raw materials

Jack Knife Easels are an innovative new folding easel made right here in Los Angeles. They are made from ½" apple plywood, and are the most compact and sturdy folding easels on the market. They are available in 24" and 36" sizes to fit a wide variety of small and large canvases and nearly any display material. These are great for painters and stable enough to sketch on, perfect for any artist on the go.

For a limited time, get a free canvas with the purchase of each Jack Knife Easel.

Check out this video that shows the easel in action (and a little taste of how it is made):

So your class list says that you need a #2 round brush. Which one? Here’s a picture of most of the #2 round brushes that we have, and you might notice that there is quite a bit of variation in both the diameter of the brush head and the length. There’s not even any consistency within each brand. The long-handled and short-handled version of Winsor & Newton’s University line alone are vastly different! (Those are the red handled brushes on the far left and seventh from the left.)

But don’t worry, we can help you pick out a brush that works for you based on what medium you are working in and how you want the brush to perform. We just wanted to warn you that it’s not as easy as just picking out the closest #2 round. (And if you’re an instructor, you might want to be a little more specific with your class list.)

We have had Winsor & Newton’s Artists’ Oilbars for a while, but they have just recently reformulated the line and we finally have in stock some of the new bars. This is an a professional-grade oil colour in stick form, which enables painting and drawing freely and directly onto surfaces. It provides you with greater buttery consistency and the richness of oil colour together with the freedom and directness of pastels or charcoal. But the oilbar is fundamentally different from oil pastels or oil crayons due to its unique formulation. The new range has a spectrum of 50 colours each of which is produced by combining artists’ quality pigments with linseed or safflower oil, blended with specially selected wax. It offers an exciting and versatile way of painting and drawing – from sketching, to sgraffito effects, whether used on its own or with tube oil colour.

We have the oilbars at 20% off every day. We just have a limited selection of colors for now, but we’re working on bringing in the full line of colors later this fall.

We always thought it was a little strange that an art supply store called Raw Materials didn’t carry a line of dry pigments. There’s not many materials more raw than that. So we finally brought in a selection of pigments from Williamsburg. These specially selected raw pigments, sourced from all over the world, are the same high-quality, artist grade materials that are used to make Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors. We only have about twenty of the most popular pigments in stock at the store, but you can always special order any of the other pigments.

For a limited time, these pigments are available at 30% off.

Pebeo Studio XL Oil Colors are designed to meet the needs of contemporary artistic expression while being affordable. These oils are ideal for studies and larger works, and provide intense, permanent colors that resist thermal and photo-oxidation. They dry to the touch approximately three to six days after an average application. They perform well with a variety of techniques, from glazes to thick layers and may be used in conjunction with oil painting mediums. All of these colors are compatible with each other and offer a multitude of mixtures. They are suitable for canvas, cardboard, wood and more.

We’re as excited about these as the Pebeo Studio Acrylics, and for a limited time, you can also Buy 1, Get 1 Free of the 200ml tubes. The Studio Acrylics are also still available as a Buy 1, Get 1 Free deal, and we recently got a whole new shipment in so the racks are fully stocked!

Have you seen our sparkly Buddha? We hit him up with the new Krylon Glitter Blast, and he’s surely moved just a little further along the path to Nirvana. (We didn’t paint the base that he sits on, so you can see his original color.)

This glitter spray combines real glitter with the convenience of a spray, so it’s easy to get sparkle, intensity and depth on almost any surface. It is formulated to provide full coverage and a truly three-dimensional look. It is acid-free, Styrofoam-safe and is ideal for a variety of projects. It comes in 12 colors and there is also a clear sealer spray to lock in the glittery goodness.

It’s 20% off every day, and for a limited you can get a free can of clear sealer with the purchase of two cans of Glitter Blast.

We have the larger sizes of the new Canson Art Boards in stock for quite a while, but we recently brought in assortments of the packs of three 8" × 10" boards with various surfaces. And like their larger siblings, these boards are 40% off for a limited time.

Canson Art Boards feature a range of best-selling Canson and
Arches papers on rigid, archival backing that provide the benefits of a stiff, strong working surface – with quality paper on top. It’s an exciting innovation to add performance to Canson’s most popular papers – a complete range of boards for a variety of media and techniques, from illustration and comic art to drawing, watercolor and pastel. Each board is as rugged as it is beautiful, created to withstand the rigors of repeated watercolor washes or the pressure of building up pastel. Because Canson Art Boards are mounted on white, acid-free, lignin-free, archival conservation board, they are both durable and enduring.

Canson Art Boards are ready for framing without mounting, eliminating a step as well as the added expense. The art finished on acid free paper is displayed and protected on two-ply, archival Canson conservation board, making self-preservation simple. Buffered, without optical brighteners, and treated to resist mold, the board is compliant to ISO 9706, the standard for permanent paper.

Perfect for travel, special studies, workshops or classes, or as note book and sketch diary, this book is yours to personalize. Its flexible paper cover makes it easy to slip in a bag or pocket and it is capable of handling just about any media you choose to use – pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, pastel, markers, light washes and multi-media techniques. Each staple-bound book contains twenty-four sheets (giving you 48 pages) and can be opened flat or folded over when working. The acid- and chlorine-free bright white 130gsm (90 lb.) sized paper is sourced from sustainably managed forests.

These books are 25% off for a limited time.

Pebeo Studio Acrylics were developed with precision for the student of art or high volume user. These acrylic colors feature deep and rich pigments and dry to a satin matte finish with good lightfastness. They are very adherent and indelible once dry and they are suitable for most surfaces and can be easily mixed and blended. It has a thick consistency and retains the brush or painting knife mark, making it particularly suited to work in dimension.

We are excited to bring in this line, and for a limited time you can Buy 1, Get 1 Free of both the 100ml or 250ml tube sizes.

Check out our canvas in the window that shows some of the unique colors in this line, including fluorescents and some spectacular iridescents.

(And keep your eyes open for the Pebeo Studio XL Oil Colors that we’ll have in stock soon.)

This new Introductory Acrylic Grounds Set from Golden Artist Colors contained six different grounds that are perfect for wet or dry media. The set includes 2oz containers of Fine Pumice Gel, Crackle Paste, Fiber Paste, Coarse Molding Paste, Acrylic Grounds for Pastels, and Silverpoint Drawing Ground. Available for a special price of just $10.49 (which is 30% off the list price of $14.99) for a limited time, this is the perfect way to experiment with some new acrylic mediums.