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It’s Black Friday weekend, the start of the holiday shopping season! Many US retailers have marked down selected wares, including art and craft supplies. To help you parse the offerings, we’ll be tracking some of the best deals on artists’ tools, from pastels to tablets, to give as gifts or to keep for yourself.
We will be updating this page over the weekend, so check in with us often. A word of advice: Move fast, as many of these products will sell out quickly. (All prices current at time of publication.)
How we pick each product:
Our mission is to recommend the most appropriate artists’ tool or supply for your needs. Whether you are looking for top-of-the line equipment or beginners’ basics, we’ll make sure that you get good value for your money by doing the research for you. We scour the Internet for information on how art supplies are used and read customer reviews by real users; we ask experts for their advice; and of course, we rely on our own accumulated expertise as artists, teachers, and craftspeople.
SAVE ON TECH GEAR AND CAMERAS
This Black Friday weekend there’s lots of great tech for artists, collectors, and galleries on sale. Check out our Black Friday deals on electronics, photography equipment, and software, and more here.
SAVE ON ART-THEMED PUZZLES
Up to 30% off Pomegranate jigsaw puzzles
Who doesn’t enjoy a good jigsaw puzzle? It’s a great pastime that can relieve stress, and it doesn’t involve a computer screen. And they make a great gift for the puzzle fanatic in your life. The independent publisher Pomegranate faithfully reproduces fine-art masterpieces in its sturdy, well-cut puzzles. Shop puzzles based on works by Georges Seurat, Edward Hopper, Henri Matisse, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, and others, and save up to 30%.
SAVE ON ART GIFTS
20%–30% off Museum of Modern Art Design Store merchandise
If you are shopping for an art lover in your life, you can’t do much better than the Museum of Modern Art Design Store, which carries exhibition catalogs, artist and exhibition merch, home goods, accessories, and more. Save 20% storewide this weekend on items like this stuffed pumpkin based on a Yayoi Kusama artwork.
SAVE ON ONLINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES
50% off Master Class memberships (billed monthly) ***Deal Ends Today!***
You’ve most likely seen one of the commercials for MasterClass, the online education subscription service that gets celebrities from to record tutorials on a wide range of topics from cooking to science to philosophy. Instructors include musician Alicia Keys, chef Gordon Ramsay, editor and fashion icon Anna Wintour, comedian and actor Steve Martin, and other luminaries. For a limited time, you can buy one MasterClass annual membership and get an additional annual membership free.
SAVE ON ARTIST’S SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT
Blick is having an in-store holiday sale through December 24, but you can also find great deals online through its cyber sale. Many of the best deals are on student-grade tools and supplies, so if you are on a budget or just starting out, this is an especially good sale for you. Here are some bargains that caught our eye.
Canson XL Fluid Mixed Media Pad, 9 x 12″
We love Canson’s XL mixed-media paper, which can be used with both dry and wet media and is bright white and acid free. At 250 gsm, this paper is almost twice as thick as Canson’s regular mixed-media paper, making it durable enough to use for heavier applications of wet media. Save 50% on a 9 x 12″ pad.
Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolors, set of 24
Take 50% off Winsor & Newton’s stutio watercolor set from its Cotman line. Cotmans are student-grade paints that provide strong, non-grainy color and good transparency. Notably, they have excellent lightfastness ratings, so you can use them in final pieces without fear of fading. This set features 24 full pans of Cotman paint in a practical range of colors, all in a lightweight plastic case.
Holbein Acryla gouache, set of 12 colors
Save 45% on Holbein’s student-grade acrylic gouache paints. This set of 20ml tubes contains one tube each of 12 essential colors: Carmine, Scarlet, Deep Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Light Green, Viridian, Ultramarine Blue, Sky Blue, Violet, Burnt Sienna, Jet Black, and Titanium White.
Winsor & Newton ProMarkers, set of 48
Winsor & Newton Promarkers, which are filled with high-performance, alcohol-based ink, are on sale, and you can save the most when you buy large sets of 48. Promarkers blend and layer very well, and also allow you to dilute the intensity of a hue. They’re a great cost-saving alternative to pricier Copics, and at these prices, even Prismacolor Premiers. Take 56% off this dual-tip set of essential colors.
Rembrandt oil color set
Take 40 % off this oil paint starter set, which contains 15 colors in 15 ml tubes, plus charcoal sticks, 2 hog-bristle brushes, one 75 ml bottle of painting medium, a wooden palette, and a double palette cup. It’s all packed in a handsome wooden box, making it a thoughtful gift for any aspiring artist.
SAVE ON TOOLS FOR THE STUDIO
Craftsman two-drill set
Take 34% off a Craftsman 20-volt power tool combo kit of two drills. Today’s cordless drills are incredibly powerful, handy and versatile, and they’re also easy to hold and carry. This two-set drill combo kit from Craftsman comes with a 20V drill/driver and 20V impact driver. Both are lightweight, compact, and are easy to handle. They come with a soft storage bag, batteries, charger and accessories.
Conway Airmega air purifier
Keep your studio air healthier and smelling better with a Conway air purifier, which captures allergens like pollen, smoke, and mold spores and also reduces organic compounds.
SAVE ON PRODUCTS FOR CRAFTING
Michael’s Black Friday sale on craft supplies is in full swing, with great deals on everything from beads to framing. And don’t forget the items on Michael’s weekly ad. Pro tip: download the store’s app to easily browse newly released offers. Here are some of our picks for what to buy:
Artist paper pads, BOGO
Buy one get one free on all artist paper pads, including drawing, sketching, and watercolor pads from Strathmore and our favorite mixed-media pad from Canson.
Buy two get one free on fine art markers, pens, and pencils
Buy two get one free on markers, pens, and pencils, including Gelly Roll markers, Prismacolor Premier colored pencils, Copic Sketch markers, and Tombo dual-brush pens.
Buy three get two free on paint and painting supplies
Buy three get two free on fine-art painting supplies from Liquitex, Gamblin, Pebeo, and more.
