Challenge of the Month 2022 Compilation…: is this $12 stack worth it for Drawing & Painting?

Twelve months of prompts, brushes, and palettes in one $12 Procreate pack

If you’ve ever scrolled through a year’s worth of art challenges and realized you only saved three of the twelve free assets, you know the specific frustration of “I’ll grab it later” turning into “it’s gone forever.” Manero Brushes built the Challenge of the Month around a simple constraint: one prompt, one brush, one color palette, and you have to make something with only those tools. It’s a constraint that keeps you from hiding behind a 400-brush library, but it also meant that once a month rolled over, the free download vanished. The 2022 Compilation Brush Set fixes that gap. For $12, you get the full year back: 12 prompts, 12 custom Procreate brushes, and 12 matching color palettes, plus the official reference images so you can see exactly what the artist intended for each month.

This isn’t a “mega brush pack” with 200 generic tools. It’s a curated, time-boxed collection where every asset was designed to work as a unit. If you want to practice with intentional limitations, or you just want to own the 2022 archive before the 2023 compilation drops, this is the cleanest way to get it. (Challenge of the Month)

Quick answer

What you’re actually buying

At $12, you’re not just buying brushes; you’re buying a complete creative framework for twelve different months. The core of the Challenge of the Month 2022 Compilation is the pairing of each prompt with a specific brush and a limited color palette. This is the key value proposition: you can’t cheat. If the January prompt is a moody landscape and the palette is five muted blues and greys, you have to work within those boundaries. That constraint is where the actual skill-building happens.

The pack includes the 12 official images, which are more than just pretty thumbnails. They serve as the “answer key” for the month, showing you how the artist interpreted the prompt using the provided tools. If you’re stuck on a particular challenge, you can compare your work against the official image to see how the brush behaves at different opacities and how the palette was layered. It’s a subtle but powerful teaching tool that most brush packs don’t offer. (Challenge of the Month)

Because these assets were originally released as monthly freebies, they were designed with a specific user journey in mind: you download them, you practice, you post your work. By owning the compilation, you’re essentially buying the right to revisit that journey at your own pace. You can do all twelve in a week, or you can pick the three prompts that interest you most and ignore the rest. The Procreate brushes and palettes are ready to import, so there’s no setup friction—just open Procreate, load the assets, and start drawing.

Why it’s on our radar

This pack stands out because it solves a real problem in the digital art community: the ephemeral nature of free monthly challenges. Most artists either collect them all or miss half of them. The 2022 Compilation is interesting because it’s a time-capsule product. It’s not a new release of generic tools; it’s a specific, finite set of assets that will never be updated or expanded. For a $12 price point, the density of value is high: you’re getting 36 distinct assets (12 brushes, 12 palettes, 12 images) that are all thematically linked. (Challenge of the Month)

The seller, Manero Brushes, also provides a YouTube video for each challenge, showing their own process. While the videos aren’t included in the digital download, the existence of this tutorial layer adds significant depth to the purchase. You’re not just buying tools; you’re buying access to a documented creative process. If you’re looking for a way to practice with intention rather than just “drawing for fun,” this curated 2022 set offers a rare combination of constraint, documentation, and completeness.

What actually matters

Before you buy, check your Procreate version. The seller notes that with Procreate 5.4, full-color brush thumbnails are no longer possible, so the set features redesigned monochrome thumbnails. This is a small detail, but it means the brush library will look clean and readable in your brush drawer, which matters if you’re switching between these 12 brushes and your personal library frequently. (Challenge of the Month)

Also, consider your workflow. If you’re a digital painter who relies on a massive, all-purpose brush set, these 12 brushes might feel limiting. That’s the point. But if you’re a hobbyist or a student who wants to practice specific techniques—like limited palette painting or prompt-based sketching—this is the right tool. The 12 color palettes are particularly useful for artists who struggle with color theory; working with a pre-defined palette forces you to focus on value and composition rather than getting lost in color selection.

Finally, check if you already have any of these assets. If you’ve been following Manero Brushes on social media and downloaded the freebies as they dropped, you might already have 8 or 9 of the 12 months. In that case, the $12 price might not be worth it unless you’re missing the specific months you care about. But if you’re starting fresh, the complete 2022 archive is a no-brainer at this price.

Mid-check

If you’re ready to lock in the full year of prompts, brushes, and palettes, you can See current options to grab the compilation before the next yearly set is released.

FAQ

Do I need to be a Procreate user to buy this? Yes, the brushes and palettes are designed specifically for Procreate. If you use Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, or Krita, these assets won’t be compatible. (Challenge of the Month)

Are the 12 challenges difficult? They range from simple to complex, but the difficulty is more about the constraint than the subject matter. The official challenge images give you a clear target, so you’re never guessing what the prompt is asking for.

Can I use these for commercial work? The license for the brushes and palettes typically allows you to use them in your artwork, including commercial work. Always check the specific license terms on the Gumroad listing for the most up-to-date details, as licenses can vary by seller.

Is this a one-time purchase? Yes, $12 gets you the full 2022 set. There’s no subscription or recurring fee. You own the files permanently. (Challenge of the Month)

Bottom line

The Challenge of the Month 2022 Compilation is a smart, low-risk way to add structure to your digital art practice. For $12, you get a full year of curated constraints, complete with the tools and reference images to guide you. It’s not a massive brush pack, and it’s not a tutorial course, but it’s a focused, intentional collection that rewards artists who want to practice with purpose. If you’ve ever missed a monthly challenge or just want to try a different way of working, this is the pack to grab. View on Gumroad to get the 2022 set and start your first challenge today.