ArtSnacks themes the boxes for the holidays!
I was really happy with my January box and the February box didn't disappoint either. Everything, again, was totally up my alley! Drawing and watercolor supplies--my favorites! Here's what was on the menu:
Sennelier French Artists' Watercolor [lemon yellow, titanium white]
Raphaël Mini Precision Brush, Flat Size 2
Faber-Castell Goldfaber Sketching Pencil 2H
Sakura Pigma Micron PN
BONUS: Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Paper Sample
Outside of the actual art supplies, my box also came with a little serving-size bag of Sweethearts and a Valentine's Day-themed ArtSnacks logo sticker. I still love that every box comes with these fun bonus items!
Test of both watercolor tubes and the brush.
Sennelier French Artists' Watercolor
Watercolor is one of my favorite media so I'm always happy to receive more in my ArtSnacks boxes. I was a bit disappointed to receive white this time, though. I so rarely use white since I work on white paper (and the sample paper that came in this box was white, as well!). White is good for mixing pastel shades and greys, so it's not a useless color, but I always unbox thinking first about how I can use all the supplies together for my ArtSnacks Challenge (a piece made using all of that month's supplies and nothing else). It was not easy to imagine using every item from this box effectively in the same piece. You can see, in the testing image above, how the white paint is virtually invisible on the white paper of my sketchbook. It shows up well on the yellow paint, though, which was what made it possible to complete my ArtSnacks Challenge successfully this month. As for the yellow paint, there's nothing much for me to say about it. It seems like a quality watercolor paint, plenty of pigment and no weird smell like some other brands.
Raphaël Mini Precision Brush
This brush is one of the shortest-handled brushes I have ever seen! I was skeptical at first glance, thinking it might be uncomfortable to use, but once I tried it out, it didn't really feel any different than other short-handled brushes. I could see someone with really large hands having trouble, but then again, such a person might have trouble with any short, thin handle. When I used this brush for my ArtSnacks Challenge, I found it worked really well, holding a lot of color, spreading it evenly, and it didn't lose its shape or any bristles. Based on the menu, it seems like all boxes contained the flat size 2 brush.
A little side story about paint brushes: Recently, I finished painting the interior of my house but we were in a rush to move out (I was painting it because I sold it) and the painting supplies all got packed before I was done. We went out and bought a couple of those cheap painting kits--the kind with a roller brush, paint pan, foam brushes, etc.--and most of the supplies were fine except the 2.5" brush that was included. It was SO cheap, so awful, I was barely able to paint anything. I threw it away as soon as I was done painting because it was already falling apart after only a couple hours of on-and-off use. I've never worked with such a cheap, useless brush, not for interior or fine art applications. I'm bringing this all up because it really made me appreciate how good even the worst of my large collection of artist brushes are. It especially made me think about the fact that I've never gotten a bad brush from an ArtSnacks box. I almost feel spoiled. It's so great to paint with quality supplies!
Pencil Test. The hard graphite doesn't show well in the photo.
Faber-Castell Goldfaber Sketching Pencil
Thanks to ArtSnacks, I will probably never need to buy another artist pencil again. I have so many now! But I'm never unhappy to receive another one :3 I've been particularly keen on harder pencils recently, since they are great for doing underdrawings which will eventually be erased (the harder the pencil, the easier to erase cleanly) so this 2H was quite welcome. I don't have anything in particular to say about it, it's a hard graphite core encased in wood, easy to hold and does its job. Can't really ask for more.
Micron PN test. Like most Microns, the ink is black.
Sakura Pigma Micron PN
Now this item REALLY intrigued me. I'm a longtime user of the Sakura Pigma line and until I received this pen, I thought I had already seen (and owned) every pen under the Pigma banner. I can't describe how excited I was to see something new from a familiar brand! The blue-green color for the "PIGMA" and "PN" printed on the body was so visually striking since I am very used to my other pens that have purple or red text, instead. I had no idea what "PN" could possibly stand for. This was the most excited I'd felt by an ArtSnacks item in quite a while! Instead of the thrill of an utterly new tool, it felt like the shock of a plot twist!
I finally turned to the menu to learn just what was up with this marvel. It turns out, "PN" stands for "plastic nib". I totally would not have guessed that, lol. The nib allows for a bit more range in line weight than the Microns I'm used to but it's otherwise the same as the rest of the line. The ink is water/alcohol proof when dry, which is the nicest thing about these pens and the reason I've used them for so long.
My ArtSnacks challenge!
I actually completed my ArtSnacks challenge for this month before writing this post, which is somewhat unusual, but not bad since I can include it here instead of making an additional post. The reason I got it done so soon was my Twitch livestreaming schedule. Every second Monday is ArtSnacks challenge day, so regardless of whether my unboxing post has been completed, I have to get my challenge piece done. Not only that, but it's done live on the Internet for anyone to watch! I started livestreaming in January but this was the first live ArtSnacks challenge I did. If you'd like to watch it, it's been uploaded to YouTube!
I drew a grey heron. I really like birds recently!
ArtSnacks is on a roll so far this year. They've had a great first two boxes (at least according to my tastes) and they've been teasing their birthday box for next month, so I'm hoping I'll be just as happy with that one. ArtSnacks' birthday is my subscription anniversary, so the March box will be the first box of my fourth year as an ArtSnacker!
Pencil shavings canister gets another sticker.
So, fellow subscribers, what did you think of the February box? Did you like what you got? Did you participate in the challenge? Non-subscribers, are there any questions about the items I got this time? Is there anything you'd like me to cover in my unboxing posts that I missed this time?
2018 marks my fourth year as a subscriber to the monthly ArtSnacks box, though my actual anniversary will be in March. Now that I think about it, March is also the birthday of ArtSnacks itself! That means I'm exactly one year behind, ha ha. Well, I'm still as happy as ever with my monthly delivery of surprise supplies; the novelty never wears off because there's always something new to discover! Here's what I received in my January box, the first box of 2018!
Pencil shavings canister.
I was really excited to see everything in my box this month. This year is starting off great! Drawing materials are my favorite thing because they're so accessible; you don't need anything more than a piece of paper to start using them. This month's supplies are neat because you can use them straight up dry or you can dilute the pigment with water for unique effects. Here's the full list of supplies:
Uni-Posca PCF-350 Brush Tip Paint Marker [red]
Marabu Graphix Aqua Pens [cool grey, bright blue]
Tombow Fudenosuke Soft Tip Brush Pen
Sakura SumoGrip Mechanical Pencil
Now let's go over the contents in detail and check this stuff out!
Uni-Posca PCF-350 Brush Tip Paint Marker
This is one of the most unique paint markers I've received to date. Not only does it have a brush tip (most tend to have chisel or bullet tips) it uses a clicker mechanism to deliver the paint, similar to a mechanical pencil. I'm happy I got red! The color is really vibrant and lays down thick and easy. The brush is soft and bristly so you can get a wide variety of marks out of it. Since the paint is water-based, I tried some water techniques but it didn't really do much. The paint dries SUPER fast, too fast to play with it on the page. Because of that, I really recommend keeping the cap on whenever the marker isn't in use so that the tip won't harden.
Marabu Graphix Aqua Pens
I got a very light cool grey and a bright blue color. The pens don't have color names or even numbers printed on them, so I don't know what colors I got officially (^^; The grey is SO light that it's barely perceptible on the page. Hopefully that means there is a range of greys available instead of just this one. In any case, I'm ALWAYS excited to try new watercolor supplies, especially markers and pens, a relatively new concept to me. These pens come with a fine tip and a brush tip, although both tips are quite firm, so you can't get all that much more variation in line weight from the brush end. Perhaps with use over time it will loosen up. Since these are watercolor pens, it almost goes without saying that water techniques worked wonderfully. I didn't try blending the two colors since the grey is so light it would just get lost, but I have a feeling that blending with other color pens would be super fun and satisfying.
Tombow Fudenosuke Soft Tip Brush Pen
Japanese black ink brush pens are my FAVORITE thing to get in my ArtSnacks boxes. Ever since they were first introduced, I find I am never disappointed in them and I therefore never get tired of trying new ones out. This particular pen has a really nice, unique, silky texture to the body. Just holding it is pleasant. It doesn't disappoint when writing and drawing, either. The tip is small but extremely flexible so you can produce a wide range of strokes with interesting variations in texture. Just press harder, move faster, tap at an angle--all kinds of marks are possible. It's just as good for writing a letter as it is for inking a picture.
Sakura SumoGrip Mechanical Pencil
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed using the SumoGrip pencil. After all, once you've tried so many mechanical pencils, it gets really hard to design anything that stands out. But Sakura did it here! First of all, this is one of the fattest mechanical pencils I've ever used. It's fat, but it's still quite light and the grip is soft, velvety, and shaped like a triangle, so its girth doesn't cause me any problems. In fact, this may be the most comfortable mechanical pencil I own. To top it all off, it has a twist-up eraser. The twist feature makes it easy to customize how you want to erase (if you make it longer, you can erase using the edge and get a thinner line) and it comes with plenty of eraser so you don't have to worry about buying replacements for a good while. I twisted it out to its fullest and measured to find it is at least one solid inch of rubber, and that was after I used it a couple times!
ArtSnacks Challenges!
I'm feeling really good about my year in art for 2018. I've got lots of well-made plans and goals and my intent is to take everything slow so I don't burn out or get overwhelmed. My ArtSnacks subscription is going to continue this year so you can look forward to my monthly reviews from here on out!
The second ArtSnacks box of 2017 is here and ready to be revealed! For those who don't know, ArtSnacks is a monthly blind box subscription for art supplies. They send out 4-5 full-sized art tools every month, often including sample sizes of other products on top of that, and the contents are a surprise until you open your box! I've been a subscriber for several years now and I'm still happy to open my box every month~ Let's see what I got this time!
Here's what's on the menu for February:
Pentalic Graphite & Charcoal Drawing Pencils Set
KRINK K-70 Permanent Ink Marker
Kuretake ZIG Clean Color FB
Stabilo Pen 68
Pentalic Graphite & Charcoal Drawing Pencils Set
It's always very impressive when I receive a complete drawing kit in my monthly ArtSnacks box. I mean, that's 6 full-sized items right there! I feel familiar with this Pentalic setup because I already received a similar drawing pencil set from a different ArtSnacks box, but this one is even better, for me. The set includes three hardenesses of pencil—HB, 2B, and 6B—one soft and one medium hardness charcoal pencil, and one white pastel pencil. I didn't realize until I actually started testing these tools that this set is perfect for my travel sketches; I always pack a white charcoal pencil, a black charcoal pencil, and a graphite pencil when I go somewhere I'd like to sketch with ease, like the zoo or an out-of-town vacation. Of course, to make proper use of the white pencil, I bring a tan or grey paged sketchbook, as well. That's what made me realize I could use this kit on-the-go: I started to sketch on white paper and had to switch to tan so I could really show off the set's potential.
Something else that makes this kit nice for travel is the metal case it comes in. The pencils are all cradled in a molded plastic rest with a thin sheet of foam providing cushioning from above. Basically, the tools are well protected and conveniently organized while in the case. Next time I go to the zoo, I may bring nothing but this set, instead of my travel pencil case, and my sketchbook. It'll be even easier to carry and manipulate! I'll have to remember to sharpen all the pencils first though, so they don't get dull too quickly while sketching (I could bring a sharpener but the point in this scenario is to bring as little as possible). Which reminds me, I was very impressed by how incredibly sharp the graphite pencils already were! Furthermore, the manufacturers sharpened the graphite pencils to a longer, thinner tip while the charcoal and pastel have shorter, wider tips. I feel that's a good detail for Pentalic to have considered; it shows they really think about what artists want.
KRINK K-70 Permanent Ink Marker
When I saw this, I immediately thought, "I already have one of these," and indeed I do, from a previous art supply box (can't remember if it was ArtSnacks or the defunct Pigment + Palette). I remembered so easily because I recently tried using the older one and found it disappointing. It was encouraging, therefore, to see the menu explain that this particular marker is the redesigned version, supposedly with better ink flow and a reversible tip. The tip is definitely reversible—one side is a large bullet while the other is a wide chisel—but I won't be switching again. Even being extra careful, I still stained multiple fingers with the ink. If I had rubber gloves or tweezers that I didn't mind inking up, perhaps I wouldn't have had a problem, but that's really too much for this one little thing. As it was, I hoped a paper towel folded over several times would be enough to protect me through the 5-second operation but, alas. I just don't think it's worth it to bother with flipping the tip around; I'd rather just buy two markers. Furthermore, after trying both tips, I still found the chisel to have the same issue as the original K-70 that I mentioned before: the ink does not flow evenly. I can't draw a wide line with the chisel tip that comes out as one solid mark. I was hoping the improvements would have fixed that. With a marker this big, the only thing I'd really want to use it for is filling in large areas with black but the spotty delivery of the chisel tip means I'd spend just as much time filling in as if I used a smaller marker.
At least the bullet tip works well. Now I have one marker with a chisel (the older one) and one with a bullet (because I don't want to bother with the mess of switching) so the upside is I ended up with two different tools :3
Kuretake ZIG Clean Color FB
I already have a few Clean Color markers from previous subscription boxes (I even have the same exact color, carmine red, in the Clean Color F series!) but this is the first time I've received one from the FB line. (The menu means it when it says "New Product" because I couldn't even find it listed on Amazon!) FB stands for "fiber brush" and I found it to be quite a firm one. You really have to lean into it to get thick lines, but it does a lovely transition from hair thin to reasonably thick. Using the side of the tip also works great for filling in, it's the best way to get big fat marks out of this tool. Since the ink is water-based, I tried a few techniques with my water brush. First I used the water to spread a big patch of ink. It went quite far which shows this ink is very pigmented. The vibrant pink color it thinned out to is beautiful, also. The next thing I tried was wetting a section of paper then writing on it with the marker. It made pretty cool effects but it really drained the tip of color. My next experiment further drained it: I wet a section of paper, drew in it, then dripped more water onto that ink. It produced a really beautiful, even, feathered patch of color but with how much it drained the tip, I wouldn't want to use the marker like that all the time. I had to press the tip into a paper towel until the color properly returned so I could continue with my final test. I drew a patch of ink on the page then dripped lots of water onto it and gently swirled the page. The result was another cool effect: an organic blob with more deeply hued edges. The only problem with this technique is that it takes forever for the water to dry up.
Stabilo Pen 68
The final item in my February box was the Stabilo Pen 68 and I received two colors, a purple defined only by the number 55 and a green numbered 43. I love when ArtSnacks sends more than one color of the same product because the color can often make a big difference in first impressions. For instance, the green and purple I received both laid down very vibrant, solid lines and, aside from the purple being darker, didn't seem too different. But when I used a water brush to test out the water-based ink, they revealed their distinct properties. The green became very transparent, more easily blending away the original lines, and was quickly brushed out to clear. The purple, on the other hand, remained fairly opaque when the same amount of water was applied, left the original lines mostly intact, and obviously would have required a lot more water and paper to be brushed out to clear. This doesn't mean one color is better than the other, just that they have variations which might need to be taken into account. Receiving two colors and seeing the differences also gives a better idea of what one might get if they decided to invest in more of the product. Differences aside, both of my Pen 68's created beautiful, even lines and I think this marker collection would do really well with stippling techniques because the firm tips create dots that are generally always the same size and shape.
Goodies & Bonuses
As always, ArtSnacks includes a few extras in each monthly box. I received the all-important menu, which explains what each item is and also has a goofy art riddle that makes me snerk every time (the menu was tinted pink this month for Valentine's Day 💘), a sticker featuring the cute ArtSnacks logo (my beau always calls my subscription "your ArtPretzels" because of the logo XD), and a little bag of Sweethearts candies, which I ate up before I even finished my first draft of this blog~
This was a really generous ArtSnacks box! Not only did we receive a tin with six full-sized drawing utensils, there were three other types of art supplies in four different colors! Maybe the ArtSnacks folks were just trying to show how much they love us. We love you, too, ArtSnacks! Happy Valentine's Day!
The folks at ArtSnacks helped get 2017 started on the right foot with the interesting, fun supplies they included in the January box. There were four different types of item--marker, paint, pencil, brush--but a total of five items thanks to the inclusion of two different paint colors. I'm here to share my unboxing with you, so let's check this stuff out!
Here's what's on the menu for January:
Kuretake ZIG Art & Graphic Twin RB+F Marker
GOLDEN High Flow Acrylic Paints
Princeton Snap! Series Paintbrush
Koh-I-Noor Magnum Black Star HB Graphite Pencil
Kuretake ZIG Art & Graphic Twin RB+F Marker
I've now been introduced to so many ZIG tools throughout my years with ArtSnacks that I'm always happy to receive their products because they're always good. This marker's title is long but aptly describes it. “Art & Graphic” is self-explanatory, “Twin" indicates that it has a different tip on either end, and "RB+F" describes those tips: real brush and fine. The marker uses water-based dye ink and the 037 Persian Blue color I received is quite beautiful. I found that the brush tip laid down color fairly evenly when used with a light hand and produced an interesting dry brush texture as I pressed harder. I didn't test it, but I think dipping the tip in water would allow it to create large lines without the dry texture, perhaps making it useful for filling in relatively large areas with color. The fine tip, on the other hand, gave me a steady line that didn't waver in thickness. Since the ink is water-based, I ran a water brush over marks made with both tips as well as running the marker tip over a damp section of paper. All of these tests produced different, cool effects that would be useful in artwork, especially if the artist knew what look they wanted to achieve ahead of time (or was simply making an experimental piece).
GOLDEN High Flow Acrylic Paints
I was surprised to find two full bottles of the GOLDEN paints in my box and was pleased to read on the Menu that it wasn't a mistake. How generous and fun to send us two different colors to play with! I received two fluorescent colors: green and chartreuse (yellow, to my eyes). These paints come in squeeze bottles (be sure to remove the protective seal under the cap before squeezing or you might end up with an explosive mess on your hands, literally) so they can be used straight from the nozzle or poured out for use in everything from refillable markers to airbrushes. For my part, I tried them straight from the bottle, with a dip pen and with the Princeton Snap! brush and water. The paints performed admirably in all applications and my colors in particular looked really cool swirled together with water on a blank watercolor postcard (pics at the bottom of the post!). The only problem I encountered was when digitizing the dried postcard: it took a good deal of color adjustment to get the digital copy to read well. I'm sure it was an issue caused by the bright hues and not by the paint in general.
Princeton Snap! Series Paintbrush
I don't have many filbert brushes and I didn't have any in size 4 so I was happy to receive this one. In the days I spent testing it out on various little projects, I've washed it many times, sometimes quite roughly, but haven't had a single bristle fall out. To me that's an indication of a well-made piece of equipment. Aside from the bristles, I think the attractive finish on the handle is further evidence of the brush's quality: at the right angle, it's possible to see a shadow cast on the wood by the letters printed on top of the clear varnish. That kind of detail is so satisfying! In action, I could find nothing to complain about with this Snap! brush; the bristles held a reasonable amount of pigment and laid it down evenly and smoothly. The filbert shape allowed me to create both wide blots and relatively thin lines, making this tool useful for multiple applications.
Koh-I-Noor Magnum Black Star HB Graphite Pencil
It's hard to get too excited about any graphite pencil but this Koh-I-Noor has proven to be a satisfactory example, gliding smoothly across the page, stippling, lining, and shading with ease. The latter is probably this particular pencil's forte, since it's much fatter than your average drawing pencil. The chubby body also makes the Magnum very comfortable to use. The only drawback here is that the large size requires a larger sharpener (or the more risky knife-sharpening method) which luckily is not an issue for me, thanks to the wide variety of sharpeners I've obtained from previous ArtSnacks boxes over the years.
Goodies & Bonuses
As with every monthly ArtSnacks box, this one included some extras: the Menu, a list of all the tools and their descriptions (plus a wonderfully cheesy art riddle); an information pamphlet from GOLDEN about the High Flow line of paints; an ArtSnacks sticker (my pencil shavings jar is getting prettier by the month!); and a yummy Life Savers candy :3 I don't know if I've ever said, but I am always pleased to receive an actual snack with my ArtSnacks~ I'm glad they send one every time!
I made a colorful mess!
Overall, January was a solid box, a great start for a fresh new year. I think my favorite item was the Art & Graphic Twin RB+F marker. I just love art markers, so I'm always excited to try new ones. The RB+F didn't disappoint and the color I received was beautiful, so it's a welcome addition to my collection. I was surprised how much I liked the High Flow Acrylics, too. I'm not a fan of acrylic paint in general, but the fact that these can be used with dip pens means they're not just acrylic paints for me. I rarely paint with acrylic but I use dip pens all the time. I'll remember these next time I want some trippy fluorescent linework. Heck, even the Snap! brush and Magnum pencil from this box, though basic, are still welcome additions to my supply horde. Who can't use an extra brush or pencil?
This was a really fun experiment~
I'm looking forward to what ArtSnacks will bring me throughout this year. If you received this month's box, let me know what you got and what you thought of it! Also, feel free to send me any questions about this box or its contents, I'd be happy to clarify anything I didn't already cover. Finally, if you did an ArtSnacks Challenge with the January 2017 supplies, link it in the comments so I can check it out!
I mailed the finished postcard to my good friend, Sarah.
This poor ArtSnacks box has been so neglected. I opened it right away (I ate the candy right away, too!) and I've used many of the supplies several times now, but when it came to sharing my unboxing, I was severely delayed by my Studio Collection unboxing and review. I didn't even have time to create an ArtSnacks Challenge with these items (not the first time that's happened, unfortunately) but I hope you'll enjoy this post despite its tardiness; the December ArtSnacks box came with some fun and useful stuff!
The December box was very festive! ArtSnacks' usual neon green tissue paper looks so Christmassy alongside the little peppermint stick and other red items~ Christmas is my favorite time of year, so I began to love this box the moment I looked inside. I couldn't wait to eat that peppermint stick!
I'm actually a bit sad to have neglected this box; all the items here are a drawing-artist's dream! Drawing is my favorite and most accessible way to create art so all the supplies in this box are great for me. Maybe I'll do a super-late ArtSnacks Challenge with them, just to make sure they get their fair share of attention. It seems a shame not to, with a box so perfectly matched to my tastes.
Here's what came in my December box [specific attributes in brackets]:
Pentalic Drawing Pencils, 6 Degree Set
Faber-Castel Colored Art Eraser (i.e. Kneaded Eraser) [red]
Uni POSCA Paint Marker [black]
Prismacolor Premier Illustration Marker [01, fine line, black]
This first item, the Pentalic drawing pencil set, is the only thing from this box I haven't used properly. I've done some scribbles to demonstrate the pencils' general capabilities but I haven't actually created a drawing with them yet. (Just another reason to do a late ArtSnacks Challenge!) Despite this, I'm already very happy with this pencil set.
For one, the tin case is awesome. It's hinged (so I won't misplace the lid!), made of stiff metal that'll withstand most bumps and scrapes, with grooves in the bottom for each pencil to rest in, and a layer of padding on the lid to protect the contents. This would be a great item to take traveling--on a daily commute, a trip the park, even camping or hiking--it's slim enough to fit in a pocket and study enough to keep the pencils safe.
On top of that, receiving a matching, balanced, and well-ranged set of six (pre-sharpened!) pencils is very impressive! Most art subscription boxes I've received feature just one pencil from a certain brand or line, maybe two or three if they're colored or otherwise significantly different, but this is the first time I've received a full set like this. It's less like an art snack and more like an art appetizer!
In the photo above, I went through some basic pencilling techniques with each hardness. I hope it presents a general idea of what the pencils are capable of. During that brief demo, I didn't notice any glaring problems; smooth, consistent, responsive, and comfortable, these tools behaved just as well as any other artist-quality pencil I've ever tried.
I suppose this next item, the Faber-Castell kneaded eraser, also hasn't been used as fully as it might. Unlike the pencil set, however, this isn't something that needs extensive testing to determine whether it performs well or not. I'll definitely use it if I do a late ArtSnacks Challenge, but I'm not going out of my way to make sure it receives a lot of immediate use.
All I really had to do in order to evaluate this eraser was feel the kneaded texture and see how well it removed graphite from the page. The texture was good. Easy to mold, soft, but not stringy or overly dry. I was able to form the eraser without trouble and it kept its shape as well as can be expected. The erasing capabilities were also good. For my test, I pulled up a line of graphite from each of the demo scribbles I had previously done with the pencils. Even on the dark 8B, the eraser was able to clean up quite well.
What really sets this Faber-Castell kneaded eraser apart is its pretty red color and the handy storage case. The color is, of course, just a visual bonus. It doesn't affect the item's performance, but it's still really fun! Sure, it'll eventually be dulled when it's full of graphite and charcoal, but I think even then it'll appear more cheerful than the typical lifeless grey of your standard kneaded eraser. (I wonder if everyone got red or if I just lucked out in receiving my favorite color...)
Unlike the coloration, the storage case is a much more tangible advantage for this product. The biggest problem I have with kneaded erasers is they dry out over time, becoming more and more difficult to manipulate. This is especially frustrating when warming up an eraser that hasn't been used for a while. Of course, the material the eraser picks up as it's used probably contributes to its eventual stiff demise, but at least having a case to slow moisture loss will allow the eraser to last longer than it might otherwise.
The Posca paint marker has so far proven to be a relatively unique item in its category. Most paint markers I've used come with huge tips that only make them useful for larger drawings and filling in broad areas. The Posca, on the other hand, has a lovely small tip that lines almost like a felt-tip pen.
Aside from the uniquely small tip, I'm also pleased with this marker's visual design. The body is chunky and squat, with a matching cap and useful information printed clearly and cheerfully all around. It's very cute to look at and satisfying to hold.
Unfortunately, despite the marker's visual and physical appeal, it has some conspicuous problems. As you can see in the images above, the paint delivery is not particularly reliable. When I first primed the tip, a sizable drip of paint plopped out without warning. At first I thought this was just a 'new marker problem', that perhaps I shook or pumped the marker too much before its first use, but the marker again delivered too much paint the second time I used it (a few days later). Thankfully, once the initial overflow of paint is used up, perhaps on a scrap paper, the delivery evens out, but there is a second issue that isn't as easily avoided.
In the upper-right image (click to enlarge) the curly-cue and Xs are riddled with tiny paint splatters ("Eeek..." is my initial reaction to this unexpected event!). This happened simply as I was pulling the marker tip across the page. This paper isn't particularly toothy, so I can only conclude something about the marker itself causes this to happen. I hoped this was a kink that could be worked out as the marker got broken in, but, after a flawless second attempt, it started spattering paint again during its third use. It seems the only way to avoid this issue is to draw very slowly and lightly, but that's not easy to always remember or follow through on, nor is it a very reasonable expectation for a tool like this anyway.
At least I can praise the paint itself. I really love the thick texture and subtle shine when it dries.
The last item I received in the December 2014 ArtSnacks box is a Prismacolor Illustration Marker. The menu describes three tip types--I got a fine liner--but I'm not sure if colors other than black were sent out. If you got a different color, let me know!
I've only tested this marker (really, in my mind this is a pen, but I'll try to go with the product's official description) on its own. Since I haven't used it in conjunction with anything else (e.g. Copic markers, watercolor) I can't say whether or not it plays well with others. By itself, it seems to be a fairly standard, reliable tool with a nice dark ink that is smoothly and consistently delivered. In that respect, it quite reminds me of my go-to inking pens (Sakura Pigma). I'll be interested to see if this Illustration Marker does well with my Copic markers; if so, I could consider it further when it comes time to buy more inking pens, especially if the price is right.
Here's a bonus photo. This is the Aquabee Co-Mo Sketch Pad, which I received in the 2014 Studio Collection, but the sticker is from this ArtSnacks box. I've always liked to put stickers on my sketchbooks but it's even better when I can use my ArtSnacks stickers to label my ArtSnacks paper pads!
And there we have the last ArtSnacks box of 2014! Only a month or two late, ha ha ha. Let me know if you have any questions about the tools featured here. If I don't know the answer off-hand, I can always experiment or research to find out! For those of you who also got the December box, let me know if yours was different and what you think of the products you received!
