With a large variety of art supplies to choose from, Cheap Joe’s sells materials through its website, catalogue, and retail locations.
With a large variety of art supplies to choose from, Cheap Joe’s sells materials through its website, catalogue, and retail locations.
One of the premier suppliers of drawing and watercolor paper, Arches opened its first paper mill in 1492. Today the company continues to use traditional paper-making techniques to produce its 100% cotton watercolor and drawing paper. The papers are sold in ivory vellum double-sided, white fine vellum, and laid varieties. Along with its high quality papers, the company also produces watercolor brushes.
Artist John Hersey began making these pastels in England more than a decade ago. Each pastel stick is hand-rolled and air-dried and contains only the purest pigments in a cycle of related hues (rather than containing white or black).
These handmade pastels are available in sets of 78 and contain rich pigments that provide excellent brilliance and tone. Each pastel measures 2 1⁄2" × 1⁄2" (65 mm × 13 mm).
Founded in 1966, Art Spectrum produces oil, watercolor, pastel, and gouache. The Australian company also produces a variety of pastel papers, including a Colourfix-coated paper that has a unique, fine-tooth surface.
Although Liquitex was founded in 1932 as Permanent Pigments, a company that made oil paint, it eventually became the first company to produce water-based acrylic paint. In 1955 the company named its acrylic paint Liquitex, to stand for “liquid texture.” Liquitex also developed the first modeling paste, water-based acrylic gesso, gloss medium and varnish, and matte medium—all of which the company still offers.
Caran d’Ache was founded in Geneva in 1924. The company has a history of environment-friendly manufacturing and makes it a policy to produce its pencils only on wood from countries that replant their forests and do not jeopardize the ecosystem.
Located in Portland, Oregon, Gamblin Artists Colors was founded by Robert Gamblin, an artist who wanted to know more about the composition of his paint. Gamblin, who started making the oil colors in his garage 25 years ago, wanted to create paints that would allow artists to create long-lasting paintings with exceptional color and quality. Gamblin Artists Colors also prides itself on making paint that does not require turpentine. Instead, the paints are made and diluted with odorless mineral spirits, which are the mildest solvents.
Founded in 1832 by color chemist William Winsor and artist Henry Newton, Winsor & Newton manufactures a wide variety of materials for artists. This British company produced the world’s first moist watercolors in 1835 and launched the first alkyd range of paints in 1976. As one of the foremost art-material companies in the world, Winsor & Newton continues to develop innovative oil, watercolor, and acrylic paints as well as high quality paintbrushes.
Holbein produces 164 oil-paint colors that are made by kneading pigments together with either linseed or poppy oil. The paints are light resistant--Holbein puts all its paints through an ultraviolet ray exposure test.
