Artsnacks Review: December 2017

IT'S BOXING DAY
(... it's not, actually, but come on, that was clever)

Before I get started, I do want to say that I've recently signed up with the Amazon Affiliate program, so there may be links to the products I've reviewed here for you to purchase! I get a commission, and you get a fancy product. Everyone wins :)
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This months box had a lot of interesting pieces! By themselves they're very fun, but together, I will admit that I struggled a bit to make sense of them, haha. This is also the second time that candy survived! My power level is rising

I'll start with what was considered the 'bonus item' in this pack. This is ​Grumbacher Mixed Media Paper. And it's the perfect dimension to be absolutely perplexing in terms of use. The quality is really good though. Marker doesn't bleed through, and moderately wet mediums don't cause it to warp. Since my bonus pad had a rather limited supply (only 4 pages :( ) I've split a couple to use in conjunction with the other products, and saved one for my final challenge piece!

The full-sized pads of this guy are a bit easier to work on :) Find it on Amazon!

Caran d'Ache is a brand that's appeared a few times in the Artsnacks boxes, and they never disappoint! This is their Metallic Gold Fibralo Marker. As their name implies, it has a fantastic metallic shimmer in the ink, and the menu describes the marker as being able to stay uncapped for up to SEVEN DAYS and not dry out. If I wasn't so in love with shiny things, I'd try it.
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Sadly not waterproof, but the bleed isn't massive, all things considered. The shimmer is great, and the Grumbacher paper did seem to resist the ink in the pen a bit more, which made its application smoother and left a more vibrant pigment

Unfortunately, this is not available on Amazon at the time, but you can snag it on the Artsnacks store!   
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                           "KRUNK?"
                              -         Husband

He was close. This is a KRINK K-32 Acrylic Paint Marker. Paint markers like this are something that I've always been curious about but have never been brave enough to purchase and try (read: I wanted them just to have them. I had no actual need for them). Mine came in this nifty shade of turquoise. This marker was a fun mystery at first because the nib is completely unsaturated until you pump it, so I thought the ink was white, lol.
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This one also bleeds a bit in water, but only does so to a large degree if you wet it while the ink itself is still wet. The chisel tip allows for some awesome variance in lines, and coverage is good! You may have noticed that, because this is a wet medium, it causes the cardstock I use for my testing to warp. The Grumbacher, however, is still nice and rigid.

Check out the color selection and grab your own Krink!
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​If you've never used a gel pen don't ever speak to me or my 90's childhood ever again.

Pentel is a pretty popular brand, and this is their Slicci Gel Pen, .25mm. ​Fast drying, fun to write with, fun colors!
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The biggest deception here is that the ink, despite what the body color implies, is not metallic.

The second lie is that I know how to spell this brand.
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​However, the super fine tip is to die for, and the color is quite a nice shade of orange! Not water proof, but it did resist the water better using the Grumbacher!

​You can find singles and multi-packs available on Amazon 

The final piece in this months box is an Artsnacks Exclusive: Bruynzeel Expression Colored Pencil Set. Mine came in these beautiful shades of blue and green. :) The core is strong, but you don't need a lot of pressure to apply some good color with these dudes.

 
Even so, I feel like I didn't use enough LOL. The color application is great, but in my opinion, the blending is a bit 'eh.' It blends together alright, but doesn't seem to mingle together with its partners well. Also a fun discovery I had while doing the wet test: these seem to be almost 'water soluble,' so getting them wet actually lets you more or less erase them! 
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¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The real challenge here was getting everything to work together on such a small surface. And granted, while I probably could have not used the Sample Pad and still followed the rules, this was part of the fun I think lol. So, viola! A fish/water themed bookmark

Total retail value for this box was roughly $25 USD, so once again the contents paid for itself. I'm hoping to use this paint pen again in the future, because blocking colors in with it was fun and so very easy!

If nothing else gets your attention, PLEASE try the Grumbacher paper. It's a real treat

Have a safe and Happy New Year!
♥