Indigo Artbox

          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.

Indigo Artbox July 2017

          The inspiration for this box of Indigo Artbox is Paul Cezanne, and as usually you can find a short video about Cezanne on indigoartbox.com under the videos tab.

          Because this box was inspired by Paul Cezanne, acrylics is the name of the game. I'm glad they've moved off from pastels...I just could not get into them. I love acrylics almost as much as I love watercolors.

          So what does this box contain:

          The pouch has a set of acrylic paints which are semi matte. The colors included are Scarlett, Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, and Phthalo blue. Their brand is Mont Marte Satin, which I've never actually heard about...so yay for new products (at least to me). They are 18 ml each. The pouch also contained a number 10 Mont Marte gallery series paint brush. The bristles are really soft.

          The package also contains a color wheel, which I am glad for because color mixing is something I am still working on and trying to get right.

          Finally, there was an envelop which has two inspirational art cards with prints from Paul Cezanne's works. And some sketch papers and canvas papers.

          I can't wait to try out the new paints and the color wheel. This should be right up my alley as opposed to the pastels.

Indigo Artbox June 2017

If I had not seen previous boxes where Indigo Artbox had included something other than pastels I would so cancel my subscription. BUT, I shall continue on for two reasons. Even though I hate pastels, the supplies included in the box are actually pretty good for a beginner like me. The second reason is that I get instruction videos with the projects as well as a mini art history lesson which I really enjoy. So onwards!

This month's artist is Edgar Degas and the medium of choice is soft pastels. The package arrived opened by customs as per usual. 

So the package contains a drawing pencil and dry-erase pen and I must admit the dry erase pen puzzled me until I read the instructions for the project.

Reeves soft pastels.

A plexiglass sheet...yep, very puzzling until you read the instructions.

Two inspiration prints from Degas

Sketch paper, note card, and soft pastel paper (the coloured ones)

As usual, I am supposed to watch a mini history lesson on Degas and his art then watch the project video which gives exercises and then an idea of how to use the pastels. (Indigo Artbox) The dry-erase pen and the plexiglass are so you can practice your lines and tracing without having to use up papers or supplies.

I am going to give pastels another try and see how things go. These are my previous attempts using the pastels from the previous Indigo Artbox.

"The Road to Nowhere"

"The Castle"

Indigo Art Box

          Since the debacle of InspireMe box, I've been waiting for this box to arrive. Well, not exactly a box since it arrived in one of these spongey envelopes but that is fine. The supplies were wrapped in blue tissue paper. 

  

The first thing I saw was the information page, which I set aside to read later. 

 

          The biggest thing in the box came next and that was the set of oil pastels. There are 16 colours in the set. 

 

 

I'm very excited about that, I had gotten a smaller set of oil pastels in the Paletteful Pack but they were not crayons and the colours were limited. I can't wait to get into them. 

          There was an envelope which contained some butchers paper (the folded large paper), 2 cards with art inspiration (Monet!), sketch paper and mixed media paper. 

 

 

 

          Finally, the box included an artist pencil and eraser and 3 blending tools. I'm very excited about the colour shaper (the rubber tip). 

 

 

          I can't wait to get into these supplies. The box also sends you to a website online, Indigo Art Box, where you can see two videos. The first video is about art history, this time it is about Monet and the second is about technique. I love getting instructions on how to use things. If I do something worth posting OR if it is a big failure and not just "meh" I'll post it here. Stay tuned!