LAST EDITED – 2018

20% of every artist’s total supplies

Recently I have been on a shopping spree for art supplies. It is never ending and KY complains non stop. I can basically give a list on all the art supply shops near me by memory. That’s scary, lol. Anyway, I am a professional artist by trade and I frequent art shops more often than I shop for anything else. Heed my advice or else.

  1. Amcorp Mall – Creative CottageCraft shop at Level 3. They sell paints, mediums, a bit of canvases, wood craft bases. Expect to find paints for ceramic, glasses, wood, paper and fabric.
  2. Tropicana City Mall – Scrapbook Memories at Level 2. They have a wider selection of paints, mediums, paper and card stock, rubber stamps, electronic craft machines, brushes and ink pads. Expect to find paints for ceramic, glasses, wood, paper and fabric.
  3. Vision Art, near The One Academy. Catered to students, prices can be haggled and you can find usual art supplies, canvases, bags, easels, architecture craft supplies and markers. They have canvas cloth too. They are not open on weekends. You won’t be able to find ceramic paint here though. The lady owner can be very rude at times.
  4. One Utama – Craft Haven at Level 2. This is a very complete art supply shops when it comes to crafting. They don’t have a lot of canvases or easels.. but they have everything a crafter needs. Paints, mediums, wood craft bases, paper and card stock, rubber stamps, electronic craft machines, brushes and a wide array of markers for every medium. Expect to find paints and markers for ceramic, glasses, wood, paper and fabric. Their selection of brushes is very good.
  5. Mid Valley Gardens, The Curve – Art Friend at Level 3. They have everything. If you are looking for something rare this is the place to go. I bought my Copic markers, trois couleur pastels and wood here. They have light boxes as well. Paints for artists and crafters are also available here. What they lack is acrylic paint mediums like glaze mediums, retarders. For this you have a better change at Craft Haven.
  6. Ikano Power Center – Da Vinci at Level 2. Their selection is minimal but sufficient if you are in an emergency looking for common supplies.
  7. Ikano Power Center – Yen Ji at Level 2. If you are looking for wood panels to paint on then this is the place to go. You can even custom order your own wood since the retail ones are reclaimed.
  8. Nanyang Art Supplies in KL town. If you are looking for cheap art supplies in bulk and you need chinese art supplies, then this is the place to go. They have the biggest canvas cloth in town. Expect to see really good materials here as this shop is very established, however that comes with the drawback of expired goods. If you are buying paint, make sure they are not dried up. They have a wide range of paper here. They have paint sets that are vintage. Online shop here.
  9. Venus Art in KL town. If you want premium stuff that is old and over priced. This is the place to go. I used to buy from this shop but their price tags blew me off. Brushes, ink and chinese art supplies are good quality though, look for their sable horse hair brushes. Stock is old and pls check if the paint has dried up before purchasing. They have an online shop ->
  10. T-Square in Central Market. Packed art & stationery supplies shop. They have a framing service for canvases as well.
  11. Master Art at Street Mall, Cyberjaya. A Vision Art equivalent in Cyberjaya. Much bigger with a lot more stationery supplies. You can get a discount if you mention that you are a student from LKW or MMU.
  12. Multifilla in Balakong. Art supplies in warehouse style. The more you buy the cheaper it gets. Beware of bad quality stuff though, things are pricey for a reason. You should deal with the opposite gender if you are here. (An elderly couple is managing this place). If you need art supplies for events or in big quantity, coming here will save you money but if you are going all the way here for an item, don’t bother. The distance and the road condition isn’t worth it, especially if it rains and you are stuck in a Cusco suspension sports car with bad door sealing rubbers.
  13. WestStar in Shah Alam. Good pricing, mostly student grade. They have a wide variety of art supplies, stationeries and markers here. You can get their member card for further discount. Most of the items have no price tag and you have to scan them at the scanner to check
  14. Craftiviti in 10 Boulevard. All the niche supplies you need for craft – woodworking, candle and soap making, airbrush, ceramic, pyrography, props making. They even have chemicals in bulk. If you are looking for resin, this is the place to go. Note that they sell at RETAIL price. Do not expect dirt cheap wholesale price. Online shop – craftiviti.com
  15. Premier Fine Art, Publika. Small shop, basic art supplies. They have Liquitex here. Small but nice selection. Can be pricey. For oil painting lovers, Old Holland brand is available.
  16. CzipLee, Bangsar. Hipster art shop. Lots of pens and journaling products. A very complete art store.

ONLINE ART SUPPLIES 

  1. scrap-n-crop.com – Wide range of art supplies. You can get pretty much everything you need here. If you are willing to pay for it. I always have the habit of leaving the cart without paying…..
  2. stickerrific-store.com – Ink, lettering, calligraphy and pen maniacs. This is your haven. If you are looking for hipster and novelty items, this is the place to go. They have a physical shop at Jaya One.
  3. Nanyang Art – see the physical shop description above
  4. Craftiviti.com –  see the physical shop description above
  5. Yellowbee.my – Student Grade art supplies with stationeries
  6. creative cottage – Craft paints and supplies for decorative work.
  7. sketches.my – comic art supplies, ink and brush pens

Mural and Spray Supplies

The question I always get – Where do I buy Ironlak or Montana in Malaysia? So for any graffiti artists visiting Malaysia and looking for a quick set up, these are the places to go.

Ironlak sprays – Centrepoint Hardware Store, SF Hardware
Montana sprays -Cziplee, Art friend, District Shop Gallery.,
Liquitex sprays – Art friend.

Mural Paint – Just get Jotun Majestic paints from any hardware store.
Brushes – Look for Taklon brushes in art shops. You can’t miss them. The bristles are all yellow orange in color. These brushes are our favourite to use on the wall. Its durable, flat, big and cheap.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter where you buy your supplies if you are looking for cheap stuff. Most of the cheap stores are located in a heavy traffic area or in a remote place where you need to waste money on petrol or fares. Most of them have membership cards and you should get them to shave off the price a lil.
Thanks for all the comments but I won’t be able to reply every single one each time.