Stillman & Birn Launches New Line of Premium Sketchbooks Introducing Stillman & Birn, a new line of premium sketchbooks based a simple premise: When it comes to sketchbooks, paper matters!  These new sketchbooks are made with high performance archival papers and are available in both hardbound and wirebound formats. The Stillman & Birn sketchbook program is a unique system, offering the artist a choice of paper weights, shades and surfaces suitable for both dry and wet media. Shades • Natural White • Ivory Weights • Heavy Weight (100 lb. – 150 gsm) • Extra Heavy Weight (180 lb. – 270 gsm) Surfaces • Vellum – distinctive tooth, suitable for all dry media and will accept light washes (paper has both internal and surface…

Urban Art Legend Kenny Scharf creates the Houston & Bowery Mural 2010 using Montana Gold Tony Goldman and The Hole are excited to announce a new incarnation of the Bowery mural wall at Houston and Bowery by downtown legend Kenny Scharf. This is the fifth project Tony has presented on this historic wall: a recreation of Keith Haring’s famous 1982 Bowery mural kicked off the mural series Summer 2008, followed by the Brazilian twin-brother duo Os Gemeos, street artist Shepard Fairey, and most recently by Barry McGee’s extreme tagging wall. Kenny Scharf is a NYC / LA based artist who is known for paintings, performance and installation that incorporate pop and comic imagery in evocative and…

For 2011, Logan Graphic Products, Inc. is replacing its #301-S Compact with two new model Compact mat cutters. LO301-1 Compact Classic Features an improved 32″ board capacity, improved “pivot and push” bevel cutter and #500 Mat Knife for downsizing mat board. Also includes instructional DVD and extra blades. MSRP $119.95. Ships from MacPherson’s approximately January 15, 2011. LO350-1 Compact Elite Features an improved 32” board capacity, improved “pivot and push” bevel cutter and improved #701-1 Straight Cutter Elite for downsizing mat board. Additional features include a squaring bar to hold mats square and a removable scaled measuring bar for quick and accurate downsizing. Also includes instructional DVD and extra blades. MSRP $159.95. Ships from MacPherson’s approximately…

Check out our great deals for Winter Back-to-School in MacPherson’s WBTS Buyers Guide, effective now through 2-12-2011. Grumbacher Color Assortments at 50/35% – These assortments are drop-shipped, free freight, with the beautiful Grumbacher plexiglass racks. Grumbacher Brush Assortments at 70/25% – These brush assortments are drop-shipped, free freight. With our new, beautiful brush racks. Grumbacher Open Stock Tubes at 50/25% – All color lines including Academy Acrylic, Academy Oil, Academy Watercolor, Finest Watercolor and Pre-tested Oils. Grumbacher Open Stock Brushes and Brush Sets at 50/50% – All Grumbacher brushes and brush sets are included. Grumbacher Color Sets at 50/15% – All Basic and Master, Everyday and Watercolor Pan sets are included. Grumbacher Charcoal at 50/15% – All Grumbacher Vine Charcoal including the new, Jumbo…

Attention Retailers – Are you interested in playing DVD loops for your customers?  Contact Chroma Inc. at 800-257-8278 or by emailing  cweber@chromaonline.com to receive your FREE DVD on Atelier Interactive Professional Artist Acrylic.  The DVD includes basic information on acrylics, painting grounds, blending, and varnishing.

Walter Foster has developed an iPad app to teach people how to draw.  The hope is that this application will get people interested in learning more about their artistic abilities and the result will be for them to visit an art retailer for more instruction and real art materials.  It’s quite a unique application and one we hope will get people thinking about their creativity. Here is the link to an article about the app: Orange County Register Article on Foster iPad App Check it out!

STRATHMORE INTRODUCES NEW KIDS SERIES® NATURAL KRAFT PAPER Strathmore Artist Papers™ introduces two new 100% recycled Natural Kraft Paper products that offer green options moms and kids will appreciate. Ideal for drawing and craft projects, the natural brown paper is offered in a 30-sheet pad and 100-sheet pack. Value price points are designed to encourage impulse purchases. Pad covers feature artwork created with Natural Kraft paper and consumer-friendly trilingual packaging. Contact your MacPherson’s sales representative for all the ordering details.

Sharpie is introducing five new colors in the Fine and Ultra Fine tips and MacPherson’s will be stocking the sets, which will replace the Caribbean color sets, sometime in February 2011. The new colors called 80’s Glam are: • Legwarmer Orange • Jellie Pink • Valley Girl Violet • Argyle Green • Banana Clip Yellow The Design Brand name will get phased out as we move through 2011. Your MacPherson’s representative has specific SKU information. Please feel free to contact Dan Canny with any questions or concerns as well as your MacPherson’s representative. You can email Dan at dan.canny@sanford.com. Below is a summary regarding what will occur with the remaining Design SKU’s. One of three things will happen with the existing Design products; they will…

New Bamboo and Black Board Artist Trading Cards complement the complete line of high quality papers offered in the Strathmore® Artist Trading Card series. Tree-friendly Bamboo Artist Trading Cards (ATC’s) are made with 90% bamboo and 10% cotton to create a unique textured surface that’s great for use with paints, screen and block prints, stamps and collage. Black Board ATC’s are made with 100% cotton fiber so they are perfect for art, collage and mounting finished works of art. Both are acid free to promote longer life for artwork. Cut in the official, trading-ready ATC size gives artists all the performance benefits of our high quality paper now with precut convenience. Contact your Strathmore account manager…

Help the NAMTA Foundation Receive $250,000 Grant from Pepsi The NAMTA Foundation is in the running to receive a $250,000 grant from Pepsi for its program to provide grants to teachers to bring art into their classrooms. Votes from the public will determine the winner! Voting opens on Dec. 1 and runs throughout the month of December. You can vote once a day via three different voting methods. Vote Three Ways Every Day Remember to vote THREE times each day – one vote from each of these methods: 1. Visit Pepsi sign-up and sign up for an account on the Pepsi site. They will ask your name, email address and to create your own password.…