Melbourne Etching Supplies

Cranfield Traditional Etching Inks lighting up a very gloomy day in-store at M.E.S Fairfield ❤️🧡💛

These inks are truly a perfect choice for all your intaglio printmaking needs. Handcrafted with the highest quality linseed oil, these traditionally formulated etching inks are highly pigmented and come in a vast array of colours.

Excellent for all drypoint, engraving, etching, mezzotint and aquatint plates - and good for monotypes too!

Enjoy 20% off the Cranfield Traditional Etching Inks, alongside all our oil based printmaking inks, this July at M.E.S.!

This discount is available online and in-store, and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts or special offers.

Always a favourite at MES, the Gamblin Etching Inks are made for printmakers looking for a strong line and a fine sensitivity to detail. With a carefully curated palette of colours and an extended array of black tones. (Do you have a favourite? Right now we are loving the Gamblin Prussian Blue and the Portland Black!)

Celebrate all things print with us this July with a 20% discount on our entire range of Oil-based Printmaking Inks!

Available online and in-store.

This offer is valid from the 1st - 31st July, 2024. 

*The MES Oil-based Printmaking Inks discount will be applied automatically at checkout on our online store. Alternatively the M.E.S Staff will apply the discount for you in-store at M.E.S Fairfield & M.E.S Fitzroy.

**Discounts are available while stocks last only and may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or specials offered.

Celebrate all things print with us this July with a special offer only a printmaker could dream of - enjoy a 20% discount on our entire range of Oil-based Printmaking Inks!

Whether you are a die-hard Charbonnel fan, a Graphic Chemical advocate or you adore the Cranfield Traditional colour range, this special is for you. Our July discount covers all oil-based etching, relief, letterpress & lithography inks and includes the brands Cranfield, Charbonnel, Gamblin, Graphic Chemical, Hanco & Lawrence inks.

Available online and in-store.

This offer is valid from the 1st - 31st July, 2024. 

*The MES Oil-based Printmaking Inks discount will be applied automatically at checkout on our online store. Alternatively the M.E.S Staff will apply the discount for you in-store at M.E.S Fairfield & M.E.S Fitzroy.

**Discounts are available while stocks last only and may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or specials offered.

Last couple of hours left for our June Paper Sale! Make sure to send your order through before midnight TONIGHT to secure your Paper Sale discounts!

Just two more days left in our June Paper Sale! We will be accepting orders until midnight on the 30th - place one today to secure generous savings on your favourite art papers!

Please find a link to the catalogue in our bio or via www.mes.net.au

What printmaking paper should I be using for my prints?

It's a question we hear often here at M.E.S!

What type of printmaking are you doing?
Within the broad realm of printmaking, it makes sense that different printmaking techniques would require different types of paper. Let's break it down. 

Relief Printing (e.g., woodcut or linocut): Papers that are strong and can handle the preasure of the printing press, such as traditional Japanese washi, mulberry paper, or heavier weight Western papers such as Stonehenge, Fabriano Rosaspina or BFK Rives. It's good to note, heavier paper does not necessarily mean stronger.

Intaglio (e.g. etching, engraving, drypoint): Papers that can handle being soaked and pressed without tearing, such as Hahnemühle, Velin Arches, BFK Rives, Somerset, Magnani 1404, Dutch Etching). 

Lithography: Smooth papers that can hold fine details of the lithographic process. Good choices include BFK Rives, Somerset Satin.

Screen Printing (Serigraphy): Papers that are smooth and can handle multiple layers of ink such as Stonehenge, Dutch Aquatint.

Hahnemuehle Papers

Of the highest quality, these mould-made papers are perfect for all traditional printing techniques.

With a matte, velvety soft and finely structured surface, the Hahnemuehle papers are available in a Warm White or Bright White tone.

The Hahnemuehle paper range is resistant to aging, archival and acid free.. and they are all vegan!

Enjoy savings of upto 35% off the Hahnemuehle range this Paper Sale (link in bio or available on our website). There's just one more week to go!

New to our Paper Sale this June, 'Shoin'!

This thin, transparent and white, machine-made paper has a super smooth surface texture. It's delicate, and if you hold it to the light it has a soft decorative check pattern to it. Each sheet is 17gsm and measures 94x64cm.

Available in our Paper Sale with a generous 25% off a pack of 10 sheets!

Contact us for more information or email your order today!

The Paper Sale runs from the 1st -30th of June 2024 and we offer generous discounts across our large and varied paper range.

MES is closed for the public holiday! Shop our art materials online today or peruse our paper sale catalogue and we will see you tomorrow!

It's on! The Paper Sale is live!!

We hope you enjoy our new catalogue - gone are the days of the paper sale spreadsheet! Our new catalogue features pictures and descriptions of all our papers, hopefully allowing an easy and informative Paper Sale read.

Orders must be placed in the usual way, via email, and orders will be picked and packed on a first-in first-out basis.

Enjoy savings of up to 50% off our papers, sketchbooks and paper pads, including our most popular printmaking, watercolour and drawing papers, our Japanese and Khadi paper ranges and more.

As always, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team if you have any questions.

Happy Paper Sale day!

Please find a link to the catalogue in our bio.

It's nearly time for our M.E.S June Paper Sale!!! Bigger and better than ever before, with a brand new catalogue filled with pictures and paper descriptions to help you make your paper choices, our Paper Sale will go live on the 1st of June, 2024.

The Paper Sale Catalogue is released digitally on the 31st of May, so please make sure you are signed up to our mailing list (link in bio) to receive your copy.

Are you excited? We are!

Brushes have many purposes - they are not just for painting! We have a great selection of Spalter and Hake brushes that are perfect for lightly brushing away charcoal, graphite and even those eraser bits that seem to get everywhere when you are drawing.

Enjoy a 20% discount on our entire brush range for the month of May 2024! 🖌️🖌️🖌️

From fine details to broad strokes, synthetic to natural bristles, our brush collection caters to every artistic style, technique and budget. Find your favourites in Raphaél, Isabey, Leonard, Hake and our Japanese brushes. 

This offer is valid from the 1st - 31st May, 2024. 

*The MES Brush discount will be applied automatically at checkout on our online store. Alternatively the M.E.S Staff will apply the discount for you in-store at M.E.S Fairfield & M.E.S Fitzroy.

**Discounts are available while stocks last, and may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or specials offered. 

(Note: Our Leonard Brushes are currently only available online or at M.E.S Fitzroy).

Enjoy!
The M.E.S team

Struggle to open your ink tins? Make use of our Ink Tin Opener on all your stubborn lids. A great investment for all print studios ✔️

R190.19 Ink Tin Opener

Shop online or in-store today!

Enjoy a 20% discount on our entire brush range for the month of May 2024! 🖌️🖌️🖌️

From fine details to broad strokes, synthetic to natural bristles, our brush collection caters to every artistic style, technique and budget. Find your favourites in Raphaél, Isabey, Leonard, Hake and our Japanese brushes. 

This offer is valid from the 1st - 31st May, 2024. 

*The MES Brush discount will be applied automatically at checkout on our online store. Alternatively the M.E.S Staff will apply the discount for you in-store at M.E.S Fairfield & M.E.S Fitzroy.

**Discounts are available while stocks last, and may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or specials offered. 

(Note: Our Leonard Brushes are currently only available online or at M.E.S Fitzroy).

Enjoy!
The M.E.S team

Is it time to indulge your creative spirit and refresh your favourite brushes? We think it could be! Please enjoy a 20% discount on our entire brush range for the month of May 2024.

From fine details to broad strokes, synthetic to natural bristles, our brush collection caters to every artistic style, technique and budget. Find your favourites in Raphaél, Isabey, Leonard, Hake and our Japanese brushes. 

This offer is valid from the 1st - 31st May, 2024. 

*The MES Brush discount will be applied automatically at checkout on our online store. Alternatively the M.E.S Staff will apply the discount for you in-store at M.E.S Fairfield & M.E.S Fitzroy.

**Discounts are available while stocks last, and may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or specials offered. 

(Note: Our Leonard Brushes are currently only available online or at M.E.S Fitzroy).

Enjoy!
The M.E.S team

At M.E.S, we are big fans of the Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic paint range. Bolder, bigger and more expressive, each Heavy Body colour is made with the finest quality artists’ pigments, allowing you to really make your own mark. The Liquitex Heavy Body is the thickest acrylic we offer. With it you will be able to really explore your work with texture, build structure and reach satiny oil-equivalent richness of finish. If you want crisp brush strokes and knife marks, or to try impasto techniques, this should be your go-to!

The low-odour acrylic base gives great clarity and vibrancy with increased open time and minimal wet-to-dry shift. The range includes 116 colours that are flexible, durable, non-yellowing, UV-resistant and water-resistant when dry.

There are still a couple of days left to enjoy the 20% discount currently offered on our entire Acrylic Collection.

Shop online or in store today!

Acrylic inks are a type of pigment based ink that contain a acrylic polymer emulsion as a binder. These inks are known for their vibrant colours, fast drying properties and their versatility. A great feature is that they are water-resistant when dry and they can be used on a variety of different surfaces, including paper, canvas and wood!

Acrylic inks can be used for various artistic applications, such as painting, drawing and calligraphy. They can be applied with brushes, pens, airbrushes and many other tools, offering you a wide range of achievable techniques and effects. 

One of the main advantages of an acrylic ink is the ability to dilute them with water or acrylic mediums to create translucent washes. They can be layered and combined with other acrylic products, such as paints and mediums, to achieve different finishes too. 

Printmakers have had success using acrylic inks to create painterly effects on their papers prior to printing - for example, you might try painting with the inks on a fine Japanese paper, like our Iwaki or Kozo papers, before printing your plate with a chine collé layer! 

The Sennelier Abstract Acrylic Inks feature the same high pigment loading as the Sennelier Abstract Acrylic heavy body paint range. Lightfast and water resistant, these acrylic inks are perfect for use with dip pens, brushes, airbrushes, refillable markers and calligraphy pens.

The Sennelier Abstract Inks are available in 30ml jars with a pipette dropper lid for ease of use. A range of 43 colours are available to chose from.

Enjoy 20% off our acrylic collection until the end of April online or in-store today!

A different kind of etching on the table today - here is a photographic step-by-step guide of our popular Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream made by one of our Staff members!

Armour Etch is a fast acting specially formulated glass etching compound thatets you create permanent etched designed in windows, mirrors and household glassware.

This unique glass etching system enables anyone to personalise and decorate glass or mirrors in minutes with no previous experience.

Disclaimer: This item is a Dangerous Goods item and is available in-store only, or with an additional DG fee on postage. It is not intended for use by children and we highly recommend using gloves and protective glasses when using this product.

Other than that .. it's a lot of fun!

Shop online or in-store today.

In 1949, Parisian painter Henri Goetz approached Sennelier about creating a 'wax colour stick' for his friend Pablo Picasso, who was looking for a medium that could be used freely on a variety of surfaces without fading or cracking.

Their collaboration produced the incomparable, Sennelier Oil Pastels. Originally available in a palette of classic hues, the colour selection now includes a metallic and iridescent range.

The Sennelier Oil Pastels possess an extraordinarily high pigment content, providing high colouring and covering potential, excellent brightness and a high degree of light stability.

Shop the full range, in a variety of sizes, individually or in sets, online or in-store today!

M.E.S Fairfield & M.E.S Fitzroy will be closed today for the public holiday (Monday 11th March). Back tomorrow, in the meantime please enjoy our online store!

Enjoy 15% off our Mezzotint Collection this March

Mezzotint is an intaglio printmaking technique that allows you to create tonal effects by roughening a metal plate with thousands of little dots made by a metal tool called a "rocker". The process was developed in the 17th century and became popular for producing finely detailed prints with a wide range of tones, from deep blacks to subtle greys. 

Printmakers will use scrapers and burnishers to work back into the plate, adding 'light' to the pre-rocked 'dark' areas.

Whilst a Mezzotint Rocker is needed to rock your own plates, we stock a selection of small pre-rocked plates at M.E.S! For a basic overview of the Mezzotint process, please read on below.

For the month of March, enjoy a 15% discount on our Mezzotint Collection!

Nothing better than the Sennelier Soft Pastels for showing off pure pigment... Especially with 525 colours to choose from!

View the entire range online and at both MES stores.

Caligo Safe Wash Inks are a non-toxic alternative to traditonal printing inks. Formulated with a linseed oil base they retain the high quality associated with the Cranfield brand while substantially reducing clean-up time, cold water and liquid soap are all that is needed to clean your benches, tools and printing matrix.

Caligo Safewash has a fantastic range of Relief colours available, and an extended range of colours in their Etching range.

For the month of February, please enjoy a 20% discount on all the Caligo Safewash inks! 

*The Caligo Safewash discount will be applied automatically at checkout on our online store. Alternatively the M.E.S Staff will apply the discount for you in-store at M.E.S Fairfield & M.E.S Fitzroy.

**Discounts are available while stocks last, and may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or specials offered.

We have three different types of bookbinding needles available at MES. A straight size 18 is used for normal sized bindings, and the larger straight #15 is used for larger bindings. The curved needle is useful if you are doing Coptic bindings (and others) where it's a little fiddly to get the needle in and out. It makes it a lot easier!

Shop online or in-store today!

Is there anything better than ink on the mill? Pure pigment, pure delight ⚡

Don't forget to take advantage of our Caligo Safewash Special 20% discount off the Relief & Etching Inks valid through till the 28th of February.

This discount is available online and at both stores. It may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts or special offers and is valid only while stocks last.

Beautiful sights at M.E.S Fitzroy this week ✨

Both stores are open and operating at usual hours, come in and enjoy our special February offer of 20% off the Caligo Safe Wash Etching & Relief Ranges!

M.E.S will be closed today as it is a public holiday (Friday January 26th) M.E.S Fitzroy will be open tomorrow, and M.E.S Fairfield on Monday.

Gamsol, the safest 100% pure odorless mineral spirit available, enables printmakers to easily modify inks and is great for studio clean-up, eliminating the need for stronger solvents. Gamsol is much safer because harmful aromatic components have been removed.

Gamblin operates with a goal to advance printmaking by providing artists with materials that offer traditional working properties while also improving studio safety.

Artists’ studios are immediately safer when artists remove strong solvents, especially turpentine, from their artistic processes. Gamsol odorless mineral spirit is the choice for studio safety in the traditional printmaking studio using oil-based inks.

Shop online or at both M.E.S Stores today!

Charbonnel are renowned amongst printmakers for producing arguably the *best of the best* of inks, and their Aqua Wash range does not disappoint.

This range of water washable printing inks consists of 23 colours including 6 blacks. Formulated to a professional, and very high, standard, they have the same high pigment concentration as Charbonnel's conventional oil-based inks, but they are made with a non-harmful emulsified oil.

The Charbonnel Aqua Wash inks are water soluble and they can be cleaned easy with cold water rather than requiring the use of solvents!

The Charbonnel Aqua Wash inks are to be used the same way as traditional inks, and are best suited to etchings, relief, aquatint and monotype techniques. Colours are available in 60 ml tubes, while the blacks are also available in a larger 200ml tin.

Shop online or find the full range of Charbonnel Aqua Wash at both stores today!