#MTepicgiveaway (CLOSED!)

Hey everyone! Like I have announced over on my social hang outs, I have been working on an epic giveaway for you guys as gratitude for your support in my creative journey. I have gathered so many wonderful goodies for you which includes a TON of my favorite products which you can see below.

This giveaway package will include:

Dina Wakley white Gesso

Liquitex Muted collection heavy body paint in Rose

Cloves and Honey LE Dr. Girlfriend shimmering watercolor

Cuttlebug embossing folders

3 Andy Skinner Mixed Media Stencils

Dovecraft rubbertamp pigment ink cacao

Dovecraft alphabet stamp set

Aurelie tulip clear stamp set

Joy crafts poppy clear stamp

Steadtler micron drawing pens

Sakura Gelly roll sampler pack

Tombow Dual Brush Pens sampler

Caran 'd ache Suracolor Discovery set

and more...

Some close up pictures

YES! ONE lucky person will receive all of this yummy goodness!

What do you need to do to enter this giveaway?

1) Follow @MissThundercat on instagram

2) Repost the giveaway picture

3) Make sure to use hashtag #MTepicgiveaway AND have an open account but no giveaway accounts! (yes it is open Internationally!)

Steps 4 and 5 are for additional entries

4) Follow my Facebook page and my blog and comment on both giveaway posts

5) Repost the giveaway picture on Facebook/Twitter and comment here with the link to the repost (tagging me on twitter is also an option)

The giveaway is open until September 8th midnight CET and the winner will be chosen at random via Random.org, will be announced in the weekend after the giveaway is closed 

The winnings will be shipped shortly after. 

Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored or administrated by blogger/instagram/facebook or twitter. These are items I have purchased myself and are new or only used for review purposes.

Good luck Thank you all again for your support in my creative journey! 

Shopping Highlight: Kowalski and Gotham Comics in Valencia

This March we've been to Valencia for a week and I wanted to share some highlights with you of shops and places I loved. A note to start off: Valencia is a wonderful and relaxed city, but be aware that the Falles festivities (including ear deafening fireworks!) start from the beginning of March and end on the 19th. While we loved seeing all the wonderful Falles works every neighborhood made, the fireworks was not something I particularly enjoyed. It wasn't a 4th of july, or NYE sparkle show either, it was more a bombardment of firecrackers which were LOUD and SCARY. Honestly, we felt terrified and wished we booked a week later! Never the less, it was a beautiful city, was amazing to see all the Fallas works and definitely an experience to have been there during that time. 

Let's start with one of my fave aria's in the city and that is Russafa (or Ruzafa) which is a popular aria among young creatives. There are several streets on which you can find some amazing fun stores and in the Carrier Dénia on number 20 you will find Kowalski; Cusas Bellas Artes ATC. It's a gallery/arts supply/ vintage/books and shoes store. Now, that is putting the ETC. to work! Eclectic assortment in a small space and definitely worth the visit! 

Storefront during night fall. I love that the shops are open until late :)

This friendly lady gives you a warm welcome at the door.  

The store is packed full with art supplies, art work for sale, shoes, books and vintage items.

So much to see in such a small place! I could have spent days there and yes I did return there 3 times, much to the owner's amusement and delight :)

They also had a whole array of sennelier watercolor tubes and acrylics

And I found a great watercolor set my lovely husband gave to me for my birthday (I was in the store on my birthday actually a month ago now and it was like being a kid in a candy store!)

I put the paints in a Koi pocket watercolor travel set of which I took the pans out. I wasn't enjoying those at all so it was time to upgrade! I am loving these sennelier paints very much!

Back to Valencia in Ruzafa, Gotham Comics was also definitely worth the visit since they are the only comic show we encountered which sold comics in English as well! That was the reason my husband went to the store, me... well I found a different reason...

and his name is Sami. And he is a sweetheart!

This cute black cat greets everyone at the door with a friendly miauw and he certainly stole my heart! 

He came for pets and snuggles every time we visited!

His owner wasn't too amused Sami kept bothering us while shopping so he was told off, but we know he was just making sure we felt welcome in the store :)

Thanks Sami for helping me through Cat-withdrawal symptoms while in Valencia!

When you're in the aria have a drink at Café Berlin, and see here for more shopping tips in the aria. GNOMO is an awesome store with hand made items and illustrations as well.  

Next week I'll share some of my fave stationery stores in Valencia. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Easter weekend!

Shopping Highlight: Art Specially 2017

Well as I hinted last Friday, last weekend was spent at the wonderful Art Specially event in Nijkerk. My lovely husband came with me (both days) to share in the crazy fun and also to make sure I didn't spend too much. Well the latter spectacularly failed, haha! But we definitely had crazy fun!

There were a lot of workshops/make and takes were offered this year again but we only had time for a selection. Also there were lines for the very popular workshops, like the notebook decoration by Papillon Hobby. We sat in line for 1 1/2 hours for that one. It's good to have a buddy with you so you can take turns in waiting. It was well worth the wait and fun to use a new to me product; Cadence brands wax, stencils and media. We also had workshops with Dylusions paints (dress card), paper artsy and infusions powders on gelli plate (the Happy cards), Dina Wakley paints (the house tags), Distress ink layering (swirl tag) and dual emboss resist technique (the happy day card). 

On the left works I made and on the right the works my husband made. He got a lot of fun comments on being one of the few guys there attending the workshops :) I learned a lot these two days and I can't wait to implement some of these fun techniques in my own works. And I learned a great way to customize my Rhodia/Leuchtturm notebook!

The trends/pushed products on the event this year were: Distress Oxides, Cadence products (seriously almost every stand was pushing this new brand!), Pan Pastel, alcohol ink on yupo and gilding wax/faux metallic effects. I managed to resist buying a few of these pushed products, like the gilding wax, but also came home with a great deal of other things. 

Well... like I said, not spending too much has spectacularly failed this year! So happy this is just a yearly event! I had pre-ordered the Distress Oxides and saw Corrie Herriman live doing a demo with them at Hobby Compleet de Duif stand. I'm really excited to give them a whirl! I also pre-ordered the Lindy's magical shakers and am very happy to have found the Scribble Sticks. I'll to a comparison of both those products with similar products because I am curious on the differences between them. Will of course share my findings with you. All the paints and deco arts media were on sale and well since I love a good sale and wanted to have the dylusions paints for a while, so I went for it! A bit light on the stamps this year around, but that´s because I had my eye on different media to try out. You gotta make choices somewhere right? ;)

My husband also made some purchases and went for a set of ZIG's Clean color brush set

Got a set (and some extra) Zig Clean color real brushes at the Artspecially crafty market last weekend. To learn a bit more about blending, color and this whole, "coloring" business because they just seemed so accessible. My first real "attempt" at using them in the corner and little Meesha giving her (dis)aproval 😅.

Een bericht gedeeld door Blaze8t88 (@cornelius.grayl) op 5 Apr 2017 om 2:23 PDT

and I love that he is trying out this new to him medium :)

I am looking forward to use my goodies this weekend.
Have a great one you all and thanks for stopping by :)

Art Snacks subscription update/review

So I have mentioned that even though I have received my Art Snack subscription boxes from the past 3 months I still have not had the chance to review them. But I wanted to at least show you the content of the boxes received and tell you about what I think about the products, some of which I have used already. 

In the december 2016 box we have the following items (taken from the artsnacks site):

Caran d'Ache Discovery Set

The Caran d’Ache Discovery Set is not sold on its own - but this month, ArtSnackers get special access to this exclusive set! It includes five colored pencils and one Full Blender Bright, an oil-wax medium used for blending and burnishing. Use it right out of the box, or sharpen it and try blending with a point. The bright, soft colored pencils are also water soluble; just use a wet brush to create a watercolor wash effect. 

Magnesium Long Point Sharpener by KUM

It’s important to get a sharp point on your pencil to get maximum control and performance. The Magnesium Long Point Sharpener by KUM (pronounced “KOOM”) shaves off wood while also shaping the graphite core, all in one motion. This small, lightweight sharpener is a great addition to your art studio or travel art kit. 

Higgins Black Magic Ink Pump Marker

The Higgins Black Magic Ink Pump Marker lays down artist ink with ease and control. Black Magic, this brand’s darkest ink, dries to a matte finish. The 1mm nib delivers a bold, thick line. Give this marker a good shake before using. 

Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner Marker Pen

The Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner Marker Pen is made to last. The pen tip is encased in metal to extend pen life, and this pen won’t quickly dry out if the cap is left off, thanks to specially formulated ink. Stabilo produces this pen in 20 vibrant colors.

My fave item was the Caran d'Ache watercolor pencils set. I have used it for the Heart Collector mailart envelopes. They blend very nicely with water. Surprised to see there is a full bright blender included in a watercolor set though. I would have thought a brush would be more fitting. But the blender is superb, as I already tried one of those. I already know the stabilo fine liner, fun to have it in my fave color though! And I am very curious to see how the Higgins Black magic Ink marker will perform on my mixed media projects.

The January 2017 box contained these items: 

Art & Graphic Twin RB+F by ZIG

ZIG has re-mastered their most notable double-ended marker into a totally new one that hasn’t hit stores yet: introducing the Art & Graphic Twin RB+F by Zig! The “RB” stands for “real brush,” because one side of this marker has an actual brush tip. The opposite side has a thin 0.8mm felt tip, or “F” for short. The ink in this marker is water-based, so you can dip the brush tip end into water to achieve a greater watercolor effect.

GOLDEN High Flow Acrylic Paints

This prestigious brand is the leader in high-quality paints. We’ve packed your box with 2 bold colors for a colorful GOLDEN experience. The GOLDEN High Flow Acrylic Paints act like ink when wet, but dry like acrylic paint–making them fluid enough to be used with dip pens, brushes, or empty pump markers. Once dry, High Flow paint will not bleed or reactivate with water. The High Flow line has 49 colors and is compatible with many of GOLDEN’s gels and mediums. Please note: Before using these paints, unscrew the cap and pull off the protective white seal.

Koh-I-Noor Magnum Black Star Pencil

Kick off the New Year with the soft and smooth Koh-I-Noor Magnum Black Star Pencil. Produced in the Czech Republic, this oversized pencil adds some darker tones to your sketches and illustrations. If you’re looking to tune up your shading technique, we recommend practicing with this comfortable, fat-bodied pencil.

Snap! Series Paintbrushes by Princeton Brush

Oh SNAP! (We could say that all day.) We’re excited to have the SNAP! Series Paintbrushes by Princeton Brush in this month’s box. This versatile brush comes in an assortment of sizes and shapes, including round, fan, flat shader, and bright shader. The synthetic hair tip will guide your paint evenly. To clean, use mild soap and water, then reshape the bristles into place. Afterwards, stand it upright on the handle to dry.

I am really excited to work with Golden High Flow acrylics. The fluorescent colors in chartreuse and blue are really fun colors. The princeton brush does snap nicely! I have used it several times for watercolor cards and love that I got a small round brush which a fave to use. The pencil has an interesting shape and size, which you can get nice thick lines with. Another ZIG product in the box. I do like it, the brush is bouncier than the Clean Color one and having a fine tip for detail coloring or underlining lettering is definitely handy.

On to February's (2017) box the sweet edition.

Pentalic Drawing Set

ArtSnacks subscribers get to try the new Pentalic Drawing Set before anyone else! While many sets on the market only include one medium, this set of six pencils features a mix of graphite, charcoal, and pastel. Using only this set, you can build from underdraw- ing to midtones to shadows to highlights. From the smooth feel of the soft charcoal pencil to the rich darks of the 6B, this set is the total package. 

K-70 Permanent Ink Marker by KRINK

KRINK’s K-70 Permanent Ink Marker is better than ever! In this upgraded version of the marker, not only is ink flow smoother and cleaner, but the tip is now reversible. Just remove and flip it to switch from a bullet to a chisel design, and see the variety of fine and heavy lines that this versatile tool can create. 

ZIG Clean Color FB

Similar to the KRINK marker in this month’s box, the ZIG Clean Color FB is a fresh take on a favorite tool. This marker – a new product in the Clean Color family – features the same highly blend-able, water-soluble ink as the Clean Color Real Brush, but it has a new, firmer fiber brush nib (“FB” for short). Try using a watercolor brush to wash and blend this ink on the page to achieve a softer effect. 

Stabilo Pen 68

Another pop of color in your box this month comes from the Stabilo Pen 68. The shape of this pen is similar to your everyday pencil, giving you a comfortable drawing experience.

The premium fiber bullet-tip on the Pen 68 holds odorless, water-based ink and will create a perfectly even ink application on smooth surfaces. 

Well the candies were pretty sweet for sure but was a bit disappointed that there was yet another ZIG and Stabilo items in the box. Though I do have all the brushes in the ZIG line now with help via the box so I can compare them better and see which one has my preference. I should definitely do that in a separate post! The Krink is a great addition to my black paint markers for Mixed Media! And I am quite in love with the Pentalic pencils set.

Everything you need to get started to draw with graphite and charcoal pencils. When I as in high school I used to draw a lot and these got me itching to do so again. I think that is the whole purpose of these boxes, to get you to start something or pick up an old creative habit you have lost along the way. 

So the verdict is that I am still very much enjoying the subscription and will continue! Am very much looking forward to the march box, which is not only their birthday month, but mine as well (on the 14th :) so I am excited what kind of goodies they will have for this month.

Also while I haven't done the review style like I did with the other boxes, I still hope this was still useful to you if you're considering signing up for Art Snacks. If you have also subscribed, let me know what you think of the content.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

WIP: A wink of sparkle

It's always really wonderful to try out new craft supplies and discovering something you really like. A while back I picked up a clear Wink Of Stella brush pen by kuretake at a local retailer and I was curious about the effect it could give to my work. Chose to work with this particular stamp as it's a recent addition. I love this Sweetpea stamp a lot! How cute is this girl, those eyes and the kitty!! It's about ATC size (most of their stamps are) and fit wonderfully in a 9 pocket protector or ATC sleeve. I colored her in with pro markers on neenah classic crest paper. 

Errr... yeah I might have gone overboard with the purchase (disclosure, these were all 50% off on retail price at a holiday sale at an online store ) but one can not have too much sparkle in one's life, right? I'm also very curious to try out the spectrum noir brush pens and how they compare to wink of stella. I found a very useful review HERE by Sprinkled with Glitter if you are interested in the difference yourself. The Dina Wakely Mica Spray has been on my wishlist for a while, glad to finally have them to play with. 

So here you see her with the added sparkle. I used it to accentuate some streaks in the girl's hair and eyes and I love it! It's easy to work with and just lightly applied, so much shimmer can come off it. The brush is bouncy and smooth and the sparkle really sparkles! It's a fine glitter and it stays on the page quite well even when dry. I'm a fan! The dots are done with a white gel pen, the one I received in the ArtSnacks October box. Talking about the Artsnacks boxes, I'm like 3 months behind with a show and tell/review. Ugh, so much to do and so little time... Hope to do those eventually!

By the way, I'm sad that the SweetPea Stamp company discontinued to make stamps, so if you find any of them out there which you like, grab them up for sure!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Art Snacks November 2016 Box

It took a week longer to arrive than the last two boxes and therefore this review is up a bit later because I could not find the proper time to test it until recently. But when I did. wow this month's box  is a great one with a lot of fun items to try out!

The content of the art snacks box of november contained not 4 but 5 items. The bonus item being the Stonehenge water color paper pad you see on the left, which I am very pleased with. In fact, I am pleased with the whole box! The other items are; plumchester brush pen in black, the Molotown aqua pump softliner in brown, pentel sign pen in green and the mixed media art spray in bordeaux/burgundy. Read more about the products on the artsnacks page HERE.

My first test was just trying out the pens and spray in my Nuuna test notebook to see the colors and how the pens write. The Molotow is refillable which is nice and it is definitely a soft brush. The plumchester is an Art Snacks exclusive as they are developing their own line of art supplies. I find this brush works best on smoother paper to get even writing from it. The pentel sign pen is an oldie but goodie! I used them back in highschool, which is like ... no let's not go there, but sooo many years ago now. The spray creates a nice spatter effect and dries up a nice bordeaux color. Time to test it out on the Stonehenge paper!

I took one of my fave stencils at the moment, the  seed pods from Clarity, placed it over the paper and sprayed the mixed media ink over it. It's acrylic ink so it dried pretty quickly on the paper.

But it stayed wet enough on the plastic of the stencil for a negative print and when dried it was easily removed off the stencil with a wet baby wipe.

What I like A LOT about this Stonehenge paper size is the fact it's almost the size of an ATC/ACEO (just a bit taller) and can fit in the 9 pocket sleeves (for a pocket letter for instance) and those trading card protection sleeves! What a great size to play around with! The paper is pretty awesome too and I made the below ACEO/ATC with all the products from the november box.

The spray stays on beautifully and the molotow & pentel brush colors blend nicely together with a waterbrush. I used the white gel pen from last month's box to highlight the word "grow" which I have written with the Plumchester brush pen. 

 A note on the international subscription plan; The box is 34$ including international shipping and what is really considerate of art snacks is that they tick the box as gift so in process you won't have to pay for customs charges upon arrival! They do this without asking as an extra service for their international customers (next to tracking) and is really very thoughtful! I surely do appreciate it :)

Hope this review was useful if you are planning on an art snacks subscription, or any of the products mentioned. The december box shipped already and I am curious what I'll find in there. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

namasté

WIP: Messing with some Gold Gesso

A few months ago I've bought the Gold Gesso from The Crafter's Workshop. When Bianca's Toko had a sale going on, I bought the jar at 50% discount and I experimented with it a bit. I had some scrapbook sheets and print outs I had worked on with some various mediums and wanted to see how the Gold Gesso would react on it.

This is a large scrap book page which I cut in 2 pieces to make it more workable on the table.  It has layers of acrylic paint, oil pastels and gel medium through a stencil and I have applied the Golden Gesso over it.

I applied it lightly over the pages and you can see it dried a bit sheer and you can clearly see the colors and layers under it. This looks really fun and exciting. The gesso protects the bottom layer and it won't be effected when adding other layers on top!

You can see the fun structure the matte gel medium created as well. I'm excited to work with this further!

I took the same stencil and applied some gel medium through it on a Klimt print. When it dried I added a thin golden Gesso layer.

I love the fact that it dries really sheer and you can see the underlying print clearly. It has such a beautiful effect! This weekend I'm going to mess about with these gesso'd up prints some more and hope to show you the results next week!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

namasté

ART Snacks October 2016 Box

The above image of the super moon is made with the contents of the Artsnacks October Box (a subscription box I have joined last month after listening to the Art Supply Posse rave about it on their podcasts) and I am actually really happy with all of the products that were in this box. Yes, even after being a bit underwhelmed that the ink I got in the box was grey! But look at it, the grey has some amazing shades to it when you work with it! Let's take a closer look at all the items in the box of the month October:

My box arrived within 2 weeks after shipping, the same as last time, so not too shabby! Hopefully that means I can keep anticipating my boxes to arrive around the 14th of each month :) The star of this box, was the anticipated Liquitex Ink! from the muted collection line which was a hint from the teaser email earlier last month. I was really hoping to get a turquoise color in the box, which, as you might have guessed, is is my fave color. Alas! Would that it were so simple as you can't really know which color you are going to get and with the luck of the draw, I got the grey one instead. BUT it did suit the other items in the box quite nicely! These were the products from the October box (blurb on the products taken from the artsnacks website)

Special Release Muted Collection: Liquitex Professional INK!

Liquitex is only releasing a limited supply of its Special Release Muted Collection: Liquitex Professional INK!, and as an ArtSnacks subscriber, you’re one of the first to get it. This water-resistant ink is extremely fluid, so it’s easy to use with both brushes and dip pens. It’s also fast-drying, so it won’t slow you down when you want to try layering techniques. There are five colors in this exclusive collection. Which one did you get? 

Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen

The Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen provides a silky flow of highly opaque ink. This pen will perform especially well on tinted or black paper. Try layering it over other inks, once they have dried. You’ll find that this ink does not fade as it dries, so you won’t be drawing over and over on the same lines to get a strong white highlight. 

Copic Gasenfude Brush Pen

The Copic Gasenfude Brush Pen was created with Sumi-e (East Asian brush painting) artists in mind. It’s also great for calligraphy and cartooning. Filled with water-based pigment ink, this pen features a super-fine point that makes this tool even more flexible. If you have Copic markers in your collection, you can use this brush pen with them – the ink is compatible, so the colors will not bleed. 

Lauren Series 4350 Watercolor Brush by Princeton Brush

Princeton Brush is known for its quality and affordability. Their experts have developed a variety of high-performing synthetic fibers for use with specific types of paint. Your new Lauren Series 4350 Watercolor Brush was handmade from synthetic materials and is designed for use with watercolor paints. We think you’ll like the way this brush handles your new Liquitex Professional INK!

I honestly did LOVE how the Lauren brush worked with the Liquitex INK! It held the ink and water mixture (I watered down the ink a bit in a mixing tray) really well, bounced back into shape quickly and dispersed the liquid well on the page. I also like how the Copic Brush and Uniball white gel pen look so well together. I hand lettered the quote and then drew the moon over it with the liquitex ink. The water based pigment ink in the copic marker dries water resistant on the page. The gel pen however does fade a bit when you use a liquid ink over it though, so I did have to trace the outer white lining again. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for the gel pen to dry, but in my test, it did fade and I had to reapply to get the strong highlight. Hmm... maybe it means in the blurb that you just have to apply it once after you've done all your inking, then you get a solid white line which stands out. Because that is indeed true. I've worked with pentel and sakura white gel pens, but the uni ball has by far the strongest/brightest while line. See more on white gel pen comparison here on the Jet pens blog. Working with the Liquitex muted grey ink got me curious about the other colors in the series, so when I was in the neighborhood of Van Der Linde I picked them up.

Sigh... thanks for enabling Art Snacks! The Van Der Linde store still has a few of these in stock (not on their website unfortunately) and when your order is over 35€ in the store, you will get a 20% discount on your total which is basically a free INK! as they retail for 7,05€! Yeah, you're welcome - just paying the enabling game forward ;) Looking forward to play with these INKS! over the weekend. 

The october box is still available in the Artsnacks shop. Still no international shipping options at this time, sadly :( Though the subscription still has an international plan.
Hope this review was useful for you. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

namasté

Art Snacks September 2016 Box

I might have mentioned it before, but the ladies at Art Supply Posse sure are high class enablers ;) Their goal is to get you to use your supplies (which you already have...ideally) more and think about art making in different ways. Which is wonderful and all, but due to my inquisitive nature, it also evokes the "Oh, I really must try that!" feeling like it did with the Faber Castell Polychromos.  And thus I have also joined the Art Snacks subscription boxes ("A CURATED BOX OF UNIQUE, HIGH-QUALITY ART SUPPLIES (4-5 items) DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR EVERY MONTH."), because "I must try that!" ... sigh! I wanted to try a one-off box through the Art Snacks shop, but sadly at this point they do not offer international shipping through the shop. So I had to go for a subscription to satisfy my curiosity. Well at least I do support the podcast though my subscription and they also have a coupon code for 10% off your first box. Hard to say no to that right?

So my first Art Snack box arrived in the mail, which is the September box. It was shipped on september first and arrived in 2 weeks, which was not too shabby. Though I was getting a bit impatient because I have seen people do the un-boxing and participate in the artsnacks challenge. And when the wait was finally over, I got to unpack the cute rectangular box filled with the goodies above. A description from the items taken from the art snacks site:

Alvin + ArtSnacks .5mm Draft-Matic Mechanical Pencil

The Alvin .5mm Draft-Matic Mechanical Pencil was engineered for comfort, with a stainless steel finger grip, and comes stocked with HB graphite. Hidden under the steel cap you’ll find a cute little eraser. We collaborated with Alvin to produce this limited edition version in ArtSnacks teal, a color that is exclusive to our customers, and will never be available anywhere else! 

Alumicolor Hollow Triangular Drafting Scale

The Alumicolor Hollow Triangular Drafting Scale is a precision instrument great for artists because it stays in place better than a standard flat ruler. If you don’t want to measure in inches, flip it over and try the five other units of measure! Your shiny new drafting scale is about the length of a pen, so it’s easy to pack up and carry with your other art supplies. 

Kuretake Clean Color Real Brush

The Kuretake Clean Color Real Brush pen features water-based ink, so it’s perfect for blending. Try laying down a layer of ink and then using another brush to add water, creating a wash effect. You can also blend with another marker if it’s not alcohol-based – just touch the tips together. The flexible bristle tip makes it possible to blend a variety of water-based ink colors without staining the tip. 

Kurecolor Twin S Marker

Durable, vibrant, and professional. All strong words to describe the Kurecolor Twin S Marker. For aspiring designers everywhere, these markers will bring your artwork to life, whether you are drawing on glass, acetate, metal, or photo paper.

And you also got a cute little sticker and candy snack! Super excited to have the LE Alvin mechanical pencil which was made esp. for the art snack subscribers! It's in my fave color too! While I have used an alcohol marker and a brush like product before, these other supplies were new to me and could not wait to try them out. I was esp. curious about the Clean Color Brush because I have heard so many people saying good things about them.

So I took my dot grid Nuuna notebook to sketch something in it using all the tools. Something to note with the Art Snacks box is that the colors of each item may vary from box to box. I got a Kurecolor Twin Marker in pale green (much like the tissue wrapping they used for this box!) and the Kuretaker Clean Color Real Brush in light carmine. Those two color combo screamed "flower" to me more than anything else. With the mechanical pencil and drafting scale I drew the abstract flower and colored it in. What I noticed right away, the notebook I used was not the right paper for either of these products. You can blend the Clean Color brush with a water brush which I tried with a few of the flower petals, but it just didn't blend well enough. I checked my stash for a suitable surface paper and I decided on smooth glossy sticker paper to see how that would work.

And that worked a whole lot better! I took one of my flowers stencils, drew it on the with mechanical pencil and colored them in. I knew the alcohol marker would perform well on the glossy sticker paper as I had tried that before with another brand, but what was surprising to me was how well the clean brush color stuck to the paper and blended! I took a pentel waterbrush to blend the colors between the lines and gave a nice shade of pale pink. When dried it's a nice subtle soft blend. Very pleasantly surprised! Now I need to try out if Tombows react the same way on this paper :)

A note on the drafting scale: though it doesn't fully specifies it on the scale itself, it's in inches and the comment that you can "flip it over and try the five other units of measure" means the five units of measure is a variation on inches (1/2 an inch, 1/4 inch, 3/4 inch etc) At least that is what I have figured out by comparing the measurements to the metric centimeters (which is what in the EU is commonly used). So I can't really rely on the scales to measure out centimeters for me, but then again I won't be making architectural designs in exact scale either! More information on how to read an architectural scale you can find HERE and HERE. In the end I gave the scale to my husband whom makes map designs for Fantasy RPG lands, so I am sure he will find a better use for it then I would!

While these might not have been the colors I would have chosen personally, I am glad I got to try these products out! The alcohol marker performs similarly to a copic or promarker so I know I would not have to buy these as I have similar products I am happy with. The Brush pen does feel like a REAL brush and bounces back pretty quickly! I also did a water test, dipped the tip in water to blend a few petals and after a minute or two the color comes rushing back in. It's very flexible and does feel like it's able to withstand some pressure when you're doing lettering work. It feels different than a tombow marker and I might get a couple of these to see how they blend together.

In conclusion: This was definitely a nice selection of goodies I received in the mail for 30$ including shipping overseas. (The subscription plan changed the month after I joined it is now 34$) I am stoked I got the LE mechanical pencil, since it is something I do use on a regular basis. The scale will find better use with my husband and I finally got to try out the Clean Color brush and dang it now I want more of those! Thanks again for enabling, Ana and Heather, my wallet is a little less happy though ;) 

Hope this review was useful to you if you're planning on subscribing to an international plan at Art Snacks. Remember that you can get 10% off on your first subscription box using a code you can find HERE at Artsupply Posse (while supplies last...) 

I can't wait to see what the October box will bring!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

namasté