If you love a good, festive art subscription box, Let’s Make Art really killed it this year. Titled “Merry & Bright”, this December watercolour subscription box has 4+2 projects that will get you into the holiday spirit.
By the way, this is my second box from Let’s Make Art (you can read my review of the first one here). I must say I really love this one. I completed all 4 projects, which I enjoyed a lot. As usual, Sarah Cray designed these projects with gradual increase in difficulty, so you feel that your skills are growing as you complete each one.
Let’s Make Art December Watercolour Subscription Box Contents:
This box contains Dandelion paints in Yellow Ochre, Sea Blue, Red and Leaf Green. These are not lightfast, by the way, and lift very easily. There is also a very generous amount of Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White, 8 sheets of cold pressed watercolour paper (wood pulp), graphite paper for tracing, a watercolour postcard (Let’s Make Art Matter), printed instructions and reference photos.
The bonus item in this box is a trinket box made with Let’s Make Art’s watercolour paper.
Project 1: Chickadee
The first one was a loose watercolour chickadee, done entirely in wet on wet technique. It is simple and easy. By the way, I modified the orientation of this painting because I wanted to hang it vertically.
Project #2: Winter Night Tree
The second project requires no sketching prior, and I love it. I made my background more turquoise than blue because my favourite colour is turquoise. This is the kind of winter scene I love and it turned out quite well.
Project #3: Pinecones
This one was a little harder than the previous two. Alas, I left the pine branch a little too white during the initial wash.
The pinecones did not look too promising at first, but this is the kind of painting you have to trust the process and persevere. I love the salt and the splattering of Bleed Proof White.
Project #4: Metallic Star
The final project has a bokeh background, which I have never tried before. It wasn’t hard; it was more labour intensive in that you have to keep lifting the paint to create overlapping circles. Once you get the hang of it, it became a repetition. Personally, I thought the Pinecones painting was a little harder. 😉
Bonus Projects I didn’t do
There were two bonus projects in the box, one was for Let’s Make Art Matter (to be mailed to a addressed, stamped recipient) and the other was a trinket box. Since I live in Canada, I cannot mail the card to the recipient with the stamp provided. Also, I didn’t paint the trinket box yet, because I currently don’t have anything that small to give at Christmas. 😛
Summary
This is a fantastic watercolour subscription box for December. I thoroughly enjoyed the projects, and actually learned new techniques from Sarah Cray. If you are or know a beginner/intermediate watercolour artist, this is the perfect gift for Christmas.
