If you have managed to not see dozens of Sketchbox ads in the last few months online… lucky you. I spend far too much of my time on social media so I’ve seen more than my share and in the end, when asked what I would like for Christmas, I told my partner I’d like a couple months of the Sketchbox subscription box to play with.
He didn’t know me well enough when I was still doing primarily 2D artwork and, for him, this was a surprising request. He didn’t understand why I wouldn’t just go buy new supplies at the craft store and get rolling. I explained that the appeal of a subscription box was that someone else had curated the supplies, put them together, and sent them out. I could sample something completely new or not recently tried with little stress.
February is my first box and it had Inktense pencils, something I’d only seen tried on clay, a type of watercolour pencil that dries as a permanent ink wash. There’s also a couple brush tip pens that don’t bleed and a little sample of paper. The pencils and markers can be used on fabric which is what my friend Laurie (the dollmaker behind Prairie Crocus Studio) immediately tried with success but I’ve mostly just doodled. It’s been ages since I sketched outside of work drafts.
I’ve never done watercolour outside of those cute little paint books you can get kids or the little disc paint boxes, also geared for kids. It’s been fun! If I continue on I’ll invest in a little better paper and brushes again. For now, we’re good.