New To Stock: M. Graham Oil Paints (plus, New Wave Glass Posh Palettes)

We have been looking to add options in our oil colors category. Recently, we brought in M. Graham Watercolors and Gouache and in reviewing and receiving feedback we are please to announce we have added M. Graham Oil paints to our stock.

M. Graham Oils offer great value with high quality. Using walnut oil as it's binder, in lieu of linseed oil, M. Graham Oils are created in a tradition that dates back to old masters from the Renaissance. The paints have an incredibly high pigment load, offer vibrant colors and a super smooth consistency.

Lets talk more about the binder they use; Walnut oil does not have the same strong odor that comes with most other linseed oil based paints. You can also clean your brushes with walnut oil. It provides a peace of mind to painting in tight studio spaces, as many of us do in the Bay Area.

New to Stock: New Wave Posh Palettes

A nice addition to any oil painters studio is a glass palette.

New Wave Posh palettes are made in the USA with 1/8" tempered glass. These are strong enough to mull paints on and are available with a gray, white or clear background. One of the more ingenious elements to the design is they are sized perfectly to fit into Masterson palette boxes. This allows you to seal your paints overnight and still get the ease of clean up a glass palette provides.

We are currently stocking these in 9x12 and 12x16 and we also have the matching Masterson boxes for purchase.

New To Stock - Art Alternatives Cradled Wood Panels

More durable than canvas, wood panels resist flexing or warping, making them great for painting, especially thick, heavy applications and palette knife work, as well as encaustic, mixed media and craft use as a shadow box, frame or tray. The 4mm hand-sanded birch wood surface is smooth for detailed work and mounting.

The sturdy pine cradle adds support and allows for hanging without a frame. Available in two profile depths: Studio panels have a 3/4" deep profile and Gallery panels have a 1-1/2" deep profile. We are stocking a large assortment of sizes in both profiles.

It's important to prime and seal wood panels for painting. Looking for advice on prepping wood panels? Read up on the why and how from this article on JustPaint.

Back To School Sale at ARCH - Ends 02/11/17

Back to school is right around the corner. We have been adding new items to our inventory and have created some great deals on staple products students and professionals use every day.

Select Staedtler Mars Products - 30% OFF List
We have some of our favorite products from Staedtler Mars on sale. Select compasses, lead holders and lead pointers are 30% off MSRP.

Gamblin 1980 Oil Colors - All 40% OFF List Price
Already a popular and affordable option for oil painters; we have the full line of 150ml and 37ml tubes on sale!

Robert Simmons Signet Brushes - All 50% OFF List Price
Ideal for acrylic and oil painters, these brushes use high quality Chungking hog bristle with an interlocked weave to ensure a controlled stroke and permanent shape over years of rigorous use.

On Sale - Art Alternatives 1 Gallon White Gesso -  Only $34.99
An affordable gesso, made even more so. Get 'em while we got 'em!


All 18x24 Newsprint Pads - 40% OFF List Price
Smooth or Rough, Strathmore or Canson; if it is newsprint, shaped 18x24 and comes in a pad, it is on sale at ARCH!


Please stop in this month! We have even more on sale and many new products to check out. Our new store is located in Potrero Hill in San Francisco. We are just beyond the end of the road at 10 Carolina. We have plenty off of street customer parking (we share the parking with Larry's towing) and we are open late on weekdays until 7:30pm.



The fine print: This sale takes place 01/09/2017 through 02/11/2017. Sale prices applicable for in-stock items only; no special orders or back orders. No further discounts applicable to sale items. See store for more details.

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.

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.

New Oil Paints

Fresh off the mill, Arch has just brought in two new lines of oil paint!

Our new student grade oil is the Pebeo XL line.  These paints are alkyd-based, meaning they are dry within 2-3 days, rather than 2-3 weeks!  They're perfect for last-minute assignments (we're looking at you, procrastinators)!  In addition to traditional oil colors, this line features Pebeo's Dyna Oil Color.  These iridescent colors add modern flair to your painting! 

Just $4.60 per tube ($4.14 with valid student ID)!

Ohhh, sparkles!

We've also expanded our line of Gamblin Oils!  Introducing Gamblin FastMatte: Alkyd oils with a matte finish. FastMatte Alkyd Oils Colors will dry within 18 – 24 hours, in thinly painted layers.  This drying rate allows painters to work throughout a painting session, while creating a dry surface for the painting session the following day. They're also great for plein air!

A selection of colors available in the Gamblin FastMatte Alkyd Oils