Artful Printmaking Box: The Same As Before? | Oct '23 Unboxing 

Colour theory is important in printmaking. If you are using spot colour - different colours in different parts of the print or mixing your own colour. If you are using transparent inks and using the block multiple times and overlaying the colours.

Artful is the only subscription box I’ve had regularly. I signed up near the start with one of your codes. I liked that we could skip boxes (eg clay) if we didn’t like the box. The last one I had was the marker box and noticed the smaller box and paper. I’ve enjoyed the boxes I’ve had and the supplies have generally been good quality and I am sorry they are finishing. I think it’s best that they stop rather than produce lower quality boxes.

Art Snacks in the U.S. has gone from a monthly box to a quarterly box. It's supposed to be bigger since it's quarterly, but I'm not a subscriber so I can't say. I think in general monthly art subscription boxes days are numbered, a few may survive but the herd is thinning.

I am sorry to see any business go under and the Art boxes have never been my favorite to purchase, but I love watching Gem create from these boxes! I have enjoyed the ScrawlrBox and I even have purchased previous boxes! I have done extensive printmaking in many methods too. Some are very labor intensive and can wear you out! Silk screen is wonderful to move from paper to textiles and making different products IE: Tote bags to T-Shirts! I hope you can keep going at whatever pace you feel like you can sustain. See ya next video, have a grand day GEM!

As a subscriber who also bought a lot of the back issue boxes before committing to the sub, I declined this box as it sounded like a repeat of one I'd already bought. Artful (or Ohh Deer) cancelling the subscription on Friday evening has upset me because I've not been offered a refund for the unfulfilled boxes on my sub. Instead I have a time limited offer to choose between old boxes of which, all the ones I was interested in I already own. Since the email notifying me of this was sent at 17:10 on Friday afternoon, there was no point in responding then and I'm still mulling over what to do. Suffice it to say I am not a happy customer right now.

I love the magazines I've got (both in boxes or bought separately). However, the latest magazines are not available to buy separately and if I've already got the materials in the box I'd prefer not to buy it. The slipping schedule was the reason I didn't re-subscribe. Even though this magazine is a bit different - I'd still like to be able to buy it and the tutorial booklet (I may have the lino printing materials - but I've not done much). Thanks for the unboxing - I was very curious about this one.

I got the original Lino box and that was when I finished the subscription with Artful. I too have issues with things you have to press hard etc - nothing like many of you, just carpal tunnel issues that I know how to deal with to prevent pain - this would not be a box I would be willing to do at all. I don't have a huge issue with it being a repeat as it was quite a while ago and they will have new customers. Plus you can reject the box. The change from subscription to the suggestion they will not be offering regular boxes says to me that Artful as a concept has not worked. Shame. But it's really tough out there. They used to do a stationery box sub as well and I see that has gone also - no idea when that finished.

This was another Artful box I skipped because I didn't feel like it would be anything I was interested in. I think it makes sense they're switching up the boxes and no longer doing the subscription for the quarterly box because there's not really much "new" products that they could make a box out of. Of the subscriptions, I still think the Artful one has been the best value for money and it's the only one I've ever bought.

I cancelled my subscription when they announced the mixed media box. I saw many materials I had already gotten in the previous boxes so I didn’t feel it would add anything new. It’s not surprising to me that they’ve ended the subscriptions. They’ve covered the basics of art making, I feel there’s not much more to add and create new boxes for. I will keep my eye on Artful though, as I do love the option of buying a single box.

Can’t help, but think, the recent changes have come off the back of the wider have subscription boxes have the day? As have an now discontinued their paper gang boxes as well. To be fully transparent I haven’t had those in roughly a year bar on accidental purchase as the process has become very copy and paste of the items, and then very sparse and random e.g. colour, pencils in a stationery box? I had concerns when I saw the paper size and quantity had shrunk in the previous paint, markers box, for me, that was a significant reduction in value as I do actually use the paper in a large A4 format, to see this one has now dropped to 12 sheets from 20 for some fairly average cartridge paper. If it is exactly the same as the paint marker pad for me is another significant drop in value and I do wonder are the stock to boxes going to be good value for money. The price point will be interesting, I am sad, but I do wonder if this was inevitable. It will be interesting to see what the stock boxes look like, and as I say the price point, but I would really want at least some of the boxes having A4 format paper as you can buy comparable products Online, if the price point is high. Alternatively, remove the paper and make it a supply focused box with a lower price point.

I have had most of the Artful boxes and I thought they were fabulous in the early days. I was so disappointed in this box and particularly in the magazine. I contacted them because I really had to peer at some of the magazine print. I wondered if you would comment on how poor the pale grey print on white background was. I thought the printer had run out of ink. The reply was that it was meant to be like that 😮. Based on the poor magazine print and the quality of the box I asked to cancel my subscription. Hence, didn't get the email that subscriptions were stopping.

The print making is cool and all but kinda disappointed it's a repeat of the old one. Artful usually is the box that seems to have the most fun stuff but repeats just feel like a let down.

Omg so happy to hear this I'm not far from Edinburgh and would love to meet you in person 😅

I get why they are doing what they are doing, trying to save money and eventually you do run out of supplies to put in a box, but not sure how many people will pay £50 fo a box with meh quality supplies, maybe as a gift?

Even the carving tool has fewer blades. Shrinkflation gets everywhere. I won your old set, and it's used quite a bit. Everything that can run out has been replaced, so I probably gave it a decent home. No more quarterly boxes? That's a horror, but these Artful boxes must be financially unviable for them now with prices for everything rising so fast.

I don't really know what to say about this box. I mean, would I like to see you do something with it, yes, but would I have liked to get it? No. I didn't get the first lino print box to be honest, because, like you I have a hand that doesn't do well with stuff like that, so I was never considering getting it. Getting it twice though.. that's a bit outrageous to me. I would have been so incredibly disappointed if I've gotten both of these boxes. It's also a shame that they're stopping their subscriptions. Artful always stood out with their idea of an artschool in a box.

I am not sure how I feel about the cancellation of the subscription service. You and I have already had the conversation about subscriptions from US vs UK and how I made the transition due to shipping costs. I like the Artful boxes, but rarely take the opportunity to delve into them. I read the magazine, watch your tutorials, think ‘that looks like fun’, and then shelve the box. I was considering not renewing my subscription and am thankful that I do not have any ‘unfulfilled boxes’. (To those of you that have unfulfilled boxes, it’s pricey, but these do make awesome gifts.) In terms of the supplies, there is absolutely nothing new for me here. I taught print-making in my elementary class for a couple of years and bought all of the materials to teach myself beforehand. (I am sure that the inks i bought for the classroom have all dried up now that I left that school) On another note, I love the extra tutorials provided in this magazine. Colour theory included. I can teach colour theory. I can explain colours. But, darn it all, i have the hardest time putting it into practise. Nothing like a beginner tutorial to help refresh my skill level. Not having looked at the magazine yet, the pastel tutorial you skipped through looks very interesting. You have been very kind and supportive of the Artful experiment and I have appreciated that while watching your unboxing and product tutorials.

Looking forward to Thursday's video. Decided to buy the new book as well and am curious to see what's inside. Tried to avoid spoilers, so I can flip through and be amazed :)