Archives of the Art Dog Blog from MacPherson's

Classes are starting up again and there are only four weeks left of Gamblin’s Back-to-School Promotion! Take advantage of the deals below to stock up on inventory for a successful back-to-school promotion.

The following Gamblin products are on MacPherson’s BTS promotion through September 30.

• Gamsol – additional 10% off net
• 1980 Oil Colors – additional 10% off net
• Solvent-Free Painting Materials – additional 10% off net

From all 25 of us at Gamblin, thank you for supporting an independent and American colorhouse. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate contact you MacPherson’s person or to give Gamblin a call at 503-235-1945.

Stillman & Birn is pleased to announce the launch of Nova Series toned paper sketchbooks featuring acid-free fine art papers that are heavyweight (150 gsm/105 lb), robust, and great for mixed media artwork because they are made with both internal and surface sizing.  The series is available in three paper shades (beige, grey and black) and two binding styles (softcover and wirebound).

The double sizing offers exceptional wet strength, in addition to the following benefits:

1. Exceptional wet strength.
2. Keeps pigment from penetrating deep into the paper, forcing it to remain high on the surface. As a result, color really pops on this paper.
3. Retards penetration of wet media (bleed through). Therefore, both sides of sketchbook sheet can be used.
4. Protects surface from abrasive effects of multiple erasures.
5. Strengthens surface to allow for wide range of inking techniques without feathering.
6. Allows for blending and layering with colored pencils and pastels.

Nova Series papers are suitable for colored pencil, ink, gel pens, paint markers, watercolor, gouache, chalk pastels, oil pastels, water-soluble graphite, charcoal, Conté crayon, colored dry pigments, watercolor pencil, soapstone pencil, and more.

Starting 9/15 the sketchbooks are on an extra 10% introductory promotion in MacPherson’s Holiday Buyers Guide. The line is available in open stock or in three easy-order assortments (softcover (SB39801A), wire-bound (SB49901B) and mixed (SB59901C)).

Softcover Sizes

3.5” x 5.5”

5.5” x 8.5”

8” x 10”

Wire-Bound Sizes

6” x 8”

7“x 10”

9” x 12”

With the shift to digital and screens of varying sizes dominating our daily lives, writing by hand has become an old, treasured past time. The emergence of the recent trend in hand-lettering and journaling shows peoples’ desire to express themselves outside the digital space. Putting pen to paper allows our ideas to flow freely onto the page, and no other pen is better for creative thinking and fluid expression other than the fountain pen.

If you are familiar with fountain pens, some may be intimidated by the unique nib or messy cartridge. You don’t have to worry about that with the new Zensations Fountain Pen from ZEBRA Pen. Watch your ideas come to life on paper with smooth flowing ink and no cartridge worries thanks to an innovative system. This free-flowing fountain pen provides efficient dispensing of ink, utilizing every drop. Enjoy this traditional writing tool, now easier to use, and available in 7 vibrant colors.

• Water-based dye ink
• Stainless steel nib with 0.6mm point
• 7 ink colors: Black, Blue, Red, Green, Teal, Purple, Pink
• AP certified non-toxic
• Great holiday gift!

Zebra’s Zensations Fountain Pen is available in :

#ZE04004 – 4 Pack, MSRP $11.96; Holiday Buyers Guide NET $5.38

#ZE04007 – 7 Pack, MSRP $20.93; Holiday Buyers Guide NET $9.42

Winsor & Newton was honored this year to be a sponsor of World Watercolor Month in July.  Charlie O’Shields whose love of the medium inspired him to create a movement dedicated to inspiring the use of watercolors and encouraging creativity originated the World Watercolor Month concept.  Winsor & Newton was one of several brands that provided products for prizes.
Winsor & Newton Watercolor Markers were shared as giveaways and watercolor sets were won as prizes.  Additionally Winsor & Newton provided over $1,500.00 in art supplies for the Dreaming Zebra Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing underprivileged children and young adults around the world the opportunity to explore creativity and the arts.
This exciting event encouraged over 9,000 artists to join the movement and hashtag their work, #worldwatercolormonth.  Over 37,000 watercolors were produced and via Charlie’s efforts, the Dreaming Zebra Foundation received over $7,500.00 worth of art materials.  Winsor & Newton is looking forward to continuing their support of such a worthwhile endeavor!

It’s never too early to plan for next years World Watercolor Month!

Hurricane Harvey Houston, TX Art Stores Quick Report 

 Art Supply (Vikki Trammell & Ben Russell)  No flooding. The store will open on Wednesday. Vikki Trammel is asking NAMTA members for donations of art supplies for those artists who have been hit so hard.  She will be working through Printmatters (she is on the advisory board) and another non-profit to make your donations tax deductible. At this time, if you are able to contribute, please begin to set the product aside and as soon as the Houston area is able to receive deliveries again we will notify you and provide detailed shipping information.
Texas Art Supply Co. stores at Montrose and Voss are not flooded, and have only experienced minor damage. The Montrose location is planning to re-open Wednesday 8/30.  Unfortunately, due to flood conditions on local roadways, the Baybrook store is inaccessible and its status is unknown at this time. Complete updates on company personnel are not available at this time, however, there have been confirmations that several employees experienced flooding in their homes. Our credit manager suffered severe flooding at her house. She lives in a flood-prone area, and has suffered almost total loss twice before this flood, and I was told the she was informed by her insurance company that they will not rebuild/replace at her current address. She will have to move this time. As for logistics in and out of the area, it will probably take a while before things get normal here. Some of the freight terminals may be under water. If you have any shipments headed our way it would probably be a good idea to hold onto them for awhile.
Jerry’s Artarama in Houston is reporting the store is not flooded, however, due to flood conditions on local roadways the store is inaccessible and the manager (Daniel Elliott) has not been able to confirm any potential damage. Pending his ability to navigate the flooded roadways, the store will attempt to re-open on Thurs 8/31. One employee is confirmed to have experienced flooding damage at their residence.

Stuart Shapiro has left Binders in Atlanta to embarks on a new career path in the physical fitness industry. Stuart has been with Binders for 10.5 years and without a doubt represented the best in Binders and our industry. All of us who know him, and the entire team at Binders, salute Stuart with a hearty “Job well done Stuart and thank you!”

Thursday night, August 17^th, Beth Martin of Hyatt’s Graphic Supply in Buffalo, NY gave birth to their second daughter Lydia Christina Martin.  She was 5lbs and 18in long.  Mom, baby and proud papa Seth are doing well.  She is also the second grandchild of Greg and Lynn Hyatt.

Lydia Christina

Meet the MacPherson’s Brand Marketing and Creative team!

Color! Sweet Color!!! The quirky flipbook artist known as the Flippiest has been using STABILO pens & pencils for a long time…so cool to finally make us a flipbook that can be used by like-minded retailers to re-post on their favorite social media pages! #FreeYourTrueColors #ad 

Bob & Susan Leigh, recently bought Fine Line Art Supply & Custom Framing in Sonoma, CA and have relaunched in a bigger space in the Sonoma Marketplace. Read the whole story.

End of an Era Department:

Frank Koerber the founder of Du-All Drafting & Art Supply would have been 115 years old on August 10, 2017. He worked at Chrysler as a Draftsman in the late 40s. He would repair his coworkers drafting tools and and made his own triangles, curves etc. The coworkers called him Mr DuAll so when he left Chrysler he started Du-All Instrument Service out of his home in Detroit. He built the business by going from shop to shop selling drafting tools and doing repairs. He had a reputation as a honest and fair merchant.  Du-All has evolved into what is known today as Du-All Drafting & Art Supply. Unfortunately, 67 years after Frank started Du-All it closed its retail store on August 19th, 2017.

Steve Aufhauser is also in the process of closing Continental Arts after a 57 year run in Reseda California. The San Fernando Valley institution was begun by his father, Robert, who fled Germany during World War II. Steve took it over after his father retired. Steve plans to move to Oregon to be close to his twin brother. Read the full story Here

Wondering what is going on at FILA, the Milan Italy based owner of Canson, Daler-Rowney & Dixon Ticonderoga? In a recent article entitled “Dixon-Ticonderoga’s Italian owner promises growth in digital age” in the Orlando Sentinel, CEO Massimo Candela gives a hopeful vision of the company’s future while explaining how he plans to manage the north American subsidiary from their headquarters in Italy Dixon Ticonderoga

Help your customers re-discover the joy of putting pen to paper with Rebecca Cahill Roots’ inspiration video that you can share on social media. Become a master of modern letter forms and inject some personality into your penmanship, as the founder of Betty Etiquette makes a quirky case for getting in touch with the slower more stylish means of communicating.

GOLDEN is happy to announce the hire of Kevin Greeland as its new Education Coordinator! Kevin is a tenured GOLDEN Certified Working Artist with existing relationships with many retail store owners, arts organization leaders and artists. He will be responsible for managing both the Working Artist Program (WAP) and the Golden Artist Education Program (GAEP). Kevin will maintain connectivity with artists in the programs, lead recruiting and training for new WAP and GAEP artists, and develop new educational formats and content. We anticipate great success for Kevin in this new role and wish him the best!

Check out the recent Google Doodle celebrating the birth of Hip Hop (and Street Art Renaissance) 

New Videos Reinforce Endless Possibilities with Non-Color Products from GOLDEN – Grounds, Pastes and Mediums

This year GOLDEN launched an integrated campaign to give artists a deeper knowledge of gels, pastes, grounds and other non-color products in order to help them unlock the full potential available to them through its complete product line! The initiative included new packaging design, in-store signage and new educational videos for non-color products such as Grounds, Pastes and Mediums. Four new videos have been added to the Video Library that your customers might find interesting and valuable. They can find them here:

What, Why & How: GOLDEN Fluid Mediums with Patti Brady

Golden Fluid Mediums

What, Why & How: Painting with GOLDEN Acrylic Gel

what, why and how painting with golden acrylic-gel

What, Why & How: GOLDEN Gessos and Grounds

what, why and how painting with golden gessos & grounds

What, Why & How: GOLDEN Molding Pastes

what, why and how painting with golden molding pastes

If you have any questions about any of the above information, contact your MacPherson’s Account Manager.

Three series sets designed to explore new techniques, from entry to professional.

Series 1 – Basics  Acrylic Starter Box

Range of colors and brushes for endless possibilities all in one reusable box

Sets designed  to explore  new  techniques, from entry to professional.
Target Audience
Acrylic beginners —  a non-professional artist who has been painting for less than 5 years
Range of colors & brushes for endless possibilities
Contents:
•  1x Basics 75ml – primary red
•  1x Basics 75ml – primary blue
•  1x Basics 75ml – primary yellow
•  1x Basics 75ml – hookers green
•  1x Basics 75ml – burnt umber
•  1x Basics 75ml – yellow oxide
•  1x Basics 75ml – mars black
•  2x Basics 75ml – titanium white
•  1x Basics 6 short handle brush pack – round 1, round 4, flat 2, fan 4, bright 3, bright 6

BONUS
1 x reusable box + 1x Basics color chart

Series 2 – Basics Technique Sets

Two technique sets to support beginners interested in moving into sought after  professional  techniques

Target Audience
Acrylic beginners interested in moving into professional techniques
Complementary product (100ml Professional Medium) + bonus booklet with  tips  and  techniques
Contents:
•  1x Basics 75ml – primary red
•  1x Basics 75ml – primary blue
•  1x Basics 75ml – primary yellow
•  1x Basics 75ml – mars black
•  2x Basics 75ml – titanium white
Wet on Wet Set

•  1x  professional slow-dri blending medium 100ml
•  1x Basics brush
Building Texture Set

•  1x professional  modeling paste  100ml
•  1x Basics palette knife
BONUS
1x educational booklet

Series 3 – Pouring Technique Sets

Pouring technique sets with a complementary range of inks and a top-selling medium

Target Audience
Existing acrylic users interested in new products and techniques
Explore pouring techniques with this popular medium
Contents:
•  1x pouring medium 118ml
Primary colors set
•  1x ink 30ml – phthalocyanine blue (green shade)
•  1x ink 30ml – quinacridone magenta
•  1x ink 30ml – yellow medium azo
Deep colors set
•  1x ink 30ml – turquoise deep
•  1x ink 30ml – deep violet
•  1x ink 30ml – iridescent bright gold

Introducing the new K-75 Paint Markers from Krink!

Inspired by the K-71 Ink Markers, one of Krink’s best-selling styles, the new K-75 Paint Markers combine a familiar valve-action style with high quality paints.

The K-75 Paint Markers:

• 6 popular colors: black, white, silver, red, yellow and sky blue
• Alcohol-based paint is permanent and opaque
• Excellent for use on glass, metal, coated paper and painted surfaces
• 7mm chisel tip writes on most surfaces

The K-75 is a classic style paint marker using safer, alcohol based paints, a unique addition to the paint marker market. Easy-to-use and perfect for crafters and urban artist customers. Be sure to keep an eye on social media (@krinknyc) where Krink has started to get the buzz out to the Krink community.

For more information, visit krink.com. Feel free to reach out with any questions or requests, diana@krink.com or 718-624-9109.

K-75 on coated paper

NEW MONTANA HOLOGRAM GLITTER EFFECT SPRAY 400ML

This semi-gloss translucent paint is the vehicle base carrying the high quality fine holographic glitter particles for a sensational metallic effect that can add a totally new dimension to all kinds of surfaces. From paper to cardboard, primed canvas, wood, glass, metal, ceramics, porcelain, stone, acrylic and just about any other paintable surface. Once applied, the semi-gloss lacquer layer will have embed a fine distribution of holographic particles over the substrate. The more coats applied, the greater the intensity of the effect. Applying a layer(s) of Montana Gloss Varnish will not only protect the surface of your work, it will also allow more light to enhance the effect further.  This product is great for Craft Projects and Mixed Media Art.

Product Details
Item #MXE-463051
MSRP:$10.75

Available in North America early to Mid-October

Oh and Don’t Forget…Montana’s on Sale!

Current Promo: Montana Gold Summer MAP promo 60% off; MAP lowered to $6.99 Promo Code MXG60

Buy in promo: Aug 1st- Sept 30th
In-store activation: Aug 1st- Sept 30th

Strathmore 400 Series Toned Mixed Media papers are heavyweight, and are in the same warm tan and cool gray colors as Toned Sketch papers. These new papers were launched in March, 2017 in pad formats, and are intended for use specifically with light and dark media. Toned Mixed Media papers also combine the characteristics of a watercolor paper with the finish of a drawing sheet, creating a paper that performs for all wet and dry media. It’s the perfect hybrid of two of Strathmore’s most loved products: 400 Series Toned Sketch and 400 Series Mixed Media.

After fantastic consumer response to their Toned Mixed Media pads, Strathmore has expanded the product offering to now include Toned Mixed Media Softcover and Hardbound Art Journals just in time for the holiday season!

Softbound Toned Mixed Media Art Journals are available in both the gray and tan versions, and will be available in two sizes per color.

Softcover Art Journal features include:

• Toned Tan or Toned Gray Mixed Media paper: 184 lb. / 300 gsm. 100% recycled, containing 30% post-consumer fiber
• Velvety softcover in rich dark brown that you have to feel to appreciate
• Less formal format for artists who find softcover more approachable and less intimidating than other book types
• Durable Smyth-sewn binding allows pages to lay flatter
• Flexible, light-weight format
• Toned Mixed Media journals available in two convenient and portable sizes: 8” x 5.5” (landscape), or 7.75” x 9.75” (portrait)
• Removable packaging band communicates detailed paper information and leaves behind no residue
• Made in the U.S.A.

Hardbound Toned Mixed Media Art Journals are also available in both gray and tan versions, and will also be available in two sizes of books per color.

Hardbound Art Journal features include:

• Toned Tan or Toned Gray Mixed Media paper: 184 lb. / 300 gsm. 100% recycled, containing 30% post-consumer fiber
• Lightly-textured, matte cover in a dark chocolate brown
• A more formal format perfect for use as a keepsake, or for giving as a gift
• Sturdy hard covered books are strong and durable
• Durable Smyth-sewn binding allows pages to lay flatter
• Artist preferred sizes
• Toned Mixed Media journals available in two sizes: 8.5” x 5.5” (landscape), or 8.5” x 11” (portrait)
• Removable packaging band communicates detailed paper information and leaves behind no residue
• Made in the U.S.A.

The expansion of our art journal program is another example of Strathmore’s commitment to develop innovative new products that meet the needs of artists, help grow the market, and create in-store news and excitement for retailers.

Softcover Art Journals will be featured in Strathmore’s holiday promotion, which runs September 11 – November 3, 2017. Learn how the new Strathmore Art Journals can increase the productivity of your retail space by contacting your MacPherson’s sales representative today!

Don’t forget, you can look for additional retail support materials, including new Toned Mixed Media Art Journal shelf labels, display labels, and other great items on Strathmore’s Retailer Tools site at: https://www.strathmoreartist.com/login.html

What do you get when painters can ask a paintmaker whatever they want? The Savvy Painter Podcast dedicated an entire show to get your questions answered by the folks at Gamblin. It’s a conversation packed with information that you can use in your studio.

Robert Gamblin tackles a color conundrum and explains why white paint is so dang important.

Pete and Mary take on questions about pigments, the do’s and dont’s of Cold Wax painting, retouch varnishing, and the shelf-life of oil paints (basically, they last forever).

Trust us on this, we know you’ll get at least a few good takeaways from this show.

Oh and when you’re done, be sure to check out some of the other Savvy Painter episodes. Here it is:

P.S. This show is excellent to listen to while painting!

Simply put, LeFranc & Bourgeois will no longer be available in North America. This is due to their new global marketing focus and the cost to re-certify most of the product range to be compliant with USA health and safety laws (ACMI testing).

The good news? MacPherson’s will continue to carry the unique and ever popular LeFranc & Bourgeois Flashe, an extra fine, vinyl-based professional grade of matte permanent colors.