The reference box
What makes ArtSnacks different
An ArtSnacks box pairs full-size art supplies from a mix of brands with a Menu card on how to use them. Then comes the dare: the #ArtSnacksChallenge asks you to make an original piece using only what’s in the box and post it.
- The box
- Four to six full-size supplies and a surface to work on, plus three or four livestream lessons each quarter.
- Cadence
- One box every three months.
- Sister boxes
- WatercolorSnacks for watercolor supplies, and ArtJournalSnacks with a 5x7 journal and ephemera.
Compare the boxes
| Box | Best fit | Cost and commitment | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArtSnacks Quarterly Reference box |
Surprise full-size supplies and a challenge to use only what’s in the box | One quarterly box, lessons included. | Every three months. |
| SketchBox | A monthly box of new supplies to explore | $25 a month for Basic or $35 for Premium. | Ships on the 25th of each month, from the US. |
| ScrawlrBox | Mystery supplies and a monthly use-only-the-box challenge | £22.95 a month, plus postage outside the UK. | Monthly from the UK. Two to four weeks to the US. |
| Nature Sketch Crate | Step-by-step watercolor and ink lessons | $52 a month. | Around the 7th of each month, to the US and Canada only. |
| Charcoal Expressions Drawing Art Box | Two guided charcoal drawings a month | About $50 a box, paid three months at a time. No month-to-month plan. | Last week of each month, with free shipping. |
| Diverse Monthly Art Box | One guided project in a different medium each month | $60 a month. | First week of each month, free in the lower 48 states. |
All five renew automatically until you cancel, and each one lowers the price per box on a longer prepaid plan.
The alternatives
Surprise supplies every month
SketchBox vs ArtSnacks
Best for: The ArtSnacks subscriber who loved opening a box of supplies they hadn’t picked out themselves.
SketchBox builds each month around a theme and makes some of its own Signature supplies to sit beside name brands. Its September 2026 Premium box paired Signature brush liners and toned paper with Daniel Smith walnut ink and Faber-Castell watercolor pencils. Basic is pitched as an introduction to new mediums. Premium carries pricier fine art supplies and is the one to pick if you want Copic markers.
What feels familiar
Full-size supplies chosen to work together, step-by-step instructions, and a finished piece of art made with that month’s materials to show you where to start.
What changes
It comes every month instead of every quarter, so a year of Basic boxes adds up to $300 before shipping. Lessons come as recorded how-to videos.
The use-only-the-box challenge
ScrawlrBox vs ArtSnacks
Best for: The artist who never skipped the #ArtSnacksChallenge and wants that rule every month.
ScrawlrBox is a UK company that sends a mystery box of art supplies each month with a surface to work on, a featured artist’s print, a sticker, a small magazine of tips, and a sweet.
What feels familiar
The #ScrawlrChallenge gives you a word or phrase and asks you to make something using only the supplies in the box, the same rule as the #ArtSnacksChallenge.
What changes
Boxes don’t come with tracking yet, which matters more on a two-to-four-week trip from the UK to the US.
Watercolor lessons
Nature Sketch Crate vs ArtSnacks
Best for: The WatercolorSnacks subscriber who stayed for the lessons more than the surprise.
Each month, artist Stephanie Rozzo walks you through a new plant and animal painting in watercolor and ink, with printed and video instructions. Professional paint and watercolor paper come in the box.
What feels familiar
Watercolor supplies picked for you and a teacher showing you what to do with them, the same pairing as WatercolorSnacks.
What changes
It’s a beginner class. You trace the image onto the paper, add a few layers of color, and finish with ink lines. Bring your own water brush, Micron pens, kneaded eraser, pencil, palette, and towel.
Learning to draw, step by step
Charcoal Expressions Drawing Art Box vs ArtSnacks
Best for: The beginner who wants to learn one medium properly and end up with something to frame.
Each box holds the supplies, paper, and mattes for two charcoal drawings, with video tutorial links and a magazine sent by email. The seller says you don’t need any drawing experience.
What feels familiar
The supplies arrive with a lesson on how to use them, much like the livestream lessons in ArtSnacks Quarterly.
What changes
It’s charcoal every month, so the variety of an ArtSnacks box gives way to practice in a single medium.
A new medium each month
Diverse Monthly Art Box vs ArtSnacks
Best for: The maker whose favorite part of ArtSnacks was trying a material they’d never used.
Art Kits by Chartiers Creek Creative sends one guided project a month, with the paints, tools, and surfaces measured out. Techniques have included paint pouring, water marbling, resin geodes, jewelry making, and soap art.
What feels familiar
Each month puts a technique in front of you that you probably wouldn’t have bought supplies for on your own.
What changes
You get one project and the materials for it, not a set of pens and paints to keep using. It leans toward crafts such as resin and soap more than drawing and painting.
The honest part
What none of these quite replaces
ArtSnacks puts three things together: full-size supplies from many brands, a rule to use only what came in the box, and live lessons with other subscribers. No box here does all three. SketchBox is the closest on supplies, and ScrawlrBox keeps the challenge. The lessons that come with these boxes are recorded videos or printed guides, so a subscriber who came for the livestreams won’t find them here.
How we chose these boxes
We started from the three things in an ArtSnacks box (full-size supplies from many brands, a use-only-the-box challenge, and lessons) and looked for boxes that keep at least one of them. We went through Cratejoy’s art and craft listings, kept four that each carry part of the ArtSnacks idea, and added ScrawlrBox, which sells on its own site. The photo at the top is ArtSnacks’ own picture of one of its August boxes.
Questions before switching
Which alternative is closest to ArtSnacks?
SketchBox is the closest: a monthly box of full-size art supplies chosen around a theme, with instructions and a how-to video. If the #ArtSnacksChallenge was your favorite part, ScrawlrBox sets the same use-only-the-box rule each month and ships from the UK.
Which box is closest to WatercolorSnacks?
Nature Sketch Crate is the closest watercolor pick: a monthly watercolor and ink lesson with professional paint and paper, shipped to the US and Canada. It’s written for beginners, so an experienced painter may get more from SketchBox, whose monthly themes include watercolor and ink.
Is there a box like ArtJournalSnacks?
None of these five sends a journal and ephemera each quarter like ArtJournalSnacks. For mixed-media supplies to use in a journal of your own, SketchBox runs mixed-media themes, such as its September 2026 Vintage Mixed Media Premium Box.
