Out Of The Box: ScrawlrBox Review

Out Of The Box: ScrawlrBox Review

0 comments 📅17 August 2016, 22:25

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Are you a newcomer to art, or just wanting to try something a little different from your usual art materials, but don’t know where to begin? Are you in an art block and need some inspiration? Then this is the perfect subscription box to introduce to all you budding artists. We have all heard of snack boxes that are filled with yummy sweets and treats, even geek boxes full of comic, movie and TV merchandise. Now we have ScrawlrBox that is here to make your arty feelings tingle!

ScrawlrBox have a strong following and a drive to support the artistic community. With this new kind of subscription box they encourage people to try new things and inspire those who are in a slump to pick up a pencil, pen or paintbrush, and start being creative once again. Their step-by-step guide gives you an idea of how relaxed and fun the team behind the box actually are, telling their customers that, “Once you receive the box of goodies, rip it open and get creative with its contents. Try out the challenge, scribble on the box itself or take some inspiration from the featured artist.”

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There are three payment plans available, but instead of receiving more items the higher you pay, you will instead get a longer subscription. This is a great way to keep all of their customers as equals and really plays a huge part in their customer service, which can be seen on their community page. When looking at their previous boxes you can see a wide collection of traditional and modern art supplies, materials and a variety of artists joining forces with ScrawlrBox. At £15 per box you really do get your money’s worth with the products, along with their service, the community, and even artistic support.

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The box only took three days to be arrive and was easily posted through my letterbox (a lot of subscription boxes are too big for the letterbox). On top of the white box is the ScrawlrBox logo. Upon opening it you are greeted with a little crepe paper package which holds all of your goodies safely and underneath that is their featured artist of the month and any paper products that they will send.

Bokkei “Honey Bee” Print

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The first item I saw was a print by Bokkei – unbeknownst to ScrawlrBox, I am actually a huge fan of Bokkei and her amazing artwork, having come across her YouTube channel MrBokkei where she does some of the most amazing pieces of work using a wide range of mixed mediums. On the back of the thick card print of Bokkei’s Honey Bee themed image is some information about the artist herself (where she explains that she is a tattoo artist in Sweden) and the types of materials and experiences she has had as an artist. The card is very sturdy with a slight texture and the image is crisp and clean. This is a beautiful piece of art to keep everyone inspired, but also to add to a growing collection of art that features in ScrawlrBox.

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Hahneumuhle Lana Pastel Paper

There always comes that point where an artist will find a certain type of paper or card stock that works really well with their materials, technique and style. Unfortunately this then limits the artist from expanding their skills, as well as limiting them to a particular type of paper. Hahneumuhle are known for their extremely high quality papers and featured in July’s Scrawlrbox is the 160gsm, 76lbs  Hahneumuhle Lana Pastel Paper in dark grey and pearl. The texture of these is smooth on one side and grainy on the other, but they seem to react to pencils, pastels and inks really well.

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Product List, Metal Sharpener, Bubblegum, and Sticker

When you open up the green crepe paper you are presented with a product card which lists all of the products in the box – this is really useful as ScrawlrBox are known for including some pretty weird yet wonderful items in their boxes. On the back of this card is the Scrawlr challenge which states: “Each month ScrawlrBox provides a selection of art supplies and inspirations, but we also want you to boost your creativity. So we are giving you a challenge to be interpreted in any way you wish.” They then ask that you send your creations to them on their social media sites using the hashtag #scrawlrchallenge. July’s Scrawlr challenge is titled “Honey Bee” to keep with the theme from Bokkei’s artwork. Already their community has tagged some of the most creative and wonderful pieces of artwork.

Because the box has pastel colouring pencils it’s only fair that they send a standard metal pencil sharpener. And to keep the artist happy they have even sent a piece of bubblegum as a sweet treat. The logo sticker is great to stick to your sketch books as well, so you can show a little support to the box and show it off to all your friends.

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Tombow Mono Zero Round Eraser

This is one of the daintiest and cutest pen erasers I have ever seen. It is listed as the thinnest and most agile eraser on the market at just 2.3mm in diameter, and it can be pushed through the pen in one simple click of the top. The design allows the user to have full control over movement and it even comes with a handy clip so you can carry the eraser like a pen. Being refillable it lives up to the standard that Tombow products are known for.

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Twin Tip Speed Dry Magic Marker

Marker pens have become a growing passion for many artists. With the likes of Letraset and Copic, the magic marker was always used as white board pens throughout schools and business meetings. One of the key features about this pen is that it features two useable ends, one being chiseled and the other being a fine tip. The colour I got was a crimson red in the code A329, which uses the new xylene-free ink which creates a completely odourless experience. It glides and blends well on normal paper, but works a charm on the paper provided in the box.

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Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils

The key items that I was extremely excited to finally own was a small set of Faber Castel Polychromos Pencils in the colours that can be used to represent their Scrawlr challenge. These are possibly the best brand for pencils to any artist, but this special collection have a waterproof wax lead that contain the highest grade of pigment that can bring some of the most amazing colours to life on any paper. The leads of the pencils are hard wearing and can be sharpened to extremely sharp points  to use for fine details. The pigment is easy to blend, and just with these five colours, a whole new colour range can be created with a little patience and some layering of the colours.

 

I am completely besotted with everything that ScrawlrBox provides and as a company. Their products are extremely high quality, their service is fast, and their customer service through email is top notch. You can feel the care and thought put into each box. The descriptions of the products allow the users to experiment with equipment they have possibly used in the past but in different ways. The fact they support artists who are (somewhat) known online and are willing to promote their subscribers art as well just brings a whole new love to the artistic hobby, showing that there are people out there who do care for a trade that’s always being pushed to the ground.

Please do spread the love for ScrawlrBox; they are UK based and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest. A huge thank you goes to Chris at ScrawlrBox for all their fun communications and for the opportunity to review one of their boxes.

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