The Art Supplies Lament

It is believed that the first piece of art was painted on the wall of a cave by early humans.

The second piece of art was also painted on the wall of a cave, but the prehistoric person that painted it was heard to complain that “they just don’t make this paint like they used to.”

So began a long tradition of artists complaining that the art supplies they make today are no where near as good as the ones they used to make…or they don’t make them anymore…Or they aren’t available, etc. Art supplies are discontinued, formulas changed, manufacturing methods altered, materials switched, etc. and nothing makes artists who use these supplies more upset. The very rumor of the discontinuation of a given art material will send artists into a spending spree to locate all the remaining stock and horde it. One famous story was when the Esterbrook pen company went out of business and Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, who exclusively used an Esterbrook Radio nib #914 for his work, purchased enough nibs from existing stock to last the rest of his life rather than use a different nib. If you know an artist and you ever want to see them go into a frothing rage, ask them about the art tools they use and if they are as good as they used to be.

And don’t think digital artists are immune to this. I know some who refuse to upgrade to a new version of whatever software they use because some feature or function was changed and they hate the new way it works.

Me? I am also not immune to the irrational fear of art supplies I like using being discontinued, changed, or being impossible to get for some reason.

Back in 2000, when I was first getting to work for MAD, I found myself doing a LOT more inking than I had ever done before. After much experimentation I discovered an ink I really liked, Pelikan’s Drawing Ink A. I had a 4 oz bottle of it that I’d been using for quite some time but was running low, so I went to the art store to get some more.

They were out of stock.

I went to a different art store. Same story. I tried online (this was well before Amazon or easy ordering anything online). No love. I was unable to find a bottle of Pelikan’s Drawing Ink A anywhere. It usually came in a small 1 oz bottle rather than the larger 4 oz one I had, but neither size was available.

I finally asked the owner of one the art stores I frequented what this was all about. He told me the ink was from a German company, and their U.S. distributor’s agreement had expired and no one had made a new deal with the company. As a result, it was unavailable for import into the U.S. No word on when that would change.

Undeterred, I thought “who do I know in Germany that might be able to go to an art store, buy some of this for me, and ship it to me?”

German artist Sebastian Krüger, that’s who.

I called Sebastian and he was happy to ask his local art store about the ink the next time he went in. A few days later I heard from Sebastian and he said his art store would have to order it from the manufacturer, but that was no problem. How much did I want?

I told him 24 of the larger bottles would do. I figured 24 x 4 oz= 96 oz would last me a good long time.

He got back to me asking if I was sure about that, because he thought it was kind of expensive. I said “whatever it costs.” He told me the amount plus shipping and I thought “wow, that IS expensive, but beggars can’t be choosers.” I sent him the money and he had the inked directly shipped to me by the store.

A few weeks later I got a box in the mail containing 24 bottles of Pelikan’s Drawing Ink A.

Twenty-four 1000ml bottles. That’s about 676 oz of ink!!!

That was almost 20 years ago. I am working on my 4th bottle (I sold one to a pal), so I have been averaging about one bottle every 5 years or so. That means I have enough ink to last me for another 95 years, give or take. If my last name was Jaffee I’d be a little concerned about my supply, but I think I’m good.