Fill Your Easter Basket With Goodies From ARCH!

We have great items for your Easter baskets and decorating. You'll find bunny stickers, felt eggs, chick clips and so much more. Also, you can color your eggs with all natural (and locally made) Glob Easter Egg dyes and paints. Non-toxic and made from fruits and vegetables they are great for kids!

Encaustic Supplies From Enkaustikos Are Here!

ARCH has recently added a line of new products for encaustic painting from Enkaustikos. We are excited to provide a range of pigments in both Hot Cakes and Hot Sticks. Hot Cakes are encaustic paint packaged in easy to heat and easy to store metal tins, while Hot Sticks are blocks of encaustic paint that can be melted directly onto a hot plate. Not sure which colors you want? Try a 5 piece color pack!

We also carry a full line of encaustic wax mediums and additives including Wax Medium, XD Wax Medium, Microcrystalline Wax, Impasto Wax, Luster Wax, Carnauba Wax, Bleached and Unbleached Beeswax and Dammar Resin. All of these mediums can be used to create varying effects in encaustic painting.

Try manipulating and adding textures to your encaustic paintings with Catalyst wedges and blades. A new line of silicone shapers intended for use in encaustic and most any type of heavy-bodied paint with varying shapes to create grooves, lines and more. The wedges are designed to be held in your hand and used directly and the blades are silicone shapers mounted on the end of a brush handle. They work like a hybrid between a brush and a palette knife, are easily wiped clean and are solvent and heat resistant.

We have also added a line of Encausticbord from Ampersand, which provides a professional hardboard surface for encaustic painters. They come in a variety of sizes and cradle depths for you to choose from. ARCH also carries several instructional books about encaustic painting. Come in and see for yourself!

Gamblin Dry Pigments

ARCH now carries Gamblin Dry Pigments in our store! Dry pigments have been used for thousands of years to create paints for fine art, scenic painting, and more. These versatile ground pigments can be mixed with a variety of binders and mediums to create your own high quality paints and inks. Mix with an alcohol and water solution to create vivid ink colors or mix with a blend of linseed oil, stand oil, and turpentine to create high quality oil colors. Try mixing them into white gesso to create colored grounds for painting.

Some artists prefer to grind the pigments even further with a mortar and pestle to create an extra fine texture. This not only provides stronger stability of color over time, but actually makes the colors more vibrant. ARCH carries a selection of 22 different pigments, providing a diverse palette for all artists. Come in and try your hand at making paints the way the Old Masters did.

There are some safety precautions that must be taken when working with Gamblin Dry Pigments. Gloves should be worn and you should always wear a face mask to prevent inhalation of these pigments, which are often made from hazardous metals. When safety precautions are taken, the process can be extraordinarily gratifying and fun.

Signed "Print Workshop" Book and Carve-A-Stamp Kit by Yellow Owl Workshop

Yellow Owl Workshop, is a local design studio based out of a small Mission District studio and owned by Christine Schmidt. Christine has published a great book called Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques + Truly Original Projects, which contains instructions and inspirations for great DIY projects. A variety of processes are covered including relief printing, cyanotypes, screenprinting, and transfer techniques to create tons of useful products and gifts. Come into the store and pick up a copy that has been signed by Christine herself! Makes a great gift for yourself or any artist in your life.

ARCH also sells Yellow Owl Workshop's Carve-A-Stamp Kit which includes everything you need to create your own rubber stamps. Each kit includes an easy to carve stamping block, carving tools, a red stamp pad, a small travel bag and templates and transfer paper to create great designs. We also carry other great products by Yellow Owl Workshop including Stamping Kits, Stamp Pads, and pendant necklaces. Stop by and check out our selection!