Utrecht Art Supplies Store Blog - Berkeley, CA

Be our fan on Facebook!

Berkeley Staff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:33:26 +0000

We’ve got a Fan Page on Facebook now and we want you to become a fan of Utrecht Berkeley! If you simply type “Utrecht Berkeley” into the search bar on your Facebook page you will find us. Because Facebook streamlines a lot of processes involved in posting updates it’s super easy for us to give you up-to-the-minute info about specials, demos, new products, etc. A lot of our customers love to chat with our associates about each other’s work, this is a great way to keep up with them as well and have a super quick link to get to see their personal work they’ve posted. We’ll also send out incentives to get you back into our store asap (aka, info on promotions and COUPONS!). We’ll of course continue to post updates to this blog as well, but once you’ve become familiar with the benefits of Facebook you’ll understand why it’s so fun to reconnect with long lost folks, find new friends, and meet other artists in our community!

Old School’s Cool!

Berkeley Staff — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:32:07 +0000

As these ancient cave paintings show, people have been spraying paint for as long as there has been art! These sprayed hands could have been one of the first uses of a “stencil.” They also could be a kind of a signature or “I was here.”

Aerosol spray paints are a modern invention which became popular for their unique look, quick drying time, and ability to mark on a variety of different surfaces. They are widely used for murals, as well as for projects where other types of paint just don’t hold up. They can be used freehand or with stencils, and different tips are available to create different sprayed line widths.

Here at Utrecht Berkeley we stock the Montana Gold aerosol paints, which have a heavy pigment load, and a range of rich matte colors that satisfy the most demanding artist.

Due to popular demand, we are expanding our selection of aerosol paints.

We already have 91 colors of Montana Gold, but soon we will be the only retailer in town to stock all 181 colors of Montana Gold aerosol paints! (I didn’t know until recently that they MADE so many colors!)

Also coming soon:

We are bringing in the Alien aerosol paints from Spanish Montana. We will be the only art supply store in town to stock them.

The Alien paints come in a can that has less propellant than most spray paints: this means the paint comes out more slowly and consistently, so there is more control and less risk of dripping. They are good for detailed work on fine art projects.

We are also bringing in the Ironlak aerosol paints, which are a more economically priced spray paint, good for the student or beginning spray can artist. (Note: we will only have the full size cans, not the small cans also pictured.) With Ironlak, you can get more paint for your dollar, so you can feel free to experiment with new techniques.

If that wasn’t exciting enough, we are also expanding our selection of paint pens!

Soon we will have the Krink paint pens and Montana Hard Core Markers in addition to the Sharpie paint pens that we already stock.

We are anxiously waiting for these new products to arrive, and will post here again as soon they are set up!

Note: Most of you already know this, but just a reminder: According to California State Law, you must be at least 18 years of age to purchase spray paint. We will ask for your I.D.

Wouldn’t The Bay be prettier filled with Etching ink?

Berkeley Staff — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:46:05 +0000

Ok, maybe not the actual bay but rather The Bay Area. And maybe not with actual etching ink, but rather with the beautiful work it helps to produce. I know I said that we were super excited to have the full line of Montana Gold, and we still are. But if it’s possible, we’re even more excited to have the full color assortment of Charbonnel Etching Inks in stock! Yes it’s true that we drink a lot of caffine and are therefore easily excitable, but that should in no way diminish how awesome it is to have these premium quality inks to offer you. You have, after all, been asking for them and rightly so. There are 51 lucious colors to choose from and we’re offering them in the handy 60ml/2 fl. oz. size so you can flirt with colors such as Nasturtium Yellow, Spring Green, and Solferino Violet without having to make a huge commitment. Our commitment to you still stands though, the highest quality products at the best prices and the greatest staff on earth to assist you.

Have you gone to Montana yet?!?

Berkeley Staff — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:56:02 +0000

Woooo Hoooo! We are so excited that we got the full 91+ color assortment in that we are running a super special deal on them right now…$7.99 ea. and buy 4 tips get the 5th tip free! This paint is super thick so you don’t have to go back over your work a hundred times to get the full color strenth (and you also don’t have to buy as many cans). The color saturation is intense and the finish is ultra matte. People who try Montana are never satisfied with anything less again. On top of that the colors they offer are so sensory satisfying like “best of times”, “flipper”, “ketchup” and “sugar melon”. They are laquer based so the sky’s the limit for what you can paint with them. I personally have painted shoes, clothes, an exterior door and my bike helmet on top of the more usual applications of signs and paintings on canvas. Are you a fan of instant gratification? Grab a can of Montana or ten and turn your world technicolor!

Figure Drawers Unite!

Berkeley Staff — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:43:13 +0000

In our effort to help students gear up for their summer classes we’ve put a lot of the most common supplies on super sale. We have a lot of figure drawers here in the East Bay that should take advantage of these great sale prices! 18×24 drawing pads, vine and willow charcoals and sketch books are just a few of the items that have great savings right now. Printmakers should take advantage of our current sale on handmade Japanese papers! These papers rarely go on sale and they are gorgeous, guaranteed to take your work to the next level.

Join us in remembering Oakland’s (and all) children…

Berkeley Staff — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:04:52 +0000

This weekend, June 13th at Defremery Park (1651 Adeline St. Oakland) the 2nd Annual Children’s Memorial Day in the Park is taking place. This event is put on by a group called GMOM (Greiving Mothers On a Mission) and is dedicated to educating youth on the devastating impact of gun violence within our homes, schools and communities. It is also to honor all Oakland’s children lost to gun violence already. This organization and event was started by a woman who lost her 5 year old son two years ago when he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun while visiting a relative’s house. Since then she has dedicated her life to ensuring that his death wasn’t in vain through her efforts to raise awarness in hopes of preventing other families and children from such needless loss.

Utrecht Berkeley is proud to donate art supplies and volunteers to help Alise and the GMOM crew have a successful event. Their plan is to keep the focus on a positive future for the children and amongst other things they will have several art activities for the kids to enjoy and get “hands-on”. You can help too by bringing a special child or children out to the park this Saturday! Art, music, games, food and meaningful awareness…what could be better!?!

Hurry! May 31st is just days away!

Berkeley Staff — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:30:32 +0000

We have an unprecidented sale happening on nearly every bit of canvas we have! Seriously, I’m talking rolls of canvas that usually retail for $94.99 selling for $52.99! And it’s not limited to rolls, it’s that mindblowing on all sizes and profiles of stretched canvas and folds as well. And please don’t misunderstand, we have amazing sale prices on so many other items around the store as well including all tubes of Utrecht paint (superior quality for the lowest money always) both oil and acrylic! Here’s the bad news…as you know sales like this can’t last forever and the end is near!!! This Sunday, May 31st is the last day to take advantage of these incredible savings so hurry in!

And don’t be the only kid on the block without an Artsmart Passport this summer! Call or come in for details. Unless you’re just not going to be in town this summer you’re going to want a passport of your very own! Of course, just like all super duper things, it won’t last forever so make sure you get yours before June 28th so you get the savings it offers all the way into August!

What will YOU put in your Moleskine!?!

Berkeley Staff — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:43:28 +0000

Are you going to do any traveling this summer? Do you need to give a graduation gift? Do you hang onto your old sketch books like diaries? You need a Moleskine journal! We have a wide range of them in stock and we’re kicking off summer with a 20% off Manager’s Special on your choice, no limit! If you haven’t yet figured out why these things have a nearly cultish following then that’s because you haven’t owned one yet. The legendary notebook of Hemingway, Picasso, and Chatwin to name a few will bring tears to your eyes when you see how this super high quality paper takes pen, pencil, gouache, etc. Don’t miss out as this offer is only while supplies last and since these guys never go on sale they won’t last long (Special ends on May 31st).

Berkeley Staff — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:45:29 +0000

Summertime evokes thoughts of barbeques, sun tans, and now mega art savings! We want you to include art in everything you do this summer so we’ve created a Passport to get you to all your artistic destinations. Come in and make a qualifying purchase of $10 or more and we’ll get you set up with a book full of coupons good for 30-40% off one item per week as well as 10% off every purchase thru August 7th! Some restrictions apply so call us or come by for more details. Oh, and don’t wait too long to come get yours as eventhough the Passport is good all summer long, you only have until June 28th to get one.

Screenprint demo this weekend!

Berkeley Staff — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:08:54 +0000

We will be hosting a FREE screen printing demo on Saturday May 16th and Sunday May 17th. We will be printing from 1 to 4pm.

We will show you how to print your own T-shirts using Speedball screenprinting supplies.

We will be answering questions, giving out free T-shirts, and offering discounts on select Speedball brand printmaking supplies. Fun with ink and squeegees!