Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

ColArt, following a review of its European operations, announced last week that it is considering a proposal to close one of its five UK sites. The tentative plan is to phase out the Wealdstone factory in London by the end of 2011. London would, however, remain the home of the group’s headquarters and R&D facilities; in addition there are four other manufacturing and distribution sites across England.
Justin Wraight, global leader of ColArt sales, said: “Production and color making are already interchangeable between our sites within Europe. We’re extremely proud of our workforce at Wealdstone, but sadly, the site’s physical location, in the heart of a residential area, makes it difficult to absorb additional capacity.” Justin goes on to explain: “In order to invest more in brand activities to benefit the global art community, strengthen product quality and improve service for customers in an increasingly competitive global market, we need to be a leaner, more efficient operation.” Read more on the story in the Harrow Times ColArt Mfg Facility closing in Wealdstone.

The very proud manager of University Art in Sacramento, David Saalsaa, is celebrating his daughter and ballerina Chloe’s full scholarship to New York’s Joffrey Ballet School for the summer.

NAMTA and the NAMTA Foundation will be relocating their offices beginning June 29, 2010.  Phone or email may be chancy during this time.
Here is the new mailing address for both organizations:
20200 Zion Avenue
Cornelius, NC 28031-8546
All phone, fax, email and website addresses remain the same.

Specialty retailer of arts, crafts and floral merchandise A.C. Moore has appointed Joseph A. Jeffries as Chief Executive Officer. Jeffries most recently served as the company’s acting CEO. Prior to that he was EVP of operations of the company.

Emily White, Southern California Sales Representative for  Canson has left the company to take a new opportunity in Los Angeles, CA. The search is on for a new person to take this very important sales territory. Interested parties should contact Roy Cavicchi at rcavicchi@canson-us.com

Pebeo is pleased to announce the appointment of MacPherson’s as a full-line distributor of its fine art & craft products in the USA. Complete stock selection in all 3 of our DC’s should be available in September.

Industry pioneer and art & craft “how to” publisher Arthur Schwartz passed away recently after a long illness. He and his wife Jo Yanow-Schwartz founded Search Press.

Canson’s new Eco-Friendly Eric Carle Pads will be featured on a national radio segment “Learning and Laughter with Louise,” (Her Insight Media Network) as one of this year’s best Back-to-School products.  Canson’s Eric Carle Eco Line was selected by teachers and kids from several hundred products that were submitted.  This segment will be aired live on JULY 21st.  This broadcast will also be available on iTunes:   Learning& Laughter with Louise.

Kendall Leahy, credit manager at MacPherson’s is the most recent person at our company to become a NAMTA Certified Art Material Professional (C.A.M.P.) Congratulations, Kendall!

Rachel DeAnn Murdock announced via a recent Facebook fan page notice that Pittsburg Art Supplies of Pittsburg, KS will be “Goin’ outta bidness!” effective July 24th, 2010.

• The new Work of Art: The Next Great Artist Bravo TV Show sponsored by Prismacolor debuted at 10:00PM on June 9th. Be sure to tune in on Wednesdays from 10:00PM-11:00PM to catch each episode.

• Prismacolor will once again hold a National BTS Merchandising Contest; the details are below. Prismacolor had several awesome entries in 2009 and is looking forward an even better 2010.
• Display Prismacolor products on an end-cap, front of store stack out, window display or any other creative merchandising arrangement that prominently displays the brand and makes a big statement!
• Display must be up for entire 2010 BTS time period.
• Retailer must provide Sanford Sales Rep or MacPherson’s Sales Rep with a digital picture of the display along with store location and key contact person.
• By entering contest, Retailer grants Sanford unlimited rights to use, publish and display the photograph and designs and/or retailer’s name and store location.
• 1st place prize is $1,000, 2nd place prize is $750 and 3rd place prize is $500.
• Displays will be judged by Sanford Sales and Marketing Management in their sole discretion.  All decisions are final.
• All pictures and accompanying information must be submitted to Sanford, via email to your Sales Rep by 9/15/2010.

• There is no better central theme than the 2010 Prismacolor Consumer Rebate. If your customer purchases $50 worth of ANY Prismacolor product or products, they can get $10 back in the form of a mail in rebate. Purchases must be made between July 15, 2010 and October 15, 2010. Your MacPherson’s representative will have a limited number of POP kits for this promotion containing 2 tear pads and 4 danglers. You and your customer can download the rebate form by visiting  Prismacolor.com.

• There has been some confusion connected with ordering the 2010 Prismacolor Bonus packs. These must be ordered using the following item numbers: SA1772993 for the 48ct Pencil Set Bonus Pack and SA1772994 for the 24ct Marker Set Bonus Pack. In previous years, the bonus pack was automatically subbed when the SA3598 or SA97 sets were ordered. That is not the case any more. Both of these items should be a part of any BTS feature area.

• The new 45-color Prismacolor Marker Display, ZSA1760651, will begin shipping in September 2010 due to a tooling delay. This display is Sanford’s most recent addition to the Prismacolor Universal Display program. The new display has the same 44 colors as the old display plus Jet Black, PM-211, which was not in the old assortment. This assortment has an MSRP value of $1,611.18 versus $1,718.58 for the old display. Your MacPherson’s sales representative will have the contents and cost information.

• MacPherson’s now offers the Paper Mate Bio Degradable Pen and Mechanical Pencil. The SA1757523 is a 2/cd Blue, SA1757524 is the 2/cd Black and the SA1757551 is a 1/cd 0.7MM Mechanical Pencil.

Did you know that, every second, at least two STABILO BOSS highlighters are sold somewhere in the world?  How on earth does STABILO manage to keep up that?  To see how they do it, check out this fun and informative video on the making of BOSS highlighters!

Crescent Cardboard introduces its newest art surface, Crescent® Graffiti Paper, a New Landscape for Urban Art. Graffiti Paper is bleed-proof paper specially designed for use with spray paint, paint markers and acrylics. Graffiti Paper features a unique, smooth surface that easily accepts paint and won’t dry out marker tips. The paper is available in easily transportable, large- and small-scale formats ranging from wall-sized rolls to small sketch pads. The variety of sizes and formats make it possible for artists to sketch, experiment or create full-scale pieces anywhere that inspiration strikes.
“As graffiti has grown into a recognized art form, spray and marker paints have become increasingly popular art products,” said Mays Mayhew Product Mgr.  “In response to this trend, we developed Graffiti Paper™ to present artists with a legal and transportable surface for practicing or to creating final pieces of graffiti-style art.” All Crescent Graffiti products will be available from MacPherson’s in mid-July.

Crescent ATC: A Revolution in Small Art Products

Crescent announces the launch of Crescent Artist Trading Cards. This line of 30 products is designed to make creating, trading and preserving miniature art easier than ever before. Using ATC artists and community leaders as a test group, Crescent’s comprehensive ATC line is directly inspired by trends and the needs of enthusiasts. Products include:
• Board-thickness, pre-cut ATCs
• Colors, textures and patterns, ranging from vintage to whimsical
• Self-adhesive board for digital art
• Pre-cut inchies, twinchies and rinchies
• Chunky book pages
• Protective sleeves and film
• Pre-cut 8×10 and 11×14 mats
For more information on Crescent Artist Trading Cards, visit www.CrescentArtists.com.
All Crescent Artist Trading Cards will be available from MacPherson’s beginning in mid-July.

Golden Artist Colors Celebrates ‘Employee Paint Day’
On June 21, 2010, instead of making paint, staff used it! Golden Artist Colors, Inc. celebrated Employee Paint Day, an opportunity for all staff to paint and take workshops from the professional artists of the GOLDEN Working Artists Program. They had the chance to be artists, spending their day pushing around paint, experimenting with materials and being creative! It was an opportunity for folks to see the materials through the artist’s eyes and experience the paint in a whole new way; a day for collaboration, idea sharing and fun!

New GOLDEN Web Technique
There’s a new Fine Art Technique called Textured and Colored Drawing Grounds available on the GOLDEN website. This technique illustrates how a wide assortment of GOLDEN colors, gels and pastes can be used as drawing grounds for pastels, charcoal and colored pencils.
Check it out!
Fine Art & Textured Drawing Ground Technique

Here is some information about three of Foster’s newest items, Toy Story, How to Draw Zombies and How to Draw Vampires.  The Disney marketing magic will provide a great launch pad for encouraging the next generation of artists to draw their favorite characters.  The How To Draw Zombies and How to Draw Vampires takes very “current” and popular subjects and offers art instruction on drawing, painting and digital image-editing.  We got quite a positive response at NAMTA on this new Fantasy Underground Series.

Blast Off On a New Learn-to-draw Adventure
To coincide with the release of the new film, Toy Story 3, Walter Foster has published Learn to Draw Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story.  Young fans of the Toy Story 3 movie can learn how to bring their favorite characters to life.  Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions guide kids from simple sketches to colorful character renderings.  Each new step is shown in blue so kids know exactly what to draw next. Young artists of all skill levels will be drawing Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, and a host of new characters from Toy Story 3 in no time!  Take advantage of the Disney*Pixar marketing magic to boost your sales.
Item code: FODC30M
Format: Paperback, 32 pages
Retail: $5.95

Walter Foster Launches a New Series

From bloodshot eyes and sharp fangs to zombie beauty queens and vampire slayers, fans of zombie and vampire art can discover the secrets to drawing, painting, and illustrating these legendary monsters.  Walter Foster’s new Fantasy Underground series, How to Draw Zombies and How to Draw Vampires, shows artists how to bring to life an exciting array of gruesome and grisly characters. These comprehensive books contain step-by-step projects featuring a mix of pencil, paint, and digital image-editing instruction, allowing artists to replicate each scene in graphic detail.  Renowned entertainment illustrator Michael Butkus and urban fantasy author Merrie Destefano uncover the history and folklore of these creatures with tips and trivia to engage any zombie or vampire enthusiast.
How to Draw Wizards, the third title in this fantasy art series, is publishing in September 2010.
Item codes: FOFA1 (Zombies), FOFA2 (Vampires)
Format: Paperback, 128 pages
Retail: $19.95

Chroma is proud to announce the semi-finalists and popular choice winner from Round 2 of its International Student Art Competition. Students from the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom were chosen as winners.  These students used Archival Oils, A>2 Art Students’ Acrylics and Atelier Interactive Professional Artists’ Acrylics to create these beautiful  artworks.  Particular congratulations go to semi-finalist Thomas Everitt,  whose painting Reminisce, was selected as the popular choice winner!  The deadline to enter Round 3 is July 31, so encourage a student you know to enter today! To view all the award-winning works, click below. To enter the contest, visit www.chromaonline.com.

Chroma has uploaded a new video on their YouTube channel on painting grounds. Learn about the importance of painting grounds,  and the differences between Chroma’s Atelier Gesso, Atelier Liquid Gesso and Binder Medium by clicking below.

Jenny Linden Urnes, owner and chairman of AB Wilh. Becker, ColArt’s Swedish parent has announced the sale of Becker Acroma to the Sherwin-Williams Company. Becker Acroma is one of the largest manufacturers of industrial wood coatings globally. Becker Acroma has more than 900 employees with annual sales in excess of SEK 2.1 billion ($259 million.)

Charles Stockbridge has taken over the export management duties at Manuscript, the England-based maker of calligraphy products. Charles’ new duties include the North American market. Mike Chappell will now concentrate solely on the UK business for the company.

Paul and Linda McCartney in 1980. CURT GUNTHER/LFI

On June 17th, the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York City will be opening a photography show featuring the work of Curt Gunther, the Beatles photographer on their first North American Tour in 1964.  The Beatles photos on display were printed exclusively on Canson Infinity paper, a Museum Quality Fine Art & Photo Inkjet Paper and Canvas.  Canson Infinity, crafted in the Canson and Arches mills in France, recently won an award from the prestigious Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) for their Fine Art Inkjet Papers. “We are honored that our paper was chosen for these fine prints nearly fifty years after the photographs were first taken,” said Bob Toth, Vice President of Marketing at Canson, “Curt Gunther’s photography is breathtaking.”

According to the NY Times,  Hobby Lobby has recently spent $20 million to $40 million amassing a collection of rare Bibles and related artifacts that has set dealers buzzing in the staid world of rare books. The goal of the Green family, owners of the chain of craft stores is to establish “a national Bible museum of great depth and size” the Times reports. Family member Steven Green is leading the effort.

Prismacolor has signed on a sponsor of the new Bravo Channel reality show called Work of Art: The Next Great Artist. The show started airing on Weds. June 9th. Work of Art: The Next Great Artist will bring together fourteen aspiring artists to compete for a solo show at the prestigious Brooklyn Museum and a generous cash prize. In each episode, contestants are faced with the challenge of creating unique pieces in a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design. The weekly assignments will challenge the artists’ to push the limits of their technical skills and creative boundaries. Completed works of art will be appraised by a panel of top art world figures alongside a new celebrated guest judge every week.

Jacquard has introduced a new logo and “wave” graphic to show the artistic nature of its product lines. The company will integrate the new branding into existing products and update packaging to create a uniform look. The updated logo is already featured on new products such as the Jewel Tones Tie Dye Kits, the Mehndi Glitter Kit, and Camo (camouflage) Tie Dye Kits. Visit www.jacquardproducts.com for more information.

Mark Sorak

Mark Sorak left Creative Catalog Concepts (CCC) in early June. The company is seeking a new Director of Merchandising to be located in its Orange City, FL office.

Steve Rossney reports:

Chartpak introduced great new items at NAMTA! And we had a great response to them all at the show in Indianapolis.

· Grumbacher Vine Charcoal – Grumbacher prides itself on being an “American Tradition” and brings you Vine Charcoal, made in the USA. A staple for any artist, with its rich, velvety texture, our hand-selected Charcoal produces a beautiful range of velvety grays from dark, soft charcoal, to light, hard charcoal. Available in 4 grades: Extra Soft, Soft, Medium and Hard, in 3 and 12 packs.

· “New” Grumbacher Brush Racks – Our new, brush racks have a sturdy construction, and feature beautiful, new “headers”. They will be available in 60 days.

· Ad Marker Fine Point Marker – Chartpak introduces the new Ad Marker Fine Point Marker in 25 popular colors. These new Ad Markers feature a precision nib for detail work, lettering and outlining. The new fine point Ad Markers are xylene-based, AP non-toxic, and exhibit the same “professional performance” as the Tri-nib Ad Markers. These fine point markers are available in sets (12 & 25), assortments, and the CHADRETRO assortment of 6 each of the 25 new fine tip markers. The CHADRETRO also contains merchandising and new label strips, to convert the Ad Marker “Spinner Rack” to accommodate all Ad Markers. Now Available in:
CHAD12SETFP – 12 color set
CHADSETFP – 25 color set
CHADRETRO – 6 each of 25 new fine point markers
CHMKRASTFP48 – 48 color assortment
CHMKRASFP130 – Complete, 130 color assortment

· “New” Higgins Ink Racks and Assortments – Higgins has introduced two new ink racks with beautiful new Headers –  Chartpak has done a great job creating two new racks/assortments for Higgins Ink, including an attractive “Header”.
CHHIGINKAST1 – 20 unit “best sellers” assortment
CHHIGINKAST2 – 40 unit complete assortment.

• Schmincke “New” Holiday sets – Schmincke has created three great, limited edition Sets for holiday. There will be two Horadam Watercolor sets. One is a 5ml tube set of 12 colors in an attractive, cardboard box retailing for $129.80. The second is a set of 12 half pans, in a metal palette tin, with a brush, pencil and an attractive leather case, retailing for $223.95. The third is a 75 half-stick set of Schmincke Artists Extra-soft Pastels retailing for $219.00. These will be available 9-1-10.

• “New” 2010 Signage Program – Take advantage of our beautiful 2010 Signage Program. Posters, Promotional items, Fixture signage, In-store event signage, shelf-talkers and more, are available in all “brands”. These merchandising tools really make the store look great, and help consumers understand the products/brands better.

Contact your MacPherson’s rep or Steve Rossney for details.

MacPherson’s is proud to announce that we have acquired the exclusive distribution rights for Montana products in North America. We began distributing Montana products to the non-art and craft channels in early May when End to End ceased operations.
Although there are no changes specifically relating to our long time Montana customers, the MAP program in place for Montana Gold is now expanding to cover all customers who purchase Montana Gold in North America. As a strategic partner with Montana we are dedicated to the growth of the brand, expansion of this exciting new art form and ultimately the complete satisfaction of consumer who chooses a Montana product.
Please see the complete announcement for all the details:

Announcing drop ship opportunities for schools and presses

To help you grow your Printmaking business, Gamblin is pleased to announce an Education Drop Ship Program for schools and presses. Under this program, Gamblin will drop ship orders of printmaking materials, with free freight, direct to the school or press you are working with locally.

To qualify for this program, orders must be over $600 (calculated using full retail list prices). Gamblin will pay freight charges on these orders (for both the U.S. and Canada) and there is no change to your discount on the order. Products covered by this program are Gamblin Etching Inks, Relief Inks, and Printmaking Modifiers. Gamsol can be easily filled out of store inventory and is therefore not covered by this program.

Orders may be placed directly with MacPherson’s on POs separate from your regular orders, and should be marked “Gamblin Education Drop Ship”. For your convenience, order forms are posted on Gamblin’s retail portal at Gamblin Retail Portal

Gamblin is also pleased to announce the availability of a Professor/Press Sample Kit for retail partners. This Kit includes a range of our Etching Inks, Relief Inks, and Modifiers. This free Kit is available by request. Please contact Kaitlin at 503.235.1945 x21 or kaitlin@gamblincolors.com

Shamara

To get the ball rolling, please call or e-mail Kaitlin at Gamblin or drop an e-mail to Shamara Goodwin at dropships@macphersonart.com.

Artograph is Excited to Announce the Next Generation of Light Boxes
Take your projects to the next level with the new LightPad Series—LED illuminated art and craft light boxes. The Super-Bright, cool and evenly illuminated surface gives you the perfect platform to get your ideas off the ground. The new LightPad Series is built with LED technology that saves energy and means you’ll never have to replace lamps again!

•The advanced Super Bright LED technology allows the LightPad Series light boxes to shine brighter, run cooler and use less energy — providing up to 30,000 hours of maintenance-free creative brilliance.
•The sleek, contemporary design makes it more user-friendly than ever with a compact 5/8” (17mm) profile.
•Durable and attractive extruded aluminum frame and chrome steel corners frame the firm, double-layered illuminated work surface.
•Each model comes with a custom fit storage sleeve for storage or transport protection.
•One year warranty.

The LightPad A920 and LightPad A930 models are NOW AVAILABLE and IN STOCK at all of MacPherson’s distribution centers.

• LightPad A920  6” x 9” (152mm x 229mm)  RETAIL $99.99
• LightPad A930  9” x 12” (229mm x 305mm)  RETAIL $139.99

The AMAZING response to these products at CHA and NAMTA has prompted Artograph to expand the LightPad Series to include two larger sizes;

• LightPad A940 and LightPad A950 – AVAILABLE August 2010!
• LightPad A940  12” x 17” (305mm x 432mm)  RETAIL $249.99
• LightPad A950  17” x 24” (432mm x 610mm)  RETAIL $349.99

ColArt’s Fall BTS Promo includes all the Best Sellers!
Winsor & Newton ranges include: (Open-Stock & Asst’s +10% Off!) CAP’s get +15% Off!
Winton Oils (37ml & 200ml tubes)
Galeria Acrylics (60ml & 200ml tubes)
Artisan Water Mixable Oils (37ml & 200ml tubes)
All W&N Canvas now available at Greater Savings! (lower volume for drop ships & deeper discounts!)

Liquitex ranges include: (Open-Stock & Assts)
Heavy Body Acrylics (2 oz tube only) CAP’s Only! Get +15%
BASICS Acrylics (118ml & 250ml tubes) +10% Off! CAPS get +15% Off!
Free-Style Painting Knives (large & small) +10% Off!

Derwent:
All the Best Selling Tins Get +20% Off!
Choose from Metallic, Graphic, Sketching, Watercolour, Coloursoft, Inktense, & Graphitint ranges!
All Coloursoft Pencils (including New Skintones 6-Tin set) and…
the NEW PASTEL Pencil Range (open-stock & asst’s) +10% Off!
Blender & Burnisher Blister Pack +10% Off!

Don’t forget to stock up and save (+10%) on all of ColArt’s new Conté brand of professional quality sketching, drawing & pastel media!

Not a CAP Dealer yet???
ColArt’s Advantage Program (CAP) gives you exclusive:
·        Discounts
·        Promotions
·        Merchandising/Support Materials
Contact your ColArt or MacPherson’s rep to discover the benefits of CAP all year long!!