purplejackmama Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 What's your favorite source for art supplies? Specifically, canvases, paints, watercolor paper, etc. My kids LOVE to paint. Love it! But, I'm cheap, and I don't buy them nearly enough supplies because of the expense. I hate this, and I want to be more accommodating. So tell me, where do you buy supplies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Look at Dick Blick. Range of quality and prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Another vote for Dick Blick. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Dollar store! There are canvases there, and art books. Cheap! There are paintbrushes. They're not great quality, but how old are your kids? Will it hamper them? There are acrylics there, but they're the bottled craft kind, and they're hit-and-miss. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Joann's Fabrics I'm impressed with the stuff I find there. It is good beginner quality. I'm also impressed with unusual art items they have available on the shelf or via website. Jerry's Artarama: a nice selection, but probably better quality and more expensive than the ages/abilities of my children. I've bought tube watercolors, palettes, and brushes from there. JoAnn's is cheaper and a better fit for where my children are at. Artful Parent: does not sell art supplies, but makes recommendations. Here is her blog post on paper.--------------------------------------------- We are recently inspired by Artree, an online art magazine for kids. Past issues are only a couple of dollars each, or you can get an annual subscription for $10. The projects push us out of our comfort zone of just painting or drawing to create unusual pictures using new materials and new techniques. It doubles as "art education" because it profiles an artist each month. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Jerry's Artarama and Dick Blick are my go to places. If you sign up for emails, you can also get coupons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 One of my teens has really gotten into oil painting. And believe me, Dick Blick is the only way we've kept this affordable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RioSamba Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Dick Blick. I've never heard of Jerry's, so I'm off to explore there site right now😄 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 If you've got preschoolers, a teacher store will have half gallon jugs of tempera that last pretty long. Here's some at Lakeshore for ~$16 a gallon. Get red, blue, yellow and white. Get a small amt of black and brown (16 oz bottles). Should last quite a while. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Miller Pads and Paper for big packs of inexpensive drawing and watercolor paper! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 If you have a reuse center near you, sometimes they're excellent sources for good paper and paint. I second Jo-Ann as a good in person place to get good deals. And Dick Blick for online deals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Dick Blick. I've never heard of Jerry's, so I'm off to explore there site right now😄 We have a brick&mortar Jerry's the next town over. It is my 12 yo daughter's favorite place on earth! I've never ordered from them online but the physical store has good prices (some a bit higher than Blick, some a bit lower) and great sales. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martha in GA Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Hobby Lobby and Michael's with a 40% off coupon, if you have either of them locally. These two stores will also often have 40% or 50% off their drawing paper, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 We have a Jerry's Artarama about thirty minutes away. We go every few months so ds can stock up. If he needs something to fill in between visits, he uses a 50% off coupon at AC Moore or Michaels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 ebay. Yep ebay. I bought all our art supplies at once and got compared prices for hours in a spreadsheet. I did end up ordering items from: Amazon(watercolor paper), Jerry's(had an awesome coupon, like 30% off I think) and ebay (brushes, tubes of watercolors). But I bought in quantity to last the year. If only one or two items at a time are needed, I think Joann's or Micheals with coupons would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RioSamba Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 We have a brick&mortar Jerry's the next town over. It is my 12 yo daughter's favorite place on earth! I've never ordered from them online but the physical store has good prices (some a bit higher than Blick, some a bit lower) and great sales.Jerry's site is awesome! Look out, Dick Blick, now I have options. It turns out there is a Jerry's Artarama store about an hour away from here. Unfortunately it is a small one without "most of the unique items" online. Pfffft. No fun wanderings through acres of affordable art supplies for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I don't know if it works at all Dick Blick stores, but my local one was nice enough to give me an educator card when I asked. I get a discount plus they send me postcards for special sales. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thank you so much!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Nasco - If you live near one of their stores, they not only have good prices, but offer a teacher discount. Rainbow Resource has good prices on simple supplies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zahur Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 What's your favorite source for art supplies? Specifically, canvases, paints, watercolor paper, etc. My kids LOVE to paint. Love it! But, I'm cheap, and I don't buy them nearly enough supplies because of the expense. I hate this, and I want to be more accommodating. So tell me, where do you buy supplies? :hurray: My favorite source for art supplies is http://www.artistsupplysource.com :hurray: I found here canvases, papers, books/DVDs, paints, etc. in a very competitive price. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 For what age kid? Up to at least age 10, I just buy tempura paints and Crayola watercolors and markers. For paper, I get large size white construction paper at the teacher store. I do splurge on watercolor paper and better drawing tablets, but I try to get those on sale, or with a coupon (JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels always have 40% off coupons available) I have acrylic paints when they get older, and I buy small canvases (again, on sale or with coupon). I have bought cheap, ugly paintings at the thrift store (framed), and allowed my dd to paint over them. You can often find them cheaper than a new, large canvas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Blick has quality materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Love Dick Blick, but it's kind of like Target...can't shop there and not spend $75-100. ;) I find stuff at Target, Walmart, Dollar Store, and Joanne's. Friend whose an art teacher loves Sargent brand products. You can get them at Blick, but also DiscountSchoolSupply.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Another vote for Dick Blick, watch their sales and learn what is a good deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 We've found that the cheapest way to buy canvases is to go to Michael's on Boxing Day, with coupons in hand, and then stock up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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