Art supplies uk

Where to get the best art supplies on-line through UK websites, what to look for and where to go.

As a budding artists in the UK I need art supplies from uk supplers on a regular basis, and like many artists buy my art materials both on-line using e-comerce stores and traditional art shops. Being a British artist I like to buy from art suppliers in the UK, but never limit myself to just on-line or off line traditional stores and will always shop around for the best deal possible and keep my eyes wide open, both on and off line.

With regards the e-commerce stores, there does seem to be a lot more in the way of art offers and bundles of products at some affordable prices. This is due to the nature of the on-line business, as the costs selling on-line, as against a traditional high street shop are much lower, flexibility is greater and reaction to the market is faster. This is an over simplified perspective to take, but certainly has some truth behind it.

The internet can be a daunting place with a massive amount of information, products and websites, all shouting for your attention and all wanting to supply you with the latest item and information. I have bounced from one internet site to another looking for art supplies uk and art books. There are many out there on the internet, as you would expect, some really good and some not so good but lets highlight what you need to look for when shopping for art supplies uk.

A good range of product and information

Range of product is a real bonus and believe it or not, can be a real problem with many e-commerce stores. It's relatively easy to set up an e-commerce website today and due to this some stores can look very inviting but in reality, lack a good depth of product. I personally stick to just a few websites in the knowledge they will have what I want and are always increasing their range of product.

Product descriptions

When you find the art product you require or come across an item within an e-commerce store, you want to know all the information possible to ensure you are happy with your purchase. Unlike a high street store where you can examine the item you might purchase, an on-line store has only the product description page. Within a high street store you can pick up, feel, try out and generally find out all you require before purchase.

With the on-line store, ensure the product description page has ALL the relevant detail you require before you decide to purchase. I suggest that you think like you would as if you were in a high street store and ask yourself the same questions.

Postage & packaging

With a high street shop you can purchase and walk away with you item very easily but on-line stores require your item to be posted. With this in mind, always understand how much the postage and packaging will be. On some e-commerce website you can buy multiple items and only pay postage for one of the items, which if you are buying multiple items can save you money. Other sites offer free postage and packaging over a certain amount, which again can save you money when shopping on-line. FREE postage and packaging, no matter how many items you buy, is also growing in popularity as on-line retailers fight for your business.

My suggestions is to look at the small print with regards postage for your art materials and clearly understand the cost involved in having your item sent to you, try and look for the ever growing number of websites that offer unconditional FREE postage, they are out there.

Clear navigation to help find the product you want

When visiting an art supplies uk website you need to find the information or supplies quickly and easily and to do this clear and simple navigation is a must. In the high street shop you can walk around browsing at the different categories until you find what you are looking for. The on-line stores navigation needs to be similar, broken down into various obvious categories for you to easily find what you are looking for.

Ease of use

Ease of use also needs to be taken into consideration as nobody wants to find a website with great product, only to find it's so complicated and slow as to be a complete waste of time. The website needs to be clear and easy to use, there is nothing worse than an over complicated site that confuses the user to the point they leave. You have come to a website to find art materials, not to be frustrated or to wait for web pages to load.

Visually appealing

As artists, the visual aspect is always important so any art supplies uk website needs to look the part. You might need believe it but on a subconscious level, if we like the look at feel of something, it puts us as ease, so I have added this one to the list of ‘what to look for’ in an art supplies website.

Security

As you shop on-line for you art materials make sure you are buying from a trusted seller and always look for the following logos, or similar ones to ensure your purchases are safe. A wide variety of payment methods is still largely available, but be comfortable in how you pay. If you prefer to talk to someone regards paying for your item, look for e-commerce stores that have a customer service department that you can call. Most of the trusted sellers will have a customer service department and talking to someone will also give you the chance to ask questions regards you item.

Pricing

The cost of the art material on the website you visit has to be competitive and with the internet being so vast, the competition, and hence the cost of items should be in favor of the buyer. My advice to anyone shopping on-line for art supplies is to shop around as there are some great deals out there, you just have to find them.

That leads me onto the selection of websites below, which fall into the category of art supplies uk. We start with two sites and both offer great deals, good prices, a good range of art materials and are certainly worth a look. I will be adding new sites to the list below on a regular basis in the hope that the information points you in the right direction for your art supplies from UK e-commerce stores.

Artists Materials On-line – art supplies uk
Artist material on-line is the on-line sales portal of The Art Center, located in the Tamar Valley on the slopes of Kit Hill, near the easterly end of Bodmin Moor. The Art Center was established in 1979 and now has the enviable reputation of having the largest art supplies showroom and factory premises in the South West with over 10,000 square feet. Offering a wide range of art materials and picture frames there is ample parking on site. One unusual aspect of The art center, is that they offer a delivery service throughout Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset, which for us local people, is fantastic.

Customers who live near by and prefer to collect their orders personally, can order on-line so that their order is ready when they arrive, although we accept orders over the phone for those who prefer this method.

A review of the Art Materials On-line will be coming soon but take a look here at artists materials online

Ken Bromley Art Shop - art supplies uk
Ken Bromely Art Supplies uk is a clean easy to navigate site that offers some great deals on branded art materials. Situated in Bolton,15 miles Northwest of Manchester. Ken Bromely Art Supplies came about as a result of the overwhelming popularity of the famous Ken Bromely Perfect Paper Stretcher In 1994. In response to feedback on this and from artists who had bought the stretcher board, Ken Bromely Art Supplies began to supply watercolour paper for use with the board. The success of the service lead then to expand their product range to include paints, brushes and accessories. Since then, Ken Bromely Art Supplies uk have continued to grow and improve their great product range and services.

A review of Ken Bromley Art Shop will be coming soon but take a look here at Ken Bromley art supplies

Keep checking back as more art supplies uk site will soon be added and rviews of the individual sits will soon be added.

If you are interested in art, be it traditional or digital then take a look at some of the other reviews below.

• Dragons Domain by Bob Eggleton - book review
• How to Paint Fantasy Art in Watercolour - book review
• Star Wars Visions - fanatsy art - book review
• Other Worlds, Tom Kidd fanatsy art - book review
• How to Paint a Dragon
• How to paint Vibrant Flowers in Watercolour - book review
• How to Draw and Paint Fantay Warriors & Heroes with Alan Lathwell - book review
• International Artist Magazine
• Winsor & Newton Watercolour box set