I know I said no more subscription boxes (maybe I only said it to myself... but I did say it!), BUT after I watched other people online opening the last two Paletteful boxes, I KNEW I had to give it a try! I mean, first they got Golden acrylics and THEN they got Daniel Smith watercolors?!?!? The value in these boxes was INSANE, so I had to try it.
Well. I have to say that this box was.... underwhelming at best. Let me be clear, the items in the box are good items, but the value was just not there for me. Let me go through each item and explain in further detail.
Here's the items and the swatch card, and then explanations of each item and my feelings.
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| Swatches |
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| Back of Swatch Page |
Tombow Dual Brush Markers - 3 Green Shades
I love Tombow brush markers. These were the best part of the box for me. We got three different green shades and while that was nice, 2 of them were greens I already have and I only own like 15 Tombow brush markers. That isn't Paletteful's fault but it would have been nice to get something I didn't already have. I also would have enjoyed at least 2 more Tombow brush pens, maybe a neutral brown or gray and a complementary color like Pink or Orange.
Denik Sketchbook
This sketchbook was, just ok. The artwork is beautiful, and I do really like that it was customized by Alice, whose artwork is always fantastic. The paper wasn't great. It was thin, and did not hold up very well to the brush markers. Brush markers are water-based, and so when I tested them with water the paper didn't hold up at all. There was pilling and warping and bleeding through. This isn't that big of a deal, but I would have preferred them to use Mixed Media paper that held up to the wet brush pens a bit better. I know this is pricier, but they *could* have done that if they hadn't blown all their money on the final item in the box. I also feel that at $11.99 this book is overpriced. I have an Artists Loft sketchbook that is hardbound that I paid $7 for with paper that held up better than this sketchbook.
Sakura Micron Pens - Exclusive 100th Anniversary Set of 10
Before I go on my rant here, I want to start by saying that I LOVE Micron Pens. I love them and own a ton of them. THAT BEING SAID....
1. A 10 pack of the same black fineliners, simply in different sizes, is too many. At most, 5 of the varied nibs will allow you to make a beautiful and richly lined pen piece in my opinion.
2. These were an *exclusive* item, and the MSRP given was $35.99. Now, they are pretty. But they are the same EXACT fineliners that I can get in a normal barrel on Amazon for $17. For something that performs the exact same way as something half the price, this mark-up of "expected value" is ridiculous. I do NOT pay for an art subscription to get a fancy looking version of something much cheaper that does the EXACT same thing.
3. The high MSRP on these *exclusive* pens prevented the box from having other colors of Tombow brush pens, or a pencil (more on that later), or any kind of highlight/white medium.
4. The petite box, which is cheaper, recieved a BLACKWING PENCIL. This actually made me upset. I paid for the bigger box and my assumption was that I would get all that the smaller box had to offer and more. The petite box got a smaller sketchbook, the same three Tombow pens, only 5 Microns, and a blackwing pencil. I would have paid $35 for those supplies and honestly felt way better about it than what I did get.
The bottom line, will I use these pens? Of course, but I'm pretty ticked that this is the bulk of what I paid for this month. Getting an art supply that I don't normally use or that is different is totally fine and never disappointing, but paying money because someone slapped an "exclusive anniversary" label on a set of pens is very frustrating. Especially for something as common as fineliners, which most people that buy art boxes get ALL the time. This was a huge let down for me.
Ok onto the art: When I saw the cover of the notebook, I knew I was probably going to draw succulents. You guys know I'm a sucker for succulents.... hahahaha. The paper did ok on this drawing but I definitely had to watch for pilling. I also only used 5 micron pens to prove the point that 5 is the most you would need.
I still ended up making a nice piece of art with the products in the box. As I said before, I will definitely use all of these art supplies, but if I had bought them on my own I would have paid closer to $32, and this box actually cost me more than that. I know a lot of people did really like this box, but for me the point of an art subscription box is to get new, fun things to try in new ways. These were very basic items that were given a huge markup for being exclusives, which is not at all what I'm about.
All of that being said, I'm going to stick with Paletteful Packs for another month. I know they normally jam pack their boxes full of fun and value, so I'm going to give them another chance.
Did you get this box? If so, what were your thoughts? What are your thoughts on exclusive items?
