Although resist dyeing techniques (including ones involving binding of fabric prior to coloring) date back at least 2,500 years, tie dyeing as it has come to be known is a distinctly American artform that was born out of the freewheeling hippy days of California in the 1960’s. Even today, multi-colored tie dye motifs like the rainbow spiral are widely associated with the love movement that took America by storm some forty years ago. Though tie dye has been absorbed into more mainstream aesthetics in recent years (see “tie dye chic,” for instance, a popular “yuppie” fad), it remains a markedly American tradition. Believe it or not, Jacquard was the very…

Princeton Brush has updated color coded price strips for all of its displays based upon the 2017 price increase. Here are the options available: SNAP! Spinner Floor Display 9100 Real Value Wall Rack 9100 Spinner Floor Display 3750 Select Wall Rack (not counter/spinner displays) Retailers are encouraged to email Howard directly at howard@princetonbrush.com with specific details of what they would like and they will be sent immediately

Calligraphy is arguably the most enduring ancient art form. Now, in the age of social media, it is experiencing a major renaissance. See this month’s trend report on Hand Lettering. That is exactly what Jacquard has seen with their Pearl Ex pigments (Jacquard’s line of over 30 metallic/pearlescent mica pigments), which in recent years experienced an incredible surge in popularity, particularly among calligraphers. Search #PearlEx hashtag on Instagram, and the majority of the thousands of images that you will see will be of beautifully penned words, sparkling and shiny in well-lit videos or stills. Calligraphers are particularly fond of metallic colors. So much so that many of them banded together…

Artists are as unique as their vision. That’s why Strathmore has listened to their requests for a series of artists pads with covers that can be customized. For the first time ever, this new line of products features a tear away fly sheet that reveals a heavyweight, customizable, blank cover made from high quality, steel blue mixed media paper. All products feature the new customizable cover, which is made from a specially created 184 lb / 300 gsm steel blue mixed media paper, and is suitable for use with wet and dry media. Artists can feel free to let the world see their vision using the materials of their choice, ultimately showcasing…

Liquitex will launch a new range of Cadmium-Free colors in 2017, giving artists a wider range of choice when selecting safe art materials. Since their foundation in 1955 Liquitex have partnered with artists to ensure that they continually evolve and innovate. As there is no universal view on the potential harm of cadmium pigments, Liquitex has chosen to acknowledge this and offer both alternatives side by side so that artists can make a choice based on their personal preference. ColArt is proud to be the first in the market to introduce a parity performance Cadmium-Free alternative for health and safety conscious artists. As a company they are committed to developing safe and…

This year at the NAMTA show, Strathmore incorporated a birthday theme into the booth which included a birthday cake and balloons to celebrate their 125th anniversary. The celebration will continue throughout the year with special themed activities and events for consumers and retailers, so watch for special activities on social media platforms to share with your customers. As part of the anniversary celebration, Strathmore created a unique cover for the standard 400-8 400 Series Drawing pad. The composition and construction of the pad is identical to the standard product, with the exception that the pad artwork has been revised to include an image of founder Horace Moses, done in graphite by artist…

QoR Watercolor Buy 2, Get 3 FREE Promotion: When consumers purchase any two 11 ml tubes of QoR, they will receive a Sample Set of three 5 ml tubes of QoR for FREE! The Sample Set contains Nickel Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Magenta, and Ultramarine Blue. Six of these starter kits will be shipped directly to all QoR retailers at no cost. In addition, retailers will be provided with a countertop dispenser unit for the sets, a tent card, an in-aisle banner and digital assets to help communicate the promotion through email, web and social media. Retailers can expect to receive promotional materials mid-March. Retailers will receive a FREE Sample Set…

Learn lettering with Tombow’s new Lettering sets. New to lettering? Grab the Beginner Lettering Set to learn the essentials. Already been practicing? Check out the Advanced Lettering Set. Each set includes an instructional booklet and the tools you need to get started, regardless of your experience level. Beginner Lettering Set Includes everything you need to start hand-lettering, including an instruction booklet with steps to get started. Each set includes two Dual Brush Pens, Fudenosuke Calligraphy Pen, MONO Twin Permanent Marker, MONO Drawing Pencil and MONO Eraser. Dual Brush Pens with flexible brush tip for big, bold letters and fine tip for details Fudenosuke Calligraphy Pen with Petite brush tip Twin…

NEW from Jacquard Products and now available from MacPherson’s: Jagua Temporary Tattoo Kit, item #JAC9515 SRP $13.99 Safe, non-toxic and 100% natural, Jagua tattoos last 1-2 weeks and LOOK REAL! Used for body adornment by indigenous peoples of the Amazon for thousands of years, Jacquard is proud to now offer the only shelf-stable form of jagua ever available. The third Body Art Kit from Jacquard, the Jagua Temporary Tattoo Kit is sure to be the most universally appealing, especially considering how mainstream real tattoos have become. Body art of all kinds is trending BIG TIME right now, and both real and temporary tattoos seem to be everywhere you look. Increasingly often, you…

Strathmore is extremely proud to be able to provide quality products that meet the ever changing needs of artists, which is why they have created a new grade of products in response to their requests…available NOW! The current 400 Series Toned Sketch and 400 Series Mixed Media (white) papers have become favorites among artists, but Strathmore discovered an unmet need. Artists are looking for a toned paper that is not only suitable for sketching and drawing with light and dark media, but that can also stand up to wet media applications. Strathmore 400 Series Toned Mixed Media papers are heavyweight, and are in the same warm tan and cool gray colors as our Toned Sketch…

Spring is just upon us and what better way to celebrate than to get outside and play! SolarFast is safe for any age and easy to use.   Photographers, screen printers, print makers and dyers rejoice: with SolarFast, Jacquard has taken photography out of the darkroom and opened up a whole world of light-powered print making! SolarFast is a light-developed dye that is permanent and archival on any natural fabric or artist paper. This means you can now print continuous-tone photographs in any color, directly onto paper or fabric, without a darkroom, without additional chemicals, without heat setting, without steaming…it’s fast and easy and the results will blow you away! SolarFast…

Did you know that indigo was once referred to as “Blue Gold?” occurs naturally in various plants (and mollusks) found all over the world? was independently discovered and cultivated by diverse and distant cultures throughout history? is still associated with political power and religious ritual? was used by the Romans as a pigment for painting as well as for medicinal and cosmetic purposes? The earliest examples of indigo-dyed textiles trace back to numerous cultures throughout history: from the mummies of ancient Egypt and Peru (both over 6,000 years ago), to the manuscripts of Mesopotamia (2,600 years ago), where cuneiform tablets were found with the recipe for dying wool blue. Most…

New Watercolor Paper Winsor & Newton is introducing a NEW watercolor paper range at NAMTA 2017. All items in the collection have been created in the tradition of fine papermaking, the finest raw materials have been used and all papers are cylinder mould made. Artists can choose from two tiers of paper: The Classic Collection offers users a superb paper at an opening price point. Included in the range are spiral and glued pads, postcards and a sheet, all using 140# cold pressed paper. For the fine artist who is looking for outstanding quality papers, the Winsor & Newton Professional level watercolor paper is produced of 100% cotton and features…

Williamsburg Oils “Artist Picks” Spring Promotion In order to continue to drive trial of unique Williamsburg Oil Colors, GOLDEN has developed a countertop display highlighting 4 colors endorsed by professional artist testimony and usage suggestions. Colors featured are Courbet Green, Payne’s Grey Violet, Prussian Blue, and Raw Umber. The countertop display is available at an additional 15% to retailers. Items featured in the countertop display are eligible for a MAP of 40% off list price during the promotional period. The promotion period runs from April 3 to May 26, 2017. The retailer order and shipping period is from March 20 to May 12. Orders placed via distribution will drop ship…