I’ve compiled this huge list of Canadian online art supply options because, sometimes, you just want to explore different retailers and maybe find some new items to spark your creativity. Of course, there’s Michael’s, Amazon, Walmart, and other big box stores. And, don’t get me wrong, they’re all great resources but if you want to find unique supplies, excellent customer service with a broad knowledge base, and support small businesses, you have to check out the gems on this list of Canadian online art supply retailers!
Disclaimer: The information listed is date specific but I will try my best to update information as it changes. Make sure to visit the site of the online art supply shop, you’re interested in, for up-to-date info, as things can change quickly.
Nova Scotia
NSCAD Art Supply Store
The NSCAD Art Supply Store is located in Halifax and is mainly in business as an online (and physical) art supply resource for students studying at NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) but everyone is welcome.
The Low Down:
- Ships within Canada at a flat rate of $17.50 but could be more or less depending on size and weight, you’ll get an exact quote when you order
- No international shipping
- No gift card option
- No blog or resource library
- You can sign up for their newsletter to receive updates on new products and sales
- A few of the lines they carry:
- Winsor and Newton
- Fredrix
- Golden
- Holbein
- Canson
- Liquitex, and more
Red Wagon Art Studio
Located in Hammonds Plains, the Red Wagon Art Studio opened its doors in 2019 and they have an online art supply shop that is an artist’s dream come true! On top of that, their brick-and-mortar shop offers classes, workshops and you can even have birthday parties there. How fun would that be!
The Details:
- They have free shipping over $79 before taxes
- No mention of international shipping
- Gift card option
- Newsletter sign up
- Everything you need for your painting journey
- Product brands include:
- Liquitex
- Fredrix
- Canson
- Winsor & Newton brushes, and more
New Brunswick
Art Shack
The Art Shack is a small business that was started in 1997. Located in Moncton, it’s run by artists who offer art education for locals.
What they offer:
- Free shipping over $100 in Canada, with some conditions
- No mention of international shipping but there is a way to contact them
- No resource library
- Gift card option
- Brands include:
- Amsterdam
- Golden
- Liquitex
- Stevenson
- Strathmore pads, and more (they even have a kids section!)
Quebec
DeSerres
DeSerres has a long history that began in 1908, with a small hardware store in Montreal. Since then, the company has continued to grow and evolve while staying within the DeSerres family. You can read more about their interesting history on their “About” page.
It’s important to note that DeSerres has at least 34 physical stores across Canada so find a store in your province or close to your province, and have your online art supply purchases shipped to your nearest store to save some $$$ in shipping costs.
Here’s the list of locations:
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Quebec City, Quebec (and surrounding areas) x 7
- Montreal, Quebec (and surrounding areas) x 13
- Toronto, Ontario (and surrounding areas) x 5
- Ottawa, Ontario (and surrounding areas) x 2
- Edmonton, Alberta
- Vancouver, British Columbia
The Specifics:
- Free shipping on orders with minimum purchase depending on what part of the country you live in except for Newfoundland & Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, or Yukon. Also, there are more fees added depending on your postal code within each province??? Kind of confusing so make sure to check out their Shipping & Returns page
- You do have the option to ship to a store near you for free but this doesn’t apply to oversized packages
- No international Shipping
- Creative Club: a points program where you can build up points for every $ spent to use toward future purchases
- Creative Club has additional perks for students
- Creative Space Tab is where you’ll find lots of tutorials plus technique help and tips
- Newsletter
- Gift card option but not useable on website, booooo!
- Products Include:
- DeSerres paint (their own brand!)
- Liquitex
- Amsterdam
- Pebeo
- Abstract
- Golden
- Canson
- Strathmore
- Fredrix
- Princeton brushes, and more
Ontario
Curry’s
Curry’s was established, by Fred Curry, in 1911 and was initially a custom framing establishment and an art gallery. On their about page, they have an interesting history of how they survived the Great Depression, and WWII and now have multiple locations.
The Good Stuff:
- Free shipping on orders with minimum purchase dependent on what part of the country you live in except for Newfoundland & Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, or Yukon. Also, there are additional fees for overweight items and a flat rate for oversized packages. This is another business with a complicated shipping strategy so check out their Shipping Information page for more details
- No international Shipping
- No resource library
- Gift cards can be purchased and used online
- Sign up for emails
- Products offered:
- Amsterdam
- Golden
- DecoArt
- Liquitex
- Pebeo
- Abstract
- Winsor & Newton
- Grumbacher
- Canson
- Strathmore
- Curry’s brushes (their own brand!)
- Princeton brushes, and more
Studio-Six
Studio-Six first opened its door, in 1967, with a store in Toronto. Now, it is strictly an online art supply retailer, shipping fine art materials to artists internationally.
More Details:
- Free shipping for only the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba (unless over-sized or overweight)
- Additional flat rate handling fee
- Ships internationally
- They do have a blog section for further resources
- Newsletter
- There is an option for purchasing gift cards but it is unclear whether they can be used online so make sure to contact them for more information
- Brands they offer:
- Simply Simmons
- Liquitex
- Golden
- Liquitex
- Pebeo
- Winsor & Newton, and more
Above Ground Art Supplies
Above Ground Art Supplies started as a small windowless store in 1983. With three retail locations in the Toronto area, and a great online presence, it continues to serve artists all over the world.
More Info:
- Free shipping for the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba if the purchase total is over $50
- Flat rate shipping for other provinces depending on $ before tax
- additional fees for overweight and oversize
- Ships internationally
- The resource library is located under the “About” tab
- Gift card option
- Brand names:
- Above Ground Studioworks Acrylics (their own brand!)
- Golden
- Liquitex
- Amsterdam
- Above Ground Red Teijin brushes (their own brand!)
- Winsor & Newton
- Princeton brushes, and more
Wallack’s Art Supplies
In 1939, Wallack’s was opened by Sam Wallack, mainly as a photography supply store, located in Ottawa. Since then, Wallack’s has made it their mission to offer quality products at competitive prices, with creative education as a top priority. Their online art supply extravaganza is swoon worthy!
The Nitty Gritty:
- Free shipping on orders with minimum purchase dependent on what part of the country you live in
- Newfoundland & Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon have a flat rate fee
- Additional fees for oversized/overweight items
- International Shipping must contact customer service before ordering
- Blog
- Gift Cards available
- Exclusive perks if you create an online account
- You can even create a wish list!
- Some of the brands you may recognize:
- Wallack’s Acrylic Paint (their own brand!)
- Amsterdam
- DecoArt
- Liquitex
- Golden
- Winsor & Newton
- Princeton brushes
- Art Pro brushes
- Canson, and more
King’s Framing and Art Supply
King’s Framing and Art Supply is a family owned business with a focus on art education and encouraging creativity for all ages. They know how important art is to mental well-being and strive to make art accessible to all.
The Low Down:
- Friends…. They have The Art Sherpa Brushes!!!
- Free shipping on orders over $75 before tax within Canada
- Rewards program for creating a free online account
- International shipping
- Newsletter
- Gift cards available but it’s unclear whether you can use them online
- Blog
- Brands:
- Art Sherpa
- Golden
- Holbein
- Liquitex
- Pebeo
- Abstract
- Simply Simmons
- Silver
- Princeton
- Fredrix
- Canson, and more
Wyndham Art Supplies
Located in Guelph, Wyndham opened its doors in 1992 and employs artists and craftspeople whose collective knowledge is a huge resource for its customers. Not only do they have a fantastic online art supply shop, but they also offer custom framing, and house the Guelph School of Art. I’m thinkin’ they know their business!
The Deal-eo:
- No free shipping but they do offer flat rate within Canada based on your location
- Additional fees for oversized and overweight
- Worldwide shipping
- Gift cards available for use only on the online store
- Blog
- Newsletter
- Brands carried:
- Winsor & Newton
- Golden
- Pebeo
- Holbein
- Amsterdam
- Winsor & Newton
- Premier Taklon brushes
- Fredrix
- Canson, and more
Manitoba
Artist’s Emporium
Opened in 1977, this is quite an impressive online art supply store with over 100,000 items to choose from!
The Specifics:
- The shipping policy focused more on returns so it would be best to contact them for more information
- Join their email list
- There is an online option to purchase gift cards but the website is not set up to accept them as payment. Instead, they ask you to call the toll free number or email them with your purchase and relay the card information to the order desk
- No resource library
- Brands they carry:
- Liquitex
- Golden
- Holbein
- Amsterdam
- Abstract
- Winsor & Newton
- Princeton brushes
- Canson
- Fredrix, and more
Saskatchewan
Black Dog Art Supplies
Black Dog Art Supplies is located in Regina and is a family owned operation with a love for, you guessed it, black dogs! They even have a shop dog who is in charge of customer relations in their store.
The Fine Print:
- Contact for all shipping info
- No gift card option
- Newsletter
- No resource library
- Brands:
- Golden
- Amsterdam
- Holbein
- Da Vinci
- Princeton
- Fredrix
- Canson, and more
Alberta
Delta Art & Drafting Supply
Delta boasts an impressive inventory of over 27, 000 items and even stocks some hard to find artist supply lines. Located in Edmonton, Delta prides itself on being a place where artists can find everything they need with friendly and knowledgeable customer service, Canada wide.
More Info:
- Shipping is a bit hard to understand but it looks like Canada wide
- Couldn’t find any info on International shipping so make sure to contact them
- Small knowledge base
- You can purchase Gift Cards online but no further info included
- Brands:
- Ampersand
- Royal Langnickel
- Silver
- Princeton
- Fredrix, and more
Colours Art Supplies
Colours is located in Edmonton Alberta, with an additional location in British Columbia, where they have been in business since 1947. They carry a wide range of online art supply materials for all skill levels.
The Specifics:
- Ships Canada wide at a flat rate price depending on weight
- No International Shipping
- Newsletter
- An online account where you can keep a wish list, and check your orders
- No gift card option
- No blog or resource library
- Brands Mentioned:
- Colors Acrylic Paint (their own brand!)
- Princeton
- Winsor & Newton
- Fredrix
- Canson
- Golden
- Liquitex
- Amsterdam, and more
The Paint Spot
Started in 1985, and located in Edmonton, The Paint Spot is run by fellow artists so they know their stuff! Their online art supply store caters to artists of all skill levels.
More Info:
- Free Shipping with a minimum order of $150 before tax Canada Wide (some conditions apply)
- Ships Internationally (for more info, check out their Shipping Rates page)
- How to and blog tabs
- Gift cards available but it’s unclear if they can be used for online purchases
- Newsletter
- Brands:
- Fredrix
- Da Vinci
- Princeton
- Golden
- Holbein
- Amsterdam, and more
British Columbia
Opus Art Supplies
Opus Art Supplies is an independently owned group of stores in various locations throughout British Columbia. It started off as a picture framing company for local professional artists in 1974 but quickly grew its offerings.
More Details:
- Free shipping on orders with minimum purchase dependent on what part of the country you live in
- No international Shipping
- The resource tab has tutorials
- Gift card option but not to purchase online and not useable on the website (no bueno)
- Newsletter
- Brands:
- Opus paint and brushes (their own brand!)
- Golden
- Pebeo
- Amsterdam
- Fredrix
- Canson
- Da Vinci, and more
Island Blue Art & Framing
With two locations on Vancouver Island, Island Blue has a wide variety of art supplies. It was founded in 1912 as a blueprint and drafting company and is now known for its printing and finishing services as well as book printing, art supplies, and custom framing.
The Specifics:
- BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have free shipping over $75
- The rest of Canada has free shipping over $100 (some restrictions apply)
- Blog
- Newsletter
- Brands:
- Interlon
- Mightlon
- Atelier
- Abstract
- Liquitex
- Golden, and more
Well, there you have it, friends! These are just some of the smaller Canadian art supply stores that have an online presence. For any provinces I didn’t mention, I promise I wasn’t overlooking you! I just couldn’t find any options for online shopping. So, if there are any amazing online art supply stores in Canada that I didn’t mention, and you highly recommend, list them in the comment section below so we can all take a look….. and start making our birthday and Christmas wish lists, haha!
If you’ve got some new art supplies, and you want to give them a good work out, make sure to check out my article, “How to Mix Coral Paint“, for a fun step-by-step tutorial. If you’re currently working on a portrait of your feline friend, I’ve got some super helpful tips on my post “How to Paint a Cat“.
Related Articles:
Meet Sara, a seasoned veteran in the world of art. With a knack for mixing paints to unveil breathtaking new hues, she’s adorned countless commissions and independently captivated art enthusiasts with her creations. Having spent over a decade immersed in the realm of art gallery management, Sara’s insight into the intricacies of the art scene shines through her work.
But don’t let her impressive résumé fool you – Sara’s approach to art is as lively as her palette. Known for her wit and humor, she infuses her passion for painting with a playful spirit, making every stroke a delightful adventure. As a dedicated mentor, she’s committed to guiding her fellow artists towards success, always staying ahead of the curve with the latest techniques and trends.
This is such a great post and resource! Sometimes it is nice to go somewhere other than the big box stores and as a Canadian I definitely appreciate this list. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much! It’s always fun to see what kinds of new and unique things you can find when you shop at smaller businesses.
Thank you so much for compiling this list. It’s very helpful and I found what I was looking for on your list. Love Lyn
Yay! I’m so glad you found it helpful. Happy painting!
There is an art shop in Fredericton, NB, that offers amazing customer service and great selection. Free shipping with $125 minimum. I have received my orders in two days to Ontario.
You may want to add them to your wonderful list:
Endeavours & ThinkPlay
141 Brunswick Street
E3B 1G7 Fredericton
Tuesday – Friday : 11 AM to 6 PM
Saturday : 10AM to 5PM
endeavoursthinkplay.com
Thanks so much for the tip! I took a look around and it looks awesome!