All Holiday Cards, Wrap, Ornaments and more are 40% Off!

Starting Today!

Last Minute D.I.Y. Gifts!

A great gift for the Do-It-Yourself artist in your life, Speedball offers a comprehensive Screen Printing Kit which includes everything you need to start screen printing at home! ARCH also has a full line of screen printing inks, Diazo materials and more.

Speedball Original Screen Printing Kit $52.91

A simple way to embellish scarves, clothing, bags, and more! Speedball's "Block Print Your Own Art" Kit is a great way to design a custom stamped design to reuse again and again. The kit includes everything you need to print at home including a DVD with ideas and instructions.

Speedball Block Print Your Own Art Kit $52.99
Speedball Fabric and Paper Block Printing Ink 6 Set $21.99

ARCH has some terrific books to inspire and instruct! Pick up Silk Screen Basics: A Complete How-to Handbook by Ginko Press for an easy-to-follow guide to getting started screen printing. Sign Painters by Faythe Levine & Sam Macon is full of inspiring sign artists and their lettering and design works. A great book for the designer or lettering-lover in your life!

Silk Screen Basics Book $25.00
Sign Painters Book $24.95

Thank you for supporting our local small business this holiday season! We really appreciate it!

Shop Local! 10 Gifts Under $20 (and a couple of extra, just a few bucks more)

Here is a small sample of the great selection that Caryn and Kate have put together for your gift giving pleasure. We tried to keep this to items under $20, but we had a few extra that we could not pass up sharing.

We are so grateful for your support of our local, independent store. Thanks for shopping with ARCH!

The Architect Says - Princeton Architectural Press - $14.95

Cubebot - Colorful, wood, robot with movable parts - $8 to $20

Array, Spectrix and Cube party games. Award winning and featured on Cool Hunting - $15

Kikkerland iPencil Stylus - $6.50

Fisher Price Picture Disc Camera - $20

Ed Roth Stencil 101 Stationery - 18 Stencil Designs, 6 Folded Cards, Envelopes and Instructions - $14.95

24 Natural Beeswax Crayons - $13

Neon Color Pencil Set - $7

Mudpuppy Puzzles - Several Themes To Choose From - $12 to $15

Hardbound Whitelines Grid Notebooks - Read More About Them From Our Blog Post - $16.95

Alphabet Rubber Stamp Set from Chewing the Cud - $27

Pan Pastel Ultra Soft Painting Pastel Sets - $37.49

Little Book of Letterpress, Screen Printing or Lettering - Chronicle Books - $24.95 Each

ARCH is Open Late For Holiday Shopping and Finals!

ARCH is offering EXTENDED HOURS for Finals Crunch Week and Holiday Shopping December 3rd through December 14th! We will be open from 9AM-8PM Monday through Friday and 12PM-5PM Saturday and closed Sundays. Come in and take advantage of FREE coffee and snacks for all of our customers! ARCH will be closed Christmas Day, Tuesday December 25th and Wednesday, December 26th for the holiday.

ARCH is fully stocked with great holiday gifts and supplies including wrapping materials, ornaments, stocking stuffers and more! You're sure to find unique gifts you won't find anywhere else! Stop in and visit us late!

Write Santa a letter at our Snail Mail Social

This Saturday we are hosting a Snail Mail Social with our friends Annie Yu and Carolee Gilligan Wheeler. We'll have vintage typewriters, custom stationery and all sorts of embellishments to encourage you to get out from behind the computer screen and send a letter. 

Bring the kids and they can write a letter to Santa. We have arranged with calligraphy artist Sarah Hanna from whom you can purchase a beautiful, personalized, hand written Santa response that will be mailed to your home or available here for pick up at Arch!

We encourage you to RSVP via our Eventbrite page, or on the Facebook event page. Hope to see you Saturday!

UPDATE!
Otto received his "Santa" letter in the mail today. Absolutely gorgeous!

Sample Santa Letter. Available for purchase at the Snail Mail Social

 

  

What is YUPO Paper?

Try Yupo Paper!

YUPO Paper is now available at ARCH! YUPO is a 100% recyclable synthetic polypropylene paper that has endless uses. It is tear and stain resistant, has a slick, smooth surface and is waterproof! It is traditionally used as a watercolor paper by fine artists, but can be used for acrylic painting and oil pastel as well. YUPO is also a popular material for making banners and signage as well as an underwater notepad for scuba divers!

When used with watercolor, the water evaporates into the air rather than being absorbed into the paper, which produces a unique look. You can also produce interesting painting effects by laying down color on YUPO and wiping out areas. YUPO also never buckles, which eliminates the need for paper stretching and soaking!

For designers and architects, the heavier weights of YUPO can also be cut in a laser-cutter without showing burn marks! ARCH carries two sizes: 20"x26"in a #74 weight and 25"x38" in a #144 weight (great for laser-cutting). Also makes a great model building material as it resists tearing and is very flexible and easy to cut.

There are tons of uses for this paper for fine artists, designers, and printers. Come by and check it out in person at ARCH! 

The Holidays Have Arrived At ARCH!

 Holiday Cards and Gifts are Here!

The holiday season is fast approaching and to keep you on track with your shopping and correspondence, we have a full selection of holiday cards and gifts arriving daily! Come by ARCH and check out our gift section. We have the perfect choices for everyone in your life; artists, designers, children, adults and the young at heart!

ARCH is your one-stop shop for fantastically unique stocking stuffers that will make you the hit of the season! Toys, stationary, jewelry, frames, office supplies and much more! We also have a creative selection of gift wrapping supplies and ribbons to complete the perfect gift!

Not sure what gift to give? We have Gift Certificates available for that person that has everything! They are available in any denomination and make an easy and desired gift for just about anyone. Let ARCH make your holiday shopping and letter writing just a little bit easier!

Dia De Los Muertos Tissue Crafts!

Celebrate Day of The Dead on November 1st and 2nd by making these festive, inexpensive and easy tissue paper decorations. They are also great for all times of the year; parties, home decor, etc.

Paper flowers in the shape of Marigolds or Cempasuchil are traditionally used on Dia De Los Muertos to decorate altars and tombs. You can make these beautiful flowers in just a few minutes, with just a few cents. Here is a great video from Happy Thought on how to easily create a beautiful bouquet!

Another paper craft that can be accomplished with all levels of skill is Papel Picado, or"punched paper" flag banners. They can be made easily with tissue and scissors or made into elaborate designs with a sharp x-acto knife or other cutting tool. They are then strung onto a piece of string and are hung up in portals in the home or across narrow streets or alleyways. Here's how to create a very easy design for your Dia De Los Muertos celebration also brought to you by Happy Thought!




Come by ARCH and get all the supplies you'll need to create your own unique Dia De Los Muertos tissue crafts! If you want to add your own personal touch, you can create your own cutting template for your papel picado or you can dip the tips of your flowers in a bit of elmer's glue and dip in glitter to add some sparkle!

Happy Halloween From ARCH!

 Happy Halloween From ARCH!

ARCH has a huge selection of Halloween-related curios and gifts and tons of materials you might need to create your own Halloween decorations and costumes. Come by and ask an Archie for help finding everything you need to make your Halloween gathering look great. We have tons of colored papers, glitters, paints and other crafty materials.

Graciano used all materials from our store to create this festive window of masks for our storefront! We carry Canson Paper and Cardstock in large and letter size sheets, as well as shiny silver mylar (great for creating false haunted house mirrors)! We carry lots of craft paints and cutting tools to create these intricate designs with ease.

Attending the Dia De Los Muertos Procession in the Mission this year? We have these great papier-mache' skulls to decorate as well as Snazaroo Face Paints to create your own unique look for the parade. Come by ARCH and see all of our great Halloween gifts and supplies and make your holiday the spookiest yet!

Tiffany Bozic "Drawn By Instinct" Now Available at ARCH!

 Drawn By Instinct

This beautiful monograph of Bay Area artist Tiffany Bozic is now available at ARCH! The images are stunningly beautiful and meticulously crafted. This book would make a great gift for anyone with a love for the natural world!

 Tiffany Bozic

Tiffany Bozic is a self-taught artist currently living and working in San Francisco, California. Bozic has spent the majority of her life living with and observing the intricacies of nature. Her wide array of subjects are inspired both from her extensive travels to wild places, and the research specimens at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California. Bozic has spoken at international events such as the 2007 Semi Permanent International Arts and Design Conference in Sydney, Australia. Bozic was also the first Artist in Residency at the California Academy of Sciences, where she created the "From the Depths" exhibit on the public floor of the museum in November of 2007.

www.tiffanybozic.net

Ginko Press, publisher of the book says of Bozic:

As a result of her rural upbringing in Arkansas, Tiffany Bozic inherited a closeness to the natural world, a lifelong imprint that informs her work. Her patron saints, John James Audubon and Ernst Haeckel, provide the artistic inspiration and painstaking attention to details of morphology — whether real, or imagined.
There are fascinating discoveries to be made in her work, from new species of nudibranchs to unexpected life forms that blur the lines of flora and fauna. We also discern flashpoints through unlikely pairings, perceptions of danger in tranquil settings — a commentary on the fragility of life? Whatever the intent, there is a mesmerizing dialogue at work, encompassing both inner and outer worlds.
Questions are posed and meticulously explored, and perhaps in the process, we get a little closer to the answers. Take a glimpse into hidden worlds where the mysteries of life still abound!

2013 Calendars and Planners Are Here!

2013 Studio Hinrichs Typography Calendars 

The ever-popular Studio Hinrichs 2013 Typography Calendars are here at ARCH! Features 12 different typefaces by legends in graphic design and makes a great gift for the designer in your life! We offer it in two sizes; 12"x18" for $26.00 and 2'x3' for $44.00. 

2013 Stendig Calendars

This vintage calendar from the 1960's is still as popular as ever! Makes a great gift for the design-minded and makes a statement in any corporate environment or stylish home! Stendig Calendars sell for $40.00 and are 3'x4' wide.

2013 MOLESKINE Planners

Keep up with your busy school schedule, meetings, and hot dates with a MOLESKINE planner. ARCH has 18 Month Planners and Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Planners in hardcover and softcover styles. Planners start at just $14.95!

Come in and check out our selection of planners, calendars, and more here at ARCH!

Friday Nights at the de Young with Papergirl

This Friday join Papergirl SF and ARCH Drafting Supplies for a night of art making and bike related events as part of Friday Nights at the de Young. Check out all the free activities that will be taking part at this event.

Join the San Francisco Center for the Book in a letterpress and bookbinding demonstration. ARCH will bring supplies and materials to create your own work of art, which you can submit for this years Papergirl gallery show. Our friends at Rickshaw Bags will be on hand making bike flags.

There will also be a FREE limited edition broadside created by illustrator Michael Wertz available on a first come first served basis, so get there early.

Bring your friends and family to join in the activities, hear great music, have a cocktail, and explore the museum. Friday Nights at the de Young programs are free (admission applies to visit the galleries).

Back to School Extended Hours

Back to School is upon us and ARCH is ready to tackle all your supply needs to get your school year started right.

We'll also be extending our store hours this week to allow you extra time to gather all those lists and get everything in one visit. Our extended hours this week will go like this:

Tuesday & Wednesday - Normal hours, 9am - 6pm

Thursday & Friday - Open late, 9am - 8pm

Saturday the 8th - Open early, 10am - 5pm

We are well stocked on all your art & architecture needs. To name just a few;

Architecture / Engineering / Metric Scales
1000-H Drafting Vellum
Lead Holders and 2mm Leads
Adjustable Triangles
Koh-i-Noor Technical Pens
Chipboard, Museum Boards, E-Flute
Watercolor, Acrylic and Oil Paint
Gamblin and Winsor & Newton Painting Mediums,
Canvas, Arches, Somerset, Rives BFK and more
Princeton and Escoda paint brushes

Gamblin Art Sketching Oil Colors

ARCH is now stocking Gamblin Art Sketching Oil paints. Created specifically for those learning how to control colors in oil paint, Gablin ASO colors are made from the same finest quality pigments that Gamblin is known for. Made with no gelling agents, they have the more traditional feel of Gamblin Artists' Grade oil colors.

Available in an array of colors (including genuine Cadmium and Cobalt colors), ARCH is stocking the 150ml tubes, perfect for students looking for quantity, quality and economy.

Learn on the Gamblin ASO colors, and as your skills grow, expad your pallet with the Gamblin Artists' Grade oil colors, also available at ARCH.

Summer's almost over. Isn't it time to Get Your Sh*t Together?

Written by visual artist, curator and educator Karen Atkinson, Getting Your Sh*t Together is a comprehensive guide on the business of being an artist. The book covers most any situation and gives practical advice on everything from hanging artwork to hiring employees.

We would recommend this manual for artists of all backgrounds, who are looking for help organizing both the creative side and the business side of their life.

Get into ARCH and Get Your Sh*t Together today.

Falconboard - a Foam Board Alternative

How about a "green" alternative to Foam Boards? ARCH is now stocking Falconboard. It's honeycomb structure can handle the most demanding of graphic display requirements due to its high rigidity and dimensional stability.

Just a bit over 1/4" thick (17/64"), we have sheets available in 30" x 40" and 4' x 8'. Falconboard emits zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), contains up to 20% chlorofluorocarbon-free recycled paper and is both bio-degradable and recyclable.

While the manufacture sees this primarily as a mounting board, we would love to see how this looks in a scale model.

We have a limited amount of samples if you want to try it out. Stop in to ARCH today!

Papergirl SF 2012 - Call For Entries

Calling all Artists, Makers, & Doers!

We invite you to participate in this year’s Papergirl SF project! Complete with art-wielding bike riders and bike-riding artists!

Papergirl is a community art project that distributes submitted art pieces by bicycle, freely and at random, to people in the streets of San Francisco, American paperboy style! All are welcome to participate.

We think art is best when shared, why else do it? As artists, we want to express ourselves creatively, show our creations to others, and start a conversation. Every day could use more art and kindness. Won't you join us? Send us your art, tell your friends and foes, and we'll see you in November with tires full of air and bags full of artwork, ripe for the giving.

Send roll-able artwork by October 20th to: 

Papergirl SF

PO Box 410156

San Francisco, CA 94141 

USA

You can also drop you art off right here at ARCH!

Donate your used Backpacks, Messenger & Computer Bags

ARCH is a donation drop off location for Good Backpacks. Good Backpacks encourages the re-use of gently used backpacks, messenger bags and computer bags, helping Potrero Hill and Dogpatch students find the right fit and personalize them at a community event on August 18th.

Do you have some used bags that fit the above description? Drop them off at our store and you will be entered into a raffle to win a $25 ARCH gift certificate.

Good Backpacks is also looking for volunteers and makers to help facilitate the community event on the 18th. Do you have a skill you could share for this great event. Click here and send them a message.

CARAN d'ACHE Luminance 6901 Color Pencils

Let's talk color pencils.

Two of the biggest concerns/questions we get regarding color pencils are "How will these colors look in 20+ years?" and "How can I get my color pencils to stop breaking?"

The new Luminance 6901 pencils from Caran d'Ache were created specifically with lightfast levels in mind (so much so that 6901 is a direct reference to the standard that the American Society for Testing and Material uses to judge the lightfast level of a color pencil). Every shade has been formulated using finely-ground pigments chosen for their purity, intensity and resistance to UV. Available in 76 colors, 61 of which classified in the best category (Lightfastness 1) under the ASTM D-6901 standard.

We also checked in with artist Sid Garrison about what he liked most about the Luminance 6901 pencils. Sid works almost exclusively in color pencil and has a wealth of knowledge about them. So what did he have to say?

Simply put, "They don't break."

We all know how frustrating it is to finally get a great pencil point and then put it to paper and it cracks at the edge of the wood. Made from responsibly forested California Cedar and Swiss engineered to create a superior drawing experience.

The Luminance 6901 color pencils are not just long lasting, but will help you create long lasting, vibrant artwork. Stop by ARCH and try one out today.

Fathers Day Gifts & Cards - Shop Local at ARCH

Card by Sugarcube Press

Fathers Day is June 17th and we have highlighted a few of our favorite Dad items. Caryn brought in a great selection of cards and gifts and we hope you'll choose ARCH as your Fathers Day source.

Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown

Typical Father / Son Dilemma's

As many fathers will attest, your kid can really make you want to turn to the dark side on occasion and this hilarious portrayal of Darth Vader raising his young son Luke shows both the joys and frustrations of parenthood.

Wood Bow Ties from local artist Wood Thumb

Produced right in the Dogpatch these wood Bow Ties from Wood Thumb are a sharp addition to your Dad's wardrobe. Each one is unique in its grain and color and is a fun take on a traditional Fathers Day gift.

Cast Iron Bottle Openers from Roost. Beer and Snacks Not Included.

Simple and beautiful tools for cracking open a bottle for your dad. These cast iron bottle openers made by Roost will last for a long time and are a real show piece for the celebration.

Most importantly, give your Pop a hug, a kiss, a card or a call. Happy Fathers Day from everyone at ARCH!

Whitelines Notebooks - Now Available at ARCH

What a great idea. Instead of dark lines that can distract from your drawings and notes, why not use white lines?

Whitelines was founded in January 2006 by three friends in Stockholm. The founder Olof Hansson got tired of the dark distracting lines when he was copying sketches. He and his team created this great line of notebooks.

Perspective Grids available from Whitelines

One of our favorite features from Whitelines are the different grids available. There is of course the squared version but we also have perspective and isometric grids too!

The Snail Mail Social - June 1st - 5pm - FREE!

Stop by ARCH for our next Snail Mail Social with special guest Lea Redmond of the World's Smallest Post Service. Typewriters, rubber stamps and custom stationery will be provided. Join us, and our friends Carolee, Annie and Lea on Friday June 1st at 5pm.

Create a Good Mail Day for friends and loved ones.

Mother's Day Cards & Gifts at ARCH

Letterpress Card from Sugarcube Press

Letterpress Card from Hammerpress Studio

Letterpress Card from Lark Press

Mother's Day Card from Lucca Paperworks

Letterpress Card from 9SPOTMONK