You can't go wrong with Blythes. A Manchester art student staple, this store has saved me countless…read moretimes. The staff in here are extremely knowledegable and will even order in special materials and papers if they're out of stock. They've got just about type of paint from Winsor to Newton and Rembrandt paints, brushes, chalks, gouaches, water colours and graphic supplies and a large range of papers and canvases. I've bought specialist 300gsm paper in here for a menu project and special mounting glue. I had help with the measuring and cutting free of charge and advice of mounting my images. I highly recommend this store.

Blyth Art Shop…read more Blyth's Art Shop seems like a serious sort of art shop for serious sort of artists. Everything is very ordered, neat and clinical. They've got great ranges of paints, pencils and pens, as well as a downstairs section with artist accessories like folders, paper and even natural light bulbs so you can paint in natural light late into the night. There's two or three staff around to help you with any queries you might have in my experience they've usually got the time and patience to help you out properly. I can't help feeling that Fred Aldous across Stevenson square isn't just lots more fun, more well stocked and generally more exciting though.

For its size the Blucoat Books and Arts store crams a hell of a lot into its small store which is…read morebasically a space under the stairs leading to the rest of the stores in the Gostins Building. Their selection of books is really very good especially in the arts, films and music sections. Taking an interest in the cinema section I was pleased to see many titles that you would struggle to find even in the new Waterstones - which for all its size isn't as extensive as you would expect, maybe they should concentrate on the books instead of the coffee to go with them. Added to this they only have an arts and crafts space that would give Rennie's a run for their money. It is not a one stop kind of place for all your artistic needs - that would be a bit too much to ask considering the lack of floor space - but with an extensive range of paints, cards and paper the enthusiast will find enough to keep them busy.

When I think of the bookshops in Liverpool, this one never seems to spring to mind first, but it…read morereally should. Tucked away in a little cluster of shops off Hanover Street, Bluecoat Books is a good little store for the budding artist, crammed with Art and Design books on specific artists and architecture as well as the usual A-Z of fiction. They have an art materials workshop with a rainbow of paints, brushes and canvases on sale and also a surprising amount of childrens books which took me back to the days when I was much happier reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar than Austen! I also noticed there was a whole section on travel guide to...'s and they had some out-of-date ones out at 50p each! Also it was £5 for 3 of the second-hand hardback books so I'm stock up for a while now! I won't be forgetting this place in a hurry!

A little bit of everything but not enough of anything - quite proud of that succint review but er,…read morewhat? more specific? oh, right well err... There are some cards but well only a small selection that will cover the broadest spectrum of events and celebrations but on the other hand many are made by local designers and artists so you wont feel like you're just handing over conveyor belt message. Some art supplies but well yes only the basic oil and acrylic paints but then you're not getting a Rennie's city centre style supplier here this is a local neighbourhood art supplier-cum-stationary shop that will, I'm sure order anything vital at your convenience whilst providing the basics on your doorstep. Gallery? Well there are a few pictures but, well yes this part is a bit pony...I think the owner just wanted somewhere to exhibit her stuff.

This place is great a real little art haven for the more creative student types situated right in…read morethe heart of student central Smithdown. They have a bit of everything here, arts and crafts paints ect and even a small selection of cards. This is a great place for people of any age, if you are a serious artists then they should have most of the specialist equipment you need and for children there is plenty available also. The staff are helpful and happily spend time with you catering to your needs and supplying you with all that you need to either get started in the art world or continue a passion you may have held for years. This place really put a smile on my face as it is in the middle of pubs' bars fast food restaurants and really stuck out as a good quality alternative shop which indulges the passions of the people.

A perfect little shop that provides all your art needs. To be fair though, it would be wrong not…read morehaving one in Uppermill as who wouldn't want to paint this village! It is stunning. I use to go here when I was in school and needed my art stuff. I hated art but loved the stationary side of things. Bit geeky i know! But anyway, I would go in here for hours and buy everything I thought I needed but did not; such as pencils, pastels, paint, paper, brushes, frames and everything else. My mum would go mad as I spent a fortune! This shop is great and it is inexpensive if you buy only what you need! They have some unique cards too for that someone special and they offer printing services too.

Everything you could need for painters/ artists I come here a lot. The staff are always helpful and…read morevery friendly. Reasonably priced. Lovely little shop!

This shop closed years ago. It was very good but sadly nothing ever replaced it in town.read more

Discovering Tapleys was a happy mistake. I was wandering along the Village and suddenly, there it…read morewas. What, an artsy/gift shop that I didn't know existed?! Pure delight. This little shop is a mixture of painting and other art supplies, stationary items and cards, and gifts. It's really cute, and so girly. Lots of great gifts for females, babies, and children. They also have sundry fun stationary items like autograph books and pretty notebooks, and quite a variety of paints and other supplies for painters. I would highly recommend this shop. The lady is very friendly, and I had a good chat with her and another customer while I browsed.

This is a gorgeous place - recommended that you visit shortly after payday ! Stocks the most…read moreunusual writing implements, cards, wrapping paper, jewellery, soaps, china, scarves, handbags and other gifts as well as business stationery at competitive prices. Irene and all her staff are most helpful and couldn't be more pleasant; they take time with every customer. I love this shop !

There's some great stuff in this little art shop. The prices are about right, although it's not…read morethat big a shop to have lots of offers on. I usually find something a little different in here too, not just the usually paints and paper. A great place to go if you're an art student or want to try something a bit different. One bonus is that they will often have some of the items that the larger art shops either don't stock or run out of - I was able to get my hands on Karisma crayons here for ages after they were discontinued, and they even held onto their old stock for me!

For a split second, when I saw the name of this shop online, I thought Michaels had come to…read moreEngland. (Michaels is a fabulous, huge craft store chain in the USA.) But no such luck. This little place simply happens to be called Michael's and happens to sell a few art related items. It's mostly stationary and cards, though, and it's more of a newsagents than anything else. Nothing special here, I'm sorry to say.