Although many cities in the US do not allow minors to purchase aerosol paints, things may be a little different in England! Check out the link below to see some amazing murals, canvases, and even tattoos done by a 10-year old female artist out of Brighton, England, Super Solveig. Super Solveig Link Super Solveig’s mixes playful and colorful motifs with gothic undertones such as skulls and zombies.  Her paint of choice?  Montana Gold!

Don Bradley asks, “How about a pop quiz to test up on one of the art markets biggest opportunities before we jump into the deals?  Q: What is Sequential Art? A: Sequential Art is the term used by professionals and the education community to cover the field of comics, cartooning, graphic novels, Manga, etc.” Don continues with, “Strathmore’s spring promotion extends through April 17 for reduced drop ship orders; ask your MacPherson’s rep for the details.  In addition to our new Sequential Art Surfaces that I talked about in the last Art Dog Blog, we have repackaged our digital greeting cards. They are now called Inkjet Cards and they are…

Along with a back to basics approach for retail purchasing and merchandising being keys for success in this challenging economy, selective new product additions can be truly instrumental in delivering incremental sales and in helping to refresh basic product categories. To that end, be on the lookout for these exciting new product additions from Elmer’s. They will all be included in your MacPherson’s sales rep’s next SMIAB. ·  X-ACTO Black Designer Series Knife. The bar has been raised for X-ACTO Knives  in terms of style, comfort, and ergonomic design.  This brand new, consumer-friendly knife received rave reviews from all types of users, including graphic artists, students, industrial workers and amateurs…

From the desk of Steve Rossney comes the following… At NAMTA in Reno last year, Chartpak unveiled its new merchandising concept.  The new program included beautiful, new, Plexiglas displays for Grumbacher and Koh-I-Noor. It also included metallic headers, custom branding posters, shelf labeling strips, and specific Power Panels. Chartpak is now rolling out its new Signage/Merchandising Program for 2009. In this difficult economy, retailers need to effectively connect with their customers, with an engaging store environment more than ever before. Do your store design, store décor and consumer marketing pieces speak to the emotions, dreams and aspirations of your customers? The general objective of this program is to help you,…

GOLDEN Redesigns Product Labels Customers will soon see a newly designed product label from Golden Artist Colors.  In an effort to better serve artists by providing more information at POP, lowering the risk of incorrect purchases  and increasing shop-ability, updated labels for all products will begin rolling out over the new few months.  This is a running change, which means new labels will appear on some color and non-color products before others, with the goal of having all products using the new labels by mid-Summer.  This change will have no impact and/or bearing on item numbers or current ordering processes. See below for a comparison between the old and new…

We use the RSS feed feature in most web browsers to follow some fun and interesting blogs (it’s a life saver!). One that we love is called “In the New Economy”, by UPENN Senior  Chloe Hurley. In a recent post she presented a photo we love that brings back a flood of memories (not all good!). Here is the link to the blog: In the New Economy

Here’s the latest from Dan Canny at Sanford… •    We have introduced a NEW Sharpie. This is a stylish, Stainless Steel Fine Point product that is also refillable. It is available carded and in April it will be available in an 18-piece counter display. It is our first premium product entry under the Sharpie brand name and thus far the reviews are great. Your MacPherson’s representative will have details soon. •    MacPherson’s is offering the Prismacolor Premier 60ct Pencil Set at a 50/10% discount all year long. This is a great set for the Independent Dealers to promote because it is a set exclusive to the Independent Fine Art dealers. Now is the…

It’s been a while since we have received an Art Dog of the month submission and this one’s a doozy! In all the hoopla about Gamblin’s Torrit Grey promotion a staff favorite from last year’s competition was discovered. It is fitting that the Art Dog for Torrit Grey month should be a painted dog in yes, many shades of Torrit Grey!  Meet Henley on the couch, painted by Karen Conduff of Boulder, CO with only Torrit Grey, Mars Black, Ivory Black, and Titanium White. There must certainly be other favorite dogs out there in the Art Supply world. Take a snap of your favorite and email it in to franks@macphersonart.com.…

For Retailers with a Classroom who Stock Interactive Acrylics NEW! Magic of Monotypes: Discover this painterly way of making prints through monotypes.  Using Interactive Professional Artists’ Acrylics and mediums, the artist will learn the basics through experimental techniques, all without using a press.  Spontaneous and freeing, monotypes provide a wonderful way to explore a new dimension in personal expression. NEW! Bigger and Bolder Watercolors with Interactive: This workshop will introduce participants to a new and exciting way of painting with Interactive Professional Artists’ Acrylics using watercolor techniques.  Bigger and Bolder painting is an Impressionistic style of painting that incorporates very wet paper surfaces and the brilliant characteristics of Interactive’s line…

Gamblin’s ever cool, only annual TORRIT GREY promotion is  available from March 15 – May 31, 2009! Usually complementary, always complimentary Every spring, to celebrate Earth Day, the paintmakers at Gamblin Artists Colors clean the Torit® Air Filtration system and collect the mixture of all the pigments used to make Gamblin Artists Colors.  Then all of the pigments are mixed together to make Torrit Grey.  Because the mix of pigments changes, every batch of Torrit Grey is different. In 2008, over 20 different shades of Torrit Grey were created. Gamblin Artists Colors Co is pleased to announce the 16th annual Torrit Grey Promotion and Contest!  Shelf signs are now available…

USA retailers are facing challenging times that rival anything seen in a lifetime. For the first time, it seems the art supply retail sector is no longer immune from the broader trend. In this dreary environment it’s refreshing to witness new thinking and creative approaches. The best merchants in our industry are clearly not satisfied to grumble or leave their fate to chance. Instead they are undertaking an urgent search for approaches and strategies that will ensure survival and with patience, success. The customer counts and average ticket may be down, but top retailers realize that this situation is temporary. In managing core resources such as personnel and inventory it…