London has some of the finest art supply shops in the world — from the flagship Cass Art stores to the century-old specialist dealers of Covent Garden and Bloomsbury. Whether you are a student, a professional artist, or simply looking for quality materials, this guide covers every significant shop.
London has been a centre of fine art materials for centuries — the city's role as a global art market and the presence of major art colleges, the Royal Academy, and countless working artists have sustained a network of specialist suppliers that few other cities can match. At one end are the major chains (Cass Art, London Graphic Centre) with comprehensive stocks and competitive pricing; at the other are specialist shops of the kind that have barely changed in a hundred years, where knowledgeable staff can advise on the specific oil pigments used by a particular nineteenth-century painter or the correct paper for a specific printmaking technique. This guide covers both, along with the specialist dealers in between.
Cass Art: The Accessible Standard
Cass Art is the UK's leading art supplies retailer and operates several London stores. Founded in 1984, the company was built on the principle of making professional-quality materials accessible at prices that students and emerging artists can afford — a mission it has maintained through decades of expansion. The stores are well-organised, the staff are generally knowledgeable (many are working artists), and the range is comprehensive: paints in every medium, papers, canvases, printmaking materials, sculpture supplies, sketchbooks, brushes, and more.
Cass Art Islington — Flagship
Address: 66–67 Colebrooke Row, N1 8AB
Nearest tube: Angel (Northern line)
Size: 7,500 square feet across two floors
The Islington flagship is the largest Cass Art store and the most impressive: 7,500 square feet of art materials across two floors, with a dedicated paper room showcasing an exceptional range of fine art papers from makers worldwide. The upper floor concentrates on painting and drawing materials; the lower on surfaces, canvas, and paper. The paper room alone is worth a visit for the range — Japanese washi papers, handmade Indian papers, specialist printmaking and watercolour papers, and technical papers for architects and illustrators.
Cass Art Hampstead
Address: 52 Heath Street, NW3 1DN
Nearest tube: Hampstead (Northern line)
The Hampstead store is smaller than the Islington flagship but well stocked for a neighbourhood location. It serves the working artists of the area, the students at nearby colleges, and the generally art-literate Hampstead community. Worth checking for regular promotions and the range of sketchbooks, which is strong.
Other Cass Art London Locations
Cass Art also operates stores in Soho (66 Berwick Street, W1F 8TJ — nearest tube Oxford Circus), Kensington (24 Pemberton Road, W8 — nearest tube Kensington High Street), and Charing Cross (24 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DB — nearest tube Charing Cross or Leicester Square). The Charing Cross location is historically notable — there has been an art supply shop on or near this site for over 125 years, and Monet, Churchill, and Hockney are among those credited with having shopped here.
L. Cornelissen and Son: London's Historic Specialist
Address: 105 Great Russell Street, WC1B 3RY
Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road or Russell Square
Established: 1855
Cornelissen is one of the most extraordinary shops in London in any category. Established in 1855 and operating from its current premises on Great Russell Street (opposite the British Museum) since the Victorian era, the shop is a genuine relic of the nineteenth-century trade in artists' materials — and still very much a working business serving professional artists, restorers, and institutions. The interior is spectacularly atmospheric: wooden shelves floor to ceiling, glass-fronted cases containing hundreds of pigments, the smell of linseed and turpentine, an atmosphere of accumulated expertise that is immediately apparent to any visitor.
Cornelissen specialises in materials that the major chains do not carry or do not carry at the same quality level: dry pigments (hundreds of them, from classic ochres and umbers to rare earth colours and synthetic mineral pigments), specialist varnishes and mediums, gilder's supplies (gold and silver leaf, gesso, bole), historical oil and watercolour pigments, and specialist paper. The staff are deeply knowledgeable. Prices are higher than at Cass Art but the quality and specificity of what is available is incomparable for professional work. Recommended without reservation for anyone interested in traditional materials and techniques.
London Graphic Centre
Address: 16–18 Shelton Street, WC2H 9JL (Covent Garden)
Nearest tube: Covent Garden or Leicester Square
London Graphic Centre occupies a prominent position in Covent Garden and caters to the full range of creative practitioners — fine artists, graphic designers, illustrators, printmakers, and architects. The ground floor concentrates on graphic design and illustration materials; upper floors add fine art materials, papers, and technical drawing supplies. A strong range of Pantone products, pens, markers, and illustration materials makes this the best single destination for commercial creatives and illustrators. The paper selection is not as extensive as Cornelissen or the Cass Art Islington paper room but is very good for everyday working papers.
Atlantis Art Materials
Address: 7–9 Plumbers Row, E1 1EQ (Whitechapel)
Nearest tube: Aldgate East
Atlantis has been a major East London art supply destination for decades, particularly popular with the art school community around the Royal College and with working artists in the East End. The range is comprehensive and the prices are competitive. The large-format paper range and the printmaking materials section are particularly strong. Also stocks a good range of stretcher bars, canvases, and framing materials at trade prices.
Specialist Shops Worth Knowing
Cowling and Wilcox on Broadwick Street in Soho is a long-established supplier with a particularly strong range of technical drawing materials, architectural supplies, and graphic media. T N Lawrence, based in Hove but with a significant London online presence, is the specialist for printmaking materials in the UK — etching, lithography, relief printing, and screenprinting supplies are their core business. For framing materials and mount board, Frames by Design in Islington provides trade-quality framing at prices accessible to individual artists.
Student Discounts and Memberships
Cass Art offers a loyalty card programme with accumulating discounts and regular sales of 10–50% off. London Graphic Centre accepts student ID for discounts of up to 15%. Cornelissen has no formal discount scheme but professional and institutional accounts are available on application. The London Art Collector card, available through some art colleges, provides discounts at several of the shops listed above.
