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Message
Posted
Hello,
I have to admit I have not even bought my first tube of paint yet but have trawled hungrily the Internet for art suppliers. I am talking anything from brush and paint to canvases and easels here. What I found were Jackson's, Cass Art, SAA etc. but I assume they are the usual suspects so I was hoping to get a few more choices from fellow artists. Either mail-order or, I live in the Chester area, shops.
Many thanks
Pierre
Posted
My usual suppliers are Ken Bromley; Jacksons; Granthams (ArtDiscount) - much overlooked I think, but a good company; and Chromacolour for their own brand of acrylics. There's also The Supreme Paint Company, which offers the Rublev brand and a few others, Rublev being a US paint company, which uses no Zinc White in its paints because Zinc has been found to be implicated in the deterioration of some paintings in which it's been used over time; if this is a worry, then you can still buy many other brands of paint but check the label to ensure they don't contain Zinc (listed as PW 4 on the label).
You could also look up the Michael Willcox School of Colour - which supplies limited quantities of good oil paint in conformity with the principles of the split-palette system. Cass Arts are said to be good, as are Great Art/Gerstaecker. As for brands, Jacksons and Bromleys make their own oil paints, which are worth a try; I use them quite a bit, as well as the most expensive paints that you probably wouldn't want to start with.
Posted
I've used most of those named over the years, not SAA as I'm not interested in becoming a member.
My preference these days is Jackson's Art, always prompt service and discounted as most of them have to be nowadays in order to compete. Great Art do have some generous 'extra' discounts, usually 20%, and I've just had a code come through which I will be using. Great service from them also.
You've already identified these by the look of it anyway, there isn't anything better out there, and all the one's that both I and others have mentioned, are competitively priced. As for shops in Chester, you are on-site, so do some leg work yourself, but you will almost certainly have to pay RRP.
Posted
Rosemary & Co is a great company, from whom I've bought all my more modern brushes; but I still have very old brushes made by Geo Rowney & Co, as was; Japanese Guitar hogs; and the Chinese Eterna brand. And some sables and other brushes for watercolour given to me by the great Alan Owen - befriend Alan, and he'll send you all sorts of things (but I did help him edit an article he wrote for LP, neither expecting nor deserving any reward - but he's the kindest of men).
I'd always go to Rosemary & Co for brushes - I don't think there's a better source, and I'm not a company shareholder either.
But W & N watercolour brushes are still among the best; Escoda make great brushes; Daler-Rowney, as they are now, still make excellent brushes. And there are many others - but have a good look at them before you buy, if you buy in a shop: a rough, scratchy looking bristle brush may actually be quite helpful for special effects, but not for general painting. Avoid pony hair - or 'mixed hair'. Great brushes don't have to be very expensive, unless made of sable - the thing about Rosemary & Co is that you can trust whatever you buy from them, no matter how 'cheap': and I would say the same of Jackson's and Ken Bromley - you won't get tat!
Next to the surface on which you paint, the brush is the second most important thing - then the paint: but that's got to be good too. Or - as Michael Edwards triumphantly proves, pull a stick out of the hedge, sharpen it, and employ it for unusual effects. Much better than cheap brushes.
Posted
Once again I have to say I am amazed at the helpfulness of everyone here. Such great advice, and it has supported me in making a selection (that is probably completely over the top) but most importantly confidence in my own judgement, as I thought Jackson's, for example, looked very good. Nevertheless, it is always advisable, I find, to listen to what the pros say.
Therefore, many thanks for all the tips and the time you make available for beginners like me. It makes getting started that much easier and less daunting.
Posted
Although I live in a big city with two art material shops, I prefer to buy from the internet as there's a wider choice. I recommend:
For brushes - https://www.rosemaryandco.com/
For other items - https://www.jacksonsart.com/
Posted
I agree with most of these above, Great Art are good fo individual discounts so if you are going to order a lot of stuff, split the order by ordering your first order as quite small and then you receive a 10% discount from them as a new customer. They also send you a 10% discount for your birthday. Also some bargains can be got from Hobbycraft if you join as a member you also get a % off and they also send you a Birthday % off too. Another one to try out is The Art Shop Skipton,www.theartshopskipton.co.uk they have great deals and it is worth going on their mailing list. If you live in Yorkshire or surrounding counties and you are in an art group Skipton Art Shop will come out to you and demonstrate with loads of goodies and professional demonstrators.
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