This is my final Indigo Artbox. I had canceled my subscription a while back but was owed one more box. They were doing too much pastels and in the end I just got bored but lately they've been doing water colors...still not enough to make me re-instate my subscription. So let us get into the package.
I saw this stick peaking out of the package and my heart kind of sank. I knew what it was and I hoped that it was packaged better on the other end...it wasn't.
Usually there is gum to hold the bristles together as well as a plastic cover that goes over the bristles at least to keep them protected. There wasn't any here and the bristles were all over the place...still I was willing to give the brush a chance. The brush is a Mont Marte Gallery Series 12 round.
The next thing to come out is this watercolor set. As you can see from the picture the brush that came with it was small and it moved out of its place. It's bristles were also not covered and unlike the Mont Marte I wasn't going to put it into the paints so I just chucked it out. The set is a Jackson Artist Grade Semi-Moist watercolors. It says artists but I'm not really sure...
Like every Indigo Artbox, this package also included two prints by two different artists for inspiration, and some sketch papers and watercolor papers.
Now I decided to do something different this time and check out the supplies right away. I always swatch out my paint supplies to see what the colors really look like and sometimes I also make color wheels. So this is what I used the water color papers they provided in this package for. My first frustration was with the paint box. There was not a diagram that told me what the name of the paints was or even what pigments were used. I had to figure it out for myself when I swatched. So the names on the swatches are my own not from the company. The paints themselves were okay...artist grade though is a stretch.
I also wanted to see how they behaved when I mix them so I made a color wheel.
The colors were good with mixing but the problem was in the brush...that brush...
The brush regained its shape when I put it in water, but the bristles behaved like squirrel hairs in that they took whatever shape you press when you paint. This means it is easy to get it to a fine point to go into tight spaces BUT if I press too hard it gets into a weird shape which makes the brush strokes too rough. I also found it retained either too much water or if I tap it against my water cup too little water.
Another thing that was annoying is that it kept shedding in my paints and on the page. So I'm not sure if I am going to be using this brush anytime soon. The paint set however, is a good-ish addition to my collection.
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