Blick Art Materials: America's Largest and Most Trusted Art Supply Retailer

Blick Art Materials is the oldest and largest dedicated art supply retailer in the United States. Founded in 1911 in Galesburg, Illinois by Dick Blick, the company has spent over 115 years building a reputation for quality, selection, and expertise that has made it the default destination for artists at every level—from first-time hobbyists purchasing their initial set of supplies to professional painters, illustrators, and sculptors sourcing museum-quality materials for gallery work. With more than 65 retail locations across the country and one of the most comprehensive art supply websites in the world at DickBlick.com, Blick occupies a unique position in the market: large enough to offer the selection and pricing advantages of a major retailer, yet specialized enough to maintain the product knowledge and artist-focused service that distinguish it from general craft stores.

Over a Century of Curation

What sets Blick apart from competitors is not merely its size but the intentionality behind its product selection. The company does not simply stock whatever manufacturers offer—it evaluates products for quality, reliability, and value before adding them to inventory. This curation means that even Blick's least expensive options represent a baseline of acceptable quality, and its premium offerings include the finest materials available from manufacturers worldwide. Every brush, tube of paint, sheet of paper, and canvas panel on Blick's shelves has been vetted by people who understand art materials at a technical level.

Blick also develops and sells products under its own Blick Studio and Blick Premier house brands, which offer professional-quality materials at prices below comparable name-brand products. These house brands are formulated and manufactured to Blick's specifications, providing genuine value for artists who want reliable materials without paying premium brand markups. The Blick Studio line of acrylics, for example, has earned a strong following among students and working artists alike for its consistent pigment load and smooth handling characteristics.

The Staggering Depth of Inventory

Blick's inventory encompasses over 90,000 individual products spanning every major art medium and discipline. This is not a store where you choose between three brands of acrylic paint—it is a store where you choose between dozens of brands, hundreds of colors, and multiple formulations within each brand, from student-grade acrylics suitable for classroom use to professional heavy-body acrylics with maximum pigment load and archival permanence.

Painting supplies include oils, acrylics, watercolors, gouache, encaustic, and specialty paints from manufacturers around the world. Drawing materials span graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, pastels, markers, and technical pens from brands like Prismacolor, Faber-Castell, Copic, and Staedtler. Papers range from basic sketch pads to handmade Japanese papers, printmaking papers, and museum-quality watercolor sheets. Canvas and surfaces include pre-stretched canvases, canvas rolls, wood panels, and specialty surfaces for different media. Brushes are available in every shape, size, fiber type, and price point imaginable—from affordable synthetic classroom brushes to handcrafted kolinsky sable watercolor brushes.

Beyond traditional fine art supplies, Blick stocks materials for printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, textile arts, calligraphy, illustration, graphic design, and digital art. The company also carries furniture such as easels, drafting tables, and storage systems, along with lighting, framing supplies, and presentation materials. For artists who work across multiple media or who want to experiment with unfamiliar techniques, Blick's breadth eliminates the need to shop at multiple specialty retailers.

Knowledgeable Staff Who Are Actual Artists

Blick's retail locations employ artists, art educators, and materials specialists—not general retail workers reading product descriptions off a shelf tag. When you ask a Blick employee about the difference between two brands of oil paint, the relative merits of different watercolor papers, or the best brush for a specific technique, you are likely to receive advice informed by personal experience and genuine materials knowledge.

This expertise is one of Blick's most valuable assets, particularly for artists who are learning new techniques, switching media, or troubleshooting problems with their current materials. The ability to have an informed conversation with someone who understands both the technical properties of art materials and the practical realities of using them is something that online-only retailers and general craft stores simply cannot replicate. Many Blick locations also offer in-store demonstrations, workshops, and classes that provide hands-on experience with new products and techniques.

The DickBlick.com Online Experience

DickBlick.com is one of the most comprehensive and well-organized art supply websites available anywhere. The site allows browsing by medium, brand, price point, product type, and specific use case. Product pages include detailed descriptions, technical specifications, pigment information, lightfastness ratings, customer reviews, and often video demonstrations or tutorials. This level of detail reflects Blick's understanding that art materials are not commodity products—the specific characteristics of a paint, paper, or brush directly affect the quality of the work produced with it, and artists need thorough information to choose wisely.

For the many artists who do not live near a Blick retail location, the online store provides access to the company's full inventory with fast shipping, easy returns, and responsive customer service. The website also offers wish lists, order history, and reorder functionality that make repeat purchasing convenient. Blick's educational content—articles, videos, and buying guides—positions the site as an educational resource as well as a retail platform.

Serving Educators and Institutions

Blick has a dedicated institutional sales program serving schools, universities, community centers, and art organizations. The program offers substantial educational discounts, bulk ordering capabilities, curriculum support materials, and dedicated account representatives who understand institutional purchasing requirements. Many art teachers across the country have longstanding relationships with their local Blick store, relying on the company for consistent quality, fair pricing, and the ability to source classroom supplies efficiently.

The company's commitment to art education extends beyond sales. Blick sponsors art education initiatives, provides grant programs for schools, and actively supports the broader ecosystem of art education in the United States. For educators working with limited budgets, Blick's combination of educational pricing, house-brand value options, and bulk discounts makes professional-quality materials accessible for classroom use.

The In-Store Experience

Walking into a Blick store is a distinctive experience for anyone who cares about art materials. The stores are organized logically by medium and use, with clear signage, well-lit displays, and open layouts that encourage browsing and discovery. You can see, touch, and test products before buying—crucial for things like brushes, where the feel of the handle and the spring of the bristles matter as much as the specifications, or papers, where texture and weight are best evaluated in person.

The retail environment strikes a balance between the warehouse-style efficiency of a large retailer and the curated intimacy of a specialty shop. Displays are informative without being cluttered, and the staff is available for guidance without being intrusive. For many artists, a visit to Blick is not just a shopping trip but an opportunity to discover new materials, compare options side by side, and gather inspiration for future projects.

The Bottom Line

Blick Art Materials represents the gold standard in American art supply retail. Its combination of over a century of expertise, an inventory of 90,000+ products, knowledgeable artist-staffed stores, competitive pricing, robust online shopping, and dedicated educational support creates a resource that no other single retailer can match. Whether you are a professional artist sourcing archival-quality materials for a museum exhibition, a student building your first supply kit on a tight budget, or an educator outfitting a classroom, Blick provides the selection, quality, and service to meet your needs.