Where to Find the Best Art Supply Discounts

The Best Back-to-School Art Supply Discounts Right Now

I’m currently staring at a mountain of empty watercolor pans and a bank account that cries when I look at professional framing costs, so I get it. The short answer is that yes, back-to-school season is secretly the best time for artists to restock, with Blick, Michaels, Jerry's Artarama, and Jackson's Art Supplies slashing prices for students and teachers. If you ask us, the absolute gold standard here is Jackson's Student Program—20% off their house-brand products is an absolute steal for high-quality supplies.

Where Students Get the Best Deals

Let's talk about the student hacks first. If you are a tertiary student in the US, sign up for Jackson's Art Supplies Student Program to get 10% off most items and that sweet 20% off Jackson's brand goods. Jackson's paper and brush quality is stellar. Meanwhile, Blick Art Materials offers a reliable 10% student discount both online and in-store, verified easily through Student Beans, UNiDAYS, or SheerID. They also run a massive seasonal Back to School promotion featuring price reductions across more than 3,000 classroom and studio products. That's where we usually stock up on heavy-duty drawing pads.

The Teacher and Educator Perks

Educators get the real royal treatment. Michaels offers an everyday 15% discount for verified teachers who are rewards members, and yes, it actually applies to your entire purchase, including sale items. Their seasonal stock-up events are wild—think Buy 2, Get 2 Free on Artist's Loft back-stapled and gallery-wrapped canvases, or Buy 1, Get 1 50% off on fine art marker, pen, and pencil sets. If you need bulk canvas to experiment on without the guilt of wasting expensive linen, that's your play.

Blick also has their Preferred Customer Academic Discount program giving educators and school staff a 10% in-store discount on full-priced items. But Jerry's Artarama is the quiet hero here. They provide standing status discounts for verified teachers, students, and schools. Plus, they have a "Teacher Art Class Supply Lists" feature where instructors can build custom, shareable product lists for their classes. Students can buy the exact right supplies with a few clicks, saving everyone from the classic "I bought the wrong weight of paper" first-day disaster.

Our Studio Strategy

Don't buy everything at once; cherry-pick the house brands from Jackson's and use Michaels for your bulk canvas and pen needs. It keeps our small Belula family studio running without us having to sell a kidney to afford fresh pigment.