What art supplies have you bought recently?

[Terri]

I gotta tell ya, I came back yesterday to respond to your statements, and couldn't get in! This, and other threads had a warning at the bottom saying I didn't have enough ..... [I forget the word] to post here, and a warning at the top to fix my email though I had not done anything to it. I sent a couple of emails to the "contact us" last night, for help.
Finally I'm back.
Cosmic joke, or what?

Anyway, Arty, art dice, search on amazon. Mine aren't that fancy, but made with love.

The site may have had a little hiccup yesterday. My first click onto a "Like" brought a message asking if I was really sure I wanted to click on the Like. I closed the message and did it again, and it went through. Nothing else happened and I didn't get the email warning you did. Glad it seems okay today.

 

[Rich53]

I gotta tell ya, I came back yesterday to respond to your statements, and couldn't get in! This, and other threads had a warning at the bottom saying I didn't have enough ..... [I forget the word] to post here, and a warning at the top to fix my email though I had not done anything to it. I sent a couple of emails to the "contact us" last night, for help.
Finally I'm back.
Cosmic joke, or what?

Remember, "the chief purpose of computers is to irritate humans and annoy them forever!"

And if you forget, any computer will be happy to remind you! Glad you're reconnected.

 

[Ayin Es]

I gotta tell ya, I came back yesterday to respond to your statements, and couldn't get in! This, and other threads had a warning at the bottom saying I didn't have enough ..... [I forget the word] to post here, and a warning at the top to fix my email though I had not done anything to it. I sent a couple of emails to the "contact us" last night, for help.
Finally I'm back.
Cosmic joke, or what?

Anyway, Arty, art dice, search on amazon. Mine aren't that fancy, but made with love.

Both Hannah and I have been checking to see what the glitch is. It might have something to do with the forum software not liking certain email addresses. I had to set your account back again today! I'm not sure what's going on, but I will get with Hannah again today to see if we can get to the bottom of it. I'm so sorry. It's been a mystery here too.

 

[Artyczar]

NTL,

Both Hannah and I have been trying to email you about what the issue is, but we have not heard back from you. Can you please respond? The issue is your email address, but I don't want to get into this publicly on the forum. You need to change your address to a different domain because the forum software is rejecting your address and is making it bounce. Once it does this so many times, it locks out the user.

There are other services where you can get a free email address. I guess the one you're on is not ideal for the Xenforo software. I'm so sorry. We can't do much about it.

 

[stlukesguild]

I have yet to buy any art supplies recently... but I am off to the local Dick Blick's store tomorrow to get color pencils, pastel pencils, pastels... and maybe some acrylic paint. I'll have to see if they have the sort of matte acrylic I need. If not... I'm going to have to make a trip to Michael's or Hobby Lobby... both of which I hate. I need to get some Burnt Sienna (or something close to that) for the primer layer and a variety of pinks for the painting I recently started.

 

[ZenDruid]

I'm going to have to make a trip to Michael's or Hobby Lobby... both of which I hate.

Why the animosity? Somebody else here expressed that not long ago and I don't get it. We have both stores in our local community and I've shopped at both for years.

 

[stlukesguild]

Why the animosity? Somebody else here expressed that not long ago and I don't get it. We have both stores in our local community and I've shopped at both for years.

For years... decades... we had a great local Art & Hobby supply store, Pat Catan's, here in town. The prices were far better than Dick Blicks... let alone Michael's and Hobby Lobby. I was able to cheaply get the supplies I needed for my own work as well as supplies for teaching at a bargain price. Pat Catan's also sold a great deal of hobbyist supplies which put them in competition with Michael's which could not compete with Pat Catan's prices. Michael's bought out Pat Catan's about 3 or 4 years ago (Michael's is a larger national company and had the money to do so). They then moth-balled Pat Catan's. Where I had been able to purchase all the supplies I needed for my work as well as for my students at a single venue, I now need to go to multiple sources... including online. Hobby Lobby is basically the same as Michael's... the emphasis is on the hobbyist and crafters and so the serious or professional artist. The prices on most of the supplies I have looked at in either store tend to be ridiculous.

 

[ZenDruid]

For years... decades... we had a great local Art & Hobby supply store, Pat Catan's, here in town.

Got it, I understand. I also hate to see good local shops buried by chain stores. We never had a good local art shop locally so I have nothing to compare to.

 

[stlukesguild]

I might add that one of my studio partners worked at the Pat Catan's warehouse and he would often get us all great coupons on top of the discounts for teachers and the frequent great sales. He'd often give us a coupon for 40% all purchases on a given date, or 50% off a single item... and so we'd pick up that big tube of Cadmium Red.

 

[16ga]

My local Michael's seems to be going up in price while the quality of their stuff drops. They're also the only art store in the area.

 

[OliveOyl]

My first art store was the old (iconic) Pearl Paint store on Canal Street in NYC. Didn’t own a car then, so I took the subway from Hoboken. Next it was Utrecht Art Supplies (now closed), on the corner of Mass Ave in Boston which was right around the corner. Walkable. I loved my last art store too (on the North Shore of Boston), used mostly by students from the local art college. It was under a fire escape, behind the mattress store, and a 30 minute meandering drive, a few towns over. It was chock full of EVERYTHING and all the signs were hand painted and the people that worked there actually knew stuff and so were helpful.

But now I’m here and the only “grownup” art store is way across town, also 30 minutes away. I have to go through stressful and annoying city traffic to get there so…nope...not worth the effort. Closer to home, there’s a Michael’s AND a Hobby Lobby right next to each other (?!) and I can drive to them without having a heart attack. But I avoid HL because it’s an asshole company and will go to Michael’s in a pinch but it seems they never have much in stock. Very frustrating.

So out of necessity, I’ve become a Dick Blick fan. No major complaints so far, except it takes longer than 30 minutes to get my greedy hands on the grub.

 

[Artyczar]

Zen, I personally have animosity for Hobby Lobby for its religious/anti-queer rights and contributions, but let's not get political. You asked.

 

[Jo Castillo]

We have only Hobby Lobby. They have most things I need. Their ready made frames are more limited than ever so ordering on-line. Also they had a 40% off one item every week and I used to buy museum glass for my pastels. They stopped accepting the coupon on the glass. It is the only place I can get that at the last minute.

I ordered this sanded pastel paper. It stays flat really well. 5 star review so far.

 

[Triduana]

I haven't bought any supplies in a long time (I really don't need any). But two days ago I noticed a new art shop has opened in town, about 10 minutes away from where I work. Like I say, I don't need anything, but it all looks so shiny ...

So I went in the new art shop today. I needed a new 0.1 Unipin fineliner so used that as an excuse. Decided to get two.

Sent a text to my husband telling him I'd had a look round, and his reply was "How much paper did you buy?"

I also bought a Khadi paper sketchbook - 100gsm handmade paper. I love the stuff, it's great for ink and watercolour. I also got some Yupo paper to try out. Does anyone else buy new paper and then sit there staring at it?

 

[Bongo]

I saw some incredible work (on youtube) using posca pens. So I got some to try out -multimedia -with acrylics and oils

From Dick Blicks.

I had an empty cookie tin and the pens just happen to fit in perfectly

8 Posca cool colors
8 Posca warm colors
8 Posca monotones
Set of 36 Posca color pencils -- comes in a 3-tier case.
200 ml tube of Winsor & Newton underpainting white.-- I use this instead of titanium white.

 

[Marksmomagain]

Here are some recent acquisitions from two thrift stores, an estate sale and a couple store clearance racks:

A nice steel rolling cabinet that will make a nice taboret $30.
A box containing 45 Pan Pastels lightly used for $50.
A Richeson paper soaking tray size 22 1/2"x30 1/2" for $9 new in the box.
A Ugo wet panel carrier that carries several different panel sizes for $25. Has a missing latch.
A C-thru aluminum 24" ruler for $2 like new.
A 10"x14" glass cutting board to use as a palette for $2.

 

[Nerys]

Online order from Gerstaecker.de delivered yesterday.
Small sketchbook 9 x 14 cm and not in picture 2 sketchbooks white gold and forrest green both 12 x 12 cm. Brushes round 1,2, 3 and one slanted edge.
Tube titanium buff watercolor to mix with colors. White titanium gouache W&N to mix with watercolors. Acrylic gouache white Liquitex it has a bit of a odd strong smell. I bought it to mix with my Turner set acrylic gouache to make more colors.
Turner has no smell. Liquitex acrylic has no smell either.
Landscape watercolors Jaxon artist quality red ochre, olive green, grey green, yellowgreen, prussian blue, ultramarine.
Big tube replacements light gold and titanium white 59 ml Daler Rowney, my previous gold was Galleria W&N but paint was bit thin. The white was same brand.
Two new to me acrylics lime Liquitex small tube 22 ml and red Pyrolle Amsterdam standard Royal Talens warm red small tube 20 ml , both very pretty. For my White Nights artist quality watercolors collection cadmium yellow, beautiful and venetian red. I keep watercolors in empty bonbon metal tins from many years ago, edge of picture visible.
The gouache W&N is very nice. My lost disappeared Lukas white gouache was sort of dry, misplaced it somewhere and it is missing since december.

 

[Grizabella]

I bought several of these and they're wonderful. They say they're for kids but they're absolutely fantastic for us adults, too. So economical! I prefer to use full pans of paints so they're perfect for me in that way, but they're also very simple, compact, sturdy, and the mixing area opens to lie flat on your surface. They also have one of those thumb rings, which I don't normally use much but the thumb ring lies flat, too, so you can put the whole opened palette on a surface without any tipping and teetering. Also, if you want to use half pans, they fit in just right and you can use a mixture of half and full pans. I dump out the empty pans they come with and put in whatever size I want. They"re about the size of a smallish cell phone when closed up. All it lets me post is the link but it takes you to Amazon with the picture and info. For $5.86 how can you lose? Oh and there's room inside for a small travel brush as well. I use a size 4 Fuumuui travel brush in mine. You can put in two rows of full pans or three rows of half pans or a mixture. The box is a little awkward to open but it closes quite securely with no accidental opening.

I suggest you might want to use some stickytack to hold the pans in once you've filled them. They're not fastened in.

Amazon.com

 

[Nerys]

I have one of the Mijello empty big paint palettes but with my arthritis it is difficult to open. I have one DS 5 ml tube but again same issue due to tiny size cap. The recent buy 10 ml tube watercolor is larger cap easier to open. I do not glue the watercolor pans because put the ones in use in a tiny box and then after use return into the metal tins.Guess we all have our own ways, but thanks for the tips.

 

[Nerys]

The small perfume miniatures box use both parts to put the paint pans into it.
My daughter gave me the tip upcycle my things into storage usage instead of clear plastic bins.