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Black Friday is over, but many Black Friday bargains are still available! Whether you need art and craft supplies, are yearning to pick up a new hobby, or are in the market for a gift for your creative loved ones, now is the time to buy.
We will be updating this page over Black Friday weekend, so bookmark this page and check in with us often. A word of advice: Move fast, as many of these products will sell out quickly. (All prices current at time of publication.)
How we pick each product:
Our mission is to recommend the most appropriate artists’ tool or supply for your needs. Whether you are looking for top-of-the line equipment or beginners’ basics, we’ll make sure that you get good value for your money by doing the research for you. We scour the Internet for information on how art supplies are used and read customer reviews by real users; we ask experts for their advice; and of course, we rely on our own accumulated expertise as artists, teachers, and craftspeople.
SAVE ON TECH GEAR AND CAMERAS
This Black Friday there’s lots of great tech for artists, collectors, and galleries on sale. Here are some key price drops on some very good gear. And check out our Black Friday deals on cameras here.
Sony Digital Camera
The 24-megapixel Sony A7C mirrorless digital camera is not only easy to use right out of the box, but packs a full-frame sensor, powerful 5-axis in-body image stabilization for capturing sharp photos and jitter-free 4K-resolution video clips, versatile autofocus modes, excellent battery life, and a user-friendly 3-inch touchscreen display, all in a compact, lightweight body. While you’re shopping, there’s a wide selection of compatible Sony lenses you’ll want to take a look at, as well.
Samsung 55-inch TV
While the Samsung 55-inch QLED 4K smart TV does not have all the bells and whistles of some other 4K HDTVs, it still offers excellent image quality overall, including HRS, and decent audio.
Bose Earbuds
If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative to Apple Air Pods, consider Bose’s Sport Open Earbuds. They offer very good sound quality and since they rest on top of your ears instead of going in them, they’ll stay put through your daily workout.
UBeesize Selfie Ring Light
This UBeesize ring light with cell phone stand is ideal for vlogging or video conferencing on a mobile device. A gooseneck arm can bend in any direction, and the light has three colors and 10 brightness levels to get you just the right look.
Lebow Portable Display
If you’re looking for a portable monitor that you can use with your laptop, cell phone, and other devices, Lebow’s 15.6-inch display is a good option. It has 1080p resolution and an HDR mode for better details in shadows and highlights. It also comes with a handy adjustable stand.
DJI Action Camera
The DJI Action 2 action cam shoots excellent 4K video, and its unique modular design means it is customizable. Choose from a variety of magnetic elements according to your shooting needs.
Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 7 Bundle
Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 7 instant camera, which produces 2-by-3-inch prints from a slot on top, makes a great gift for kids. This set comes complete with a pack of film, an album for the prints, and a camera case.
Boris FX Plugins
This sale on Boris FX video and photo plugins lasts only one week and ends on November 27, 2022 at midnight PST. Here are four of our favorites:
–Boris FX Sapphire: Scores of presets and lens flares. Plus, you can design your own lens flares.
–Boris FX Mocha: Lots of tracking and roto features, including Power Mesh
–Boris FX Continuum: An award-winning editing, VFX, and mograph plugin, with 80 new HDR-compliant cinematic effects
–Boris FX Optics: A wide-array of photo-filters and effects, for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
Peak Design Travel Tripod
Peak Design’s lightweight and durable carbon fiber tripod is great for traveling, though you’ll also find lots of uses for it at home. It’s nicely considered design allows for quicker set-ups and breakdowns, and its ball head makes for ultra-smooth adjusting. If you’re looking to save even more money, consider the less expensive aluminum model.
Ricoh Underwater Camera
If you’re headed someplace warm for the holidays, perhaps you’d like to take a point-and-shoot that can go where your phone or full-frame mirrorless rig won’t. The 20-megpixel Ricoh WG-6 underwater digital camera work in up to 65 feet of water. It comes with a 5x optical, non-telescoping lens and can capture 4K-resolution video clips.
SAVE ON ARTIST’S SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT
Blick is having an in-store holiday sale through December 24, but you can also find great deals online through its cyber sale. Many of the best deals are on student-grade tools and supplies, so if you are on a budget or just starting out, this is an especially good sale for you. Here are some bargains that caught our eye.
Fabriano Fat Pads
Like Italian cars and Italian coffee, Fabriano’s made-in-Italy, acid-free paper feels luxurious. Save 62% on Fabriano fat pads, including a chunky drawing pad with 70-pound paper that is externally sized for added strength. Fabriano also makes an excellent mixed-media pad with fairly heavyweight (108-pound) sheets that are bright white and smooth, allowing sharp details with a drafting pencil and delightful depth of shading with charcoal. With some heavy washes or layers of paint, the paper will warp, but it then flattens out.
Princeton Catalyst Polytip Brushes for Oil and Acrylic Paints
Save on a set of four Princeton Catalyst Polytip brushes in useful shapes and sizes. Made of synthetic filaments, these brushes are stiff enough to move thicker oil or acrylic paints, yet are still springy and responsive. Each individual fiber has also been split to replicate the flagging of natural-hair brushes (hence the name Polytip), which increases the amount of paint the brushes can hold.
Princeton Aqua Elite Watercolor Brushes
Princeton’s Aqua Elite brushes look, feel, and even perform like natural Kolinsky sable hair, and this vegan-friendly series is now deeply discounted. . They are satisfyingly springy with excellent snap and a high water capacity.
Winsor & Newton ProMarkers
Winsor & Newton ProMarkers, which are filled with high-performance, alcohol-based ink, are on sale, and you can save the most when you buy large sets of 48. Sets of dual-tip and dual-tip brush markers are both marked down. ProMarkers blend and layer very well, and also allow you to dilute the intensity of a hue. They’re a great cost-saving alternative to pricier Copics, and at these prices, even Prismacolor Premiers.
Strathmore 100 Percent Cotton Marker Pads
Get a deal on Strathmore’s 500 series marker pads, bound with ultra-smooth, 100 percent cotton paper. This is sheer paper that is noticeably lightweight—just 13.5 lbs—but still strong enough to handle artistic flourishes. You can blend and layer freely with alcohol markers with little bleedthrough, erase cleanly without tearing, and even apply charcoal and pastels. Because the sheets are semi-translucent, you can use them for tracing.
Winsor & Newton Gouache Set
Winsor & Newton’s gouache paint, a pro-level product beloved by designers and commercial illustrators, is half off. Made with premixed premium pigments without any chalks or fillers, it delivers opaque and extremely bold color that easily reactivates with water. The paint dries matte, ideal for digital reproduction. This primary set of six colors is particularly good for learning color theory.
SAVE ON TOOLS FOR THE STUDIO
Milwaukee Cordless Tool Kit
Buy a Milwaukee M18 18V lithium-ion cordless tool kit and save big on a big set of tools. This deeply discounted kit includes a 1/2-inch drill driver, a 6 1/2-inch circular saw, a one-handed reciprocating saw , and a multi-tool, plus a work light, two batteries, a multi-voltage charger, a contractor bag and more.
Shark Robot Vacuum
Get a good deal on a Shark Robot vacuum, designed to get the job done. This robo vacuum has powerful suction, and after each cleaning it empties itself into its bagless base. The company says the base holds up to 30 days of dirt and debris, though that could depend on how deep the grime is in your studio. The vacuum is compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, or just use the app.
Craftsman Power Tool Combo Kit
Take a third off Craftsman 20-volt power tool combo kit of two drills. Today’s cordless drills are incredibly powerful, handy and versatile, and they’re also easy to hold and carry. This two-set drill combo kit from Craftsman comes with a 20V drill/driver and 20V impact driver. Both are lightweight, compact, and are easy to handle. They come with a soft storage bag, batteries, charger and accessories.
SAVE ON ONLINE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES
You’ve most likely seen one of the commercials for MasterClass, the online education subscription service that gets celebrities from to record tutorials on a wide range of topics from cooking to science to philosophy. Instructors include musician Alicia Keys, chef Gordon Ramsay, editor and fashion icon Anna Wintour, comedian and actor Steve Martin, and other luminaries. Through tomorrow, you can buy one MasterClass annual membership and get an additional annual membership free.
SAVE ON DRAFTING STOOLS AND KID’S DESKS
Fully, which specializes in sustainably manufactured ergonomic furniture, is offering 20% off its entire inventory through the end of November. Though the company markets its wares as office furniture, many items in its catalog are equally useful in the studio. Save more on the Jaswig children’s desk, perfect as a first work or art table, or consider splurging on the avant-garde Capisco chair, which you can customize with a foot ring to make a drafting stool. This is the time to buy, as Fully rarely does sales.
SAVE ON PRODUCTS FOR CRAFTING
Michael’s Black Friday sale on craft supplies is in full swing, with great deals on everything from beads to framing. And don’t forget the items on Michael’s weekly ad. Pro tip: download the store’s app to easily browse newly released offers. Here are some of our picks for what to buy:
Buy one get one free on all artist paper pads, including drawing, sketching, and watercolor pads from Strathmore and our favorite mixed-media pad from Canson.
Get 30% off all markers, pens, and pencils, including Prismacolor Premier colored pencils, Copic Sketch markers, and take 50% off 10-piece Tombo dual-brush pen sets.
Save up to 60% on fine-art paint and drawing supplies, including a Sennelier La Petite 16-color half pan watercolor set in a wood box, a Prang 50-piece colored pencil set, and Prismacolor Premier double-ended art markers.
