Brushing up on the city’s brightest art store offerings

Three Downtown stores boast art supplies of every shape and color. It’s not necessary to pick only one store to be loyal to and it’s not uncommon to go to two or all three in one day—New York Central for paper, Utrecht Art Supplies for bulk ink, and Dick Blick Art Materials for animal-shaped erasers.

New York Central is conveniently located off of Union Square at Third Avenue and 11th Street. This is a one-stop shop for the highest quality materials. Central is stocked with top-of-the-line brushes, paints, and inks, as well as an expansive selection of pastels in every color and brand. The store also has a few hard-to-find items, such as colorful molding wax and leafing in every metal and texture. Large sheets of high-quality white paper are provided near all the writing and drawing materials so customers can test any materials they want.

Although its art supplies are a huge draw, what makes New York Central special is its paper department upstairs. It carries paper from every corner of the world, including China, the Philippines, Japan, Nepal and South America. Accompanying each paper is a “life story,” including the origin of the paper, how it was made, the history of that specific type of papermaking, the best uses for the paper, and its pH. For artists dissatisfied with the selection of paper made in this decade, there is some available for purchase that is 50 to 100 years old, since Central buys antique paper from quality mills and stocks it for their customers.

Utrecht Art Supplies is just around the corner from New York Central, on Fourth Avenue and 12th Street. Utrecht carries all the same materials as New York Central, but more generic brands. It also sells a lot of Utrecht brand supplies, including paints, canvases, and aprons. The staff here is completely preoccupied, so don’t expect questions to be answered. Utrecht has a lot of “best buys” and “back to school” deals. It is a good place to buy cheap good-quality supplies, both individually or in bulk. There is also have a large selection of balsa wood, metal drafting tools, and blue Styrofoam blocks, so it’s a good spot for architecture students.

Just a couple blocks west is Dick Blick on Bond Street between Broadway and Lafayette Street. This is the largest and brightest of the three stores. The aisles are clearly labeled, announcing the locations of various supplies, so it is easy to find things quickly. However, the time saved in finding items is lost waiting in the consistently long lines at the checkout. Like Utrecht, Blick carries some of its own brand of products, mostly canvases, and has “big savings” and “back to school” specials. Blick, unlike either of the aforementioned stores, also has a large selection of crafting materials. It has blank envelopes and paper in all colors, photo albums, paint-your-own kid robot toys, and gel window decorations. This is also the place to go for children’s art supplies like finger paints, stencils, and coloring books. The best thing about Blick, however, is the notebook and pad selection.