Mistakes I Made with the First ArtSnacks Box

When the very first ArtSnacks box arrived and I didn’t get the notice for awhile…

Several times I went to the mail room to pick it up and there was no-one there manning the station.  Ugh.  Six days into the month I got my hands on the box.

Then the box sits on my desk for two more days before I open it; I take pictures of the unboxing on the eighth day:

These are the Mistakes I Made with the First ArtSnacks box:

1. Without opening the paints I begin to plan a yellow and purple design in my mind for the drawing challenge.  Mistake.  Although the packaging is CLEARLY purple, the paint inside is true blue.  Of course I should know better than to trust the color on the packaging.
2. On Saturday I finally opened and experimented with the paints.  Mistake.  It would have been better to have first made swatches of each of the paints and their combinations.  It turns out different greens are possible with each yellow/blue combination.
3. After I took pictures of the unboxing, I forgot about it for another week.  Another Mistake.  If I had given myself more time, I would have been able to make more examples and post sooner.    
4. During the painting process, I forgot to make an under-painting and leave the white of the paper to express the whitest whites (the moon).  Usually I use watercolor as an accent for an ink drawing, so to use only the watercolor for this piece was a challenge.

ArtSnacks August Box Contents:

1 – Kuretake Nihondate Kabura Fude dual pointed brush pen #55

1 – Robert Simmons watercolor brush sable round size #1

1 – Daler Rowney Aquafine Watercolour Half Pan twin set:

• #618 Cadmium Yellow Deep  *** (lightfast rating)
• #640 Gambage Hue ***

1 – Daler Rowney Aquafine Watercolour Half Pan twin set:

• #122 Ultramarine Blue Light ***
• #123 Ultramarine Blue Dark ***

1 – pencil

3 – bonus sheets of cold press L’Aquarelle Canson Heritage Watercolor Paper. Heavy (300 GSM), 100% cotton paper

There are a Few Things in Particular That I Did Right:

• Repeating a composition that I used before to expand on a series that already exists.
• Masking the edges with tape to create crisp edges.
• Photographing the flat lay in natural light.

Although it was a wonderful surprise in the mail, it’s almost time for the September box!  I feel like this tiny painting is a WIP (work in progress) and that I might try the challenge again in my sketchbook.  

Now that I have completed my Artsnacks subscription, I have learned that it is basically a challenge to make a drawing each month.  This requires EXTREME organization.  Often when it was time to make a flat lay of the drawing and the supplies, I couldn’t find all the items.  Each month flies by and next thing you know, there is a new box.  Even after you finish drawing piece, you need enough time left in the month to do a “photo shoot” and that can be time intense. 

Maintaining an art blog should be giving me plenty of practice in this area, but it is clear that I need more work in speed and organization. 

If you have any suggestions or ideas, please let me know in the comments!