Now that it’s the middle of July I’ve been starting to think about my classes for the upcoming fall semester and back to school shopping for both art supplies and dorm stuff. Back to school shopping can be very fun, but also overwhelming at the same time. I say overwhelming because art supplies can be very expensive. It really all depends on what you’re buying, the quality of the product and so on. I used to go to Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and buy all my art supplies there and spend a couple hundred on paints and canvases alone. After a while it became very pricey. More recently, I’ve found that it can be cheaper to shop online for art supplies or to shop at local businesses rather than a chain store. When it comes to online shopping I’ve found a lot of great deals and coupons through http://www.utrechtart.com/ and http://www.dickblick.com/. Sometimes they even offer free shipping when you spend around $45-50. I’ve also found that shopping at local businesses can be cheaper too. There aren’t many art stores near me, but whenever I go to Albany, NY for a shopping trip I like to go to Arlene’s Artist Materials. They have a great selection of paints, drawing materials, different paper, you name it. Another thing I like about shopping at Arlene’s is that they offer a student discount unlike Michaels and Hobby Lobby. So if you ever find yourself in Albany or near the area I definitely suggest checking out Arlene’s.

Nearer to Marywood there are a few other options. After doing a little research I did discover Marquis Art and Frame and they have one location in Scranton and another in Wilkes-Barre. This upcoming semester when I’m back in Scranton I will definitely make it a point to check out their location.

Featured Image Credit: http://www.artsuppliesdirect.com/