Seems to have everything I need, gives me an artist discount, items have slightly lower cost, focus…read moreis on artist supplies, friendly service, popular with fellow artists I know. Sometimes a very good deal.

This place is a treasure trove, a bit of an Old Curiosity Shoppe for artists. Jay, the owner, is…read morevery knowledgeable and friendly. Prices are very reasonable. Paints, paper, canvases, easels, you name it, he has it. A bit out of the way for Torontonians, but worth the trip.

Friendly staff. Dropped in to get this embroidery kit as a gift. Lots of arts and crafty options!…read moreStaff are friendly. The space is big and compact.

A pretend artist (shhhh don't tell anyone I'm a fake), I love going into art/craft stores to see…read morewhat my crafty senses can come up with. This is a nice change from Michael's as it's not cookie cutter type of store. 2 levels with the 2nd floor mainly dealing with paints, fine arts, frames etc supplies and the first floor with fancy paper type of supplies you will definitely get inspired. I found both floors to be kind of crowded but since it wasn't busy when I went it was ok. There is also a register on the 2nd floor so you don't have to go downstairs and wait in line. The staff are really friendly and will make suggestions if you need some help or inspiration. The prices are decent but I didn't see much sales. Some of the stock is what you could find at other box stores but there are a lot of unique items that are catered to the artiste.

Cute store. I'm thinking of doing my own artwork for my home and stumbled upon this store. They…read morehad all that is needed to paint on canvas. Easels, assorted canvas sizes, assorted brushes and paints and custom framing and plenty of colors to choose from. The employees were friendly and helpful. Will be back.

I have never been to DeSerres before. I was at Future Shop and decided to drive across the large…read moreparking lot to get there. I got a two-headed Itoya calligraphy pen for $3. It is comparable to other art stores. They have Speedball and Sheaffer calligraphy pens, too. There were also some good storage containers on sale, but I don't need any! The woman cashing me out was nice, despite the wailing child who was at it for five minutes by the time I got to her. I would go back again to explore some more, but this pen should keep me busy for a bit!

We had such a lovely experience at Canvas. We are new to the world of art and canvas has a really…read morewelcoming, friendly and open environment. You are free to peruse the art although staff is extremely helpful. There is a wonderful selection of Canadian artists here. You are able to provide a picture of your space and see what the art would look like as well as take a piece home to see how it will fit in person. Celeste was so helpful and friendly and made our experience great! I would definitely return.

One of the best galleries in the city to purchase original, Canadian art. It's simple and…read moreunpretentious. You walk in and there's beautiful paintings hanging everywhere or leaning in a pile against the wall. You're free to sort through them yourself. It's inside the G.H. Johnson's, all the way in the south-east corner. I found myself browsing art instead of furniture on my first visit. Even though I stepped into the building with the intention to buy furniture, it was Canvas that won me as a customer, not .G.H. This is where I fell in love with Steven Nederveen's works. At the time I was a poor student but they let me take the painting I loved home to try it out. It worked beautifully with my decor and style but in the end practicality prevailed and I returned the painting without purchasing it. Almost two years passed and I stopped in again to look at furniture but found myself back looking at the Steven Nederveen's. Low and behold, they still have the painting I loved and it was meant to be. I bought it as Christmas present to myself and an investment in art. The staff were great, marvelling at how this piece from his first set of works was passed over for so long and that it finally found it's home with me. I can't give a better recommendation to any gallery in the city.

Amazing little store. Art supplies, stationary supplies, unique gifts, thoughtfully selected kids…read moretoys. I don't know how they do it in the space they have but they somehow manage to have everything I need no matter what I am doing - drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, school and work projects. I find the staff friendly and knowledgeable. I comparison shop and prices are competitive and on many items, better than those on Amazon. I really look forward to every visit to this little jewel of a store.

I ordered some Sculptey Clay and it was hard as a rock. I tried several ways to soften it but gave…read moreup and had to throw it out. What a waste. They should give their clay a squeeze before shipping it out. Very disappointed.

I've been coming to this DeSerres for ages, and the staff are always really kind and knowledgeable…read more The prices are a bit steep, but that's to be expected of good quality art supplies. One thing that annoys me, and the reason I'm giving them 4 stars instead of 5, is that the paint price lists can be a little misleading. They always put the price for series 1 paint (the cheapest) at the top, in a larger font, then all the other (higher prices) are listed underneath. Most of the time they don't organize the paint by series number either, which adds a fun level of tedium to every visit. Besides that, it's a pretty solid establishment, and I'm glad to have a local art supply store.

Please note this store has moved closer to coxwell station: I visit their store fairly frequently…read more I like the new layout of their store. Some of their art supplies could be more competitive with the pricing of the same products from places like office depot, but the staff is quite knowledgeable, and they try to keep up with trends. They've even added supplies for acrylic poured paintings.

I'd give a five-start rating to the very nice young man who helped me, except that he was loudly…read moreadmonished to "return to the cash register" by the manager, as I presume the manager felt he had spent too much time helping me, and of course, we cannot miss a sale, can we. What a turn-off! No one feels valued as a customer in such a situation, and I sure as hell will never go back. I can just as easily get what I want online without having to put up with dismissive behaviour. These types of stores are like dinosaurs, without the recognition that art supplies are very easily available in the much more extensive and often more affordable digital marketplace. I've had it with retail in Toronto. And yes, a three-star rating is MORE than fair.

Alan Stiers provides horrid customer service, and he is the manager. He will ignore and refuse to…read morehelp you. I get that this place offers occasional student pricing that fits into student budgets however, it is not okay to sell paints and supplies way past its expiration date. They also reuse cardboard packaging that they send out to customers in the mail, disguised as "eco-friendly," but in reality, you are getting a really unsanitary used box. All in all, very scummy experience and also, he is very unfriendly to BIPOC! Stay Away, and buyers beware.

Graven Feather is a relatively new addition to Queen St W. I happened upon it by chance when a…read moremodest sandwich board stopped me in my tracks. Graven... feather? Following a short flight of stairs I was led down into a wee little basement gallery. This brightly lit and warm space is serves double-duty as a gallery and studio space. The lovely lasses working there told me they are planning on hosting workshops on screenprinting and lithography. Sounds neat. The gallery, though small, was full of oil paintings. They are presently showcasing the work of Kari Minchin, though they change up the artist frequently. There were also some cool gift-ables, like handmade notebooks, greeting cards, and these truly brilliant screen-printed calendars. When I was there they had just put out a limited edition of the calendars which featured artistic embellishment and accents on each month. Those will probably get snapped up pretty quickly. A very pretty shop. I need to bring my kid sister here. Obligatory Title Pun: CARVE out some time and get DOWN here. Menu Readability: Their guestbook in a graph-paper notebook was a nice touch. Need to mention: Check the calendar on their website for events and workshops. What this place teaches me about myself: Is there an Association of Twee? I'd like to be the treasurer.

My first CMYE! (Stands for "Community Manager Yelp Event"!)…read more This event transported me back to the days of art class! ... and printing presses! I haven't done any "crafty" hands-on artwork since high school! So this was exciting! The studio is this cute quaint haven tucked downstairs at one of the tiny shops along Queen St. West. The venue is an extension of Artscape. We were immediately greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by the instructors, who happen to be local artists; Jessica Bromley Bartram, Pam Lobb, and Erin Candela. The instructors were extremely sweet, friendly and informative about the process, and the use of the presses. Every student there learned quickly, and used the machines it like a pro! Provided for us were textured paper, ribbon, lace, q-tips, popsicle sticks, and paints in the colors of blue, red, and green. I'm sure other colors are available upon request. Then it was time to get dirty! (Oh behave! You know what I mean!) Lessons today were Letter Presses and Monoprints! I was so delighted to see the vintage press machines! We commented on how ODD it felt to create anything hands-on these days! Sigh ... The Letter Press is the use of block letters and characters (think large metal block stencils) to create type on paper. Monoprinting meant creating positive & negative shadows & color to create a pattern. We used fabrics & paints & other scrap materials to etch patterns on an ink medium. I thoroughly enjoyed the light music playing in the background! Nice soothing touch to add to the ambiance! Given the small space, it felt spacious with it's open concept, all-white minimal decor and bright lighting! For such a small space, the maximum group size is 8 people. Any more and there wouldn't be enough room, or time, for everyone to enjoy every station! Cost is typically $25 for a class, materials is extra. Our class tonite was $35 per person, including material. Yay! (NOTE: CASH ONLY) I felt I didn't have enough time, but that just means I was having TOO much fun! I highly recommend letting your inner artist loose here! It's a fabulous way to spend a relaxed and inspired afternoon with the boyfriend, (or in my case, husband), mom, sister, or catching up with an old friend! I'm so happy Toronto has this hidden gem! Awesome job, Vivek S.!!! Now I'm feeling the yelptitude!