Written by Paul Worrall
Aberdeen doesn’t get talked about as a creative city nearly as often as Edinburgh or Glasgow, and that’s a genuine oversight — Gray’s School of Art has been training serious working artists for well over a century, and a city with that kind of instutional creative backbone tends to have a more substantial art supplies scene underneath the surface than its reputation as the Granite City and oil capital might suggest. I’ve never actually made it up to Aberdeen itself, though the nearest I’ve come is Tummel Valley, where we took the family last October — a Park Dean caravan site that we treated ourselves to a hot tub at, a genuinly well-earned treat after Nancy had been through a serious operation that summer. Scotland is probably my favourite place in the whole world, if I’m honest. Its like the Lake District on steroids — bigger, wilder, more dramatic round every corner — and it’s somewhere I’d happily go back to again and again, even if Aberdeen specifically remains on the list rather than the map so far.
Sixteen years in the UK art supplies industry, nearly a decade running digital marketing for ARTdiscount, and now running Discount Art Supplies — a price comparison platform reaching over 36,000 UK artists every week — gives me a decent sense of what actually matters when judging a city’s art supplies offering, even from a distance. Here’s the honest picture for Aberdeen. If you’re planning visits to nearby cities, also check out our guides to the best art shops in Edinburgh and the best art supplies shops in Glasgow.
1. Gray’s Art Shop
Gray’s Art Shop, based at Robert Gordon University’s Gray’s School of Art, is genuinly the standout find in Aberdeen and the kind of resource a lot of cities simply don’t have — an art school supplies shop that’s open to the public, not just enrolled students. The range covers art, architecture and stationery products comprehensively, from brushes and paints through to sketchbooks and modelling materials, with a team of creative specialists genuinly able to offer proper advice rather than just ringing up a sale. You can browse the full catalogue online, order by phone or email, and collect in person — a setup that works well whether you’re local or just passing through.
Gray’s School of Art itself has a serious reputation, and a shop embedded inside that environment, stocked and staffed accordingly, gives Aberdeen artists access to the kind of specialist knowledge that’s genuinly harder to find outside a dedicated art school setting.
2. Hobbycraft Aberdeen
The honest version of Hobbycraft, consistent with every city guide I write: not specialist, not deep in professional-grade range, but genuinly useful for what it is. Hobbycraft Aberdeen, based at Fort Kinnaird, runs in-store Hobbycraft Artisans — crafting experts who lead workshops and share genuine expertise — alongside the usual broad range of art and craft materials. For everyday consumables and restocking basics without ceremony, it does the job reliably.
Check our Hobbycraft discount code guide before visiting for any current codes.
3. The Works — Trinity Centre
The honest version of The Works, as I’ve said in other city guides: not specialist, not deep in range, but genuinly useful for what it is. Canvases, starter paint sets, sketchbooks, pencils, colouring books and craft kits at prices that make experimenting affordable. For parents, teachers and anyone wanting to try a new medium without significant financial commitment, The Works at the Trinity Centre serves a real purpose.
4. Enid Hutt Gallery
Not a supplies shop, but worth including for what it represents about Scotland’s wider art trade. Enid Hutt Gallery, established in Scotland in 1990, is a registered member of the Fine Art Trade Guild since 1991 and a genuinly prestigious name in contemporary Scottish art retail — stocking limited edition giclée prints, original paintings and sculptures from artists including Doug Hyde and Scott Naismith, with worldwide delivery. For artists wanting to see what serious, accredited gallery presentation looks like, or simply browsing for inspiration, Enid Hutt is the kind of established Scottish institution worth knowing about.
5. Skybird Arts
Skybird Arts is a craft store based in Aberdeen stocking a genuinly broad range of art and craft materials for hobbyists of every level, with knowledgeable staff happy to help beginners find their feet and experienced crafters browse a properly extensive range. They’ll also source items on request if something specific isn’t in stock — the kind of personal, accommodating service that’s increasingly rare outside a genuine independent.
A Note on Art Supplies in Aberdeen
Aberdeen’s art supplies scene is genuinly more substantial than its reputation as an oil and energy city might suggest. A proper art school specialist open to the public, a prestigious Fine Art Trade Guild gallery, a genuine independent craft store, and the inevitable Hobbycraft and Works — that’s a reasonable spread for a city of Aberdeen’s size. Gray’s School of Art clearly anchors genuine demand for quality materials in the city, and having a dedicated art school shop accessible to the public is a real asset most UK cities of comparable size simply don’t offer.
For professional-grade materials and the best current UK prices across all major art retailers, Discount Art Supplies compares prices in real time so you always find the best deal before buying anywhere.
