Staedtler Art Supplies Deals: Compare Sale Prices & Find the Best Discount UK

Few brands in the art world can claim a history that goes back more than three and a half centuries, but Staedtler can. In 1662 Friedrich Staedtler was making wood-cased pencils with graphite leads in Nuremberg, a city that was already famous for its pencil makers. In 1835 Johann Sebastian Staedtler was given permission to open his own factory, and that is the foundation of the Staedtler Group we know today. Nearly two hundred years later the company is still based in Nuremberg, and the blue Mars head logo is one of the most familiar sights in any pencil case, studio or classroom in the country.

For artists, the pencil that matters most is the Mars Lumograph. It’s a genuine cult classic, a professional drawing pencil with a distinctive blue barrel, smooth break-resistant leads and a wide spread of grades from the hard H pencils used for fine technical lines to the soft, dark B grades used for shading and expressive sketching. Many artists build their whole graphite kit around a Lumograph set, and it’s one of the pencils I’d definately point a new drawer towards first. Alongside it sits the Noris, the yellow-and-black striped pencil that has worn those stripes since 1934 and that most of us remember from school. It’s a reliable, inexpensive everyday pencil, and still a great choice for sketching on the go.

Staedtler is just as well known for pens. The pigment liner, launched in 1988, is a favourite with illustrators, urban sketchers and anyone who inks over pencil work, because the pigment ink is lightfast and doesn’t smudge once dry, so you can paint watercolour over the top. The triplus range, with its comfortable triangular barrel, includes the triplus fineliner, which comes in a huge range of bright colours and is a staple for journaling, colouring and hand lettering. For colour work there are Karat aquarell watercolour pencils, which can be used dry or blended with a wet brush, and the ergosoft coloured pencils, which are popular with students and hobby artists. Rounding out the range are Lumocolor markers, the Mars plastic eraser that so many artists swear by, sharpeners, compasses and technical drawing tools.

There’s also FIMO. Staedtler acquired Eberhard Faber and the rights to FIMO modelling clay in 1978, and FIMO has been sold under the Staedtler name since 2009. It’s one of the best-known polymer clays in the UK, used for jewellery, figures, miniatures and craft projects, and it bakes hard in a normal home oven. With two kids who would happily get through a block of FIMO every afternoon, I can tell you it’s a big hit at our house in Poulton.

In sixteen years in the art supplies industry, including nearly a decade running digital marketing at ARTdiscount, I’ve watched Staedtler stay one of the most consistently popular brands with UK artists, students and teachers. It sells year round and it spikes every back-to-school season. In our community of 36,000 UK artists at Discount Art Supplies, Staedtler comes up again and again, especially Lumograph pencils and pigment liners, as a brand people trust to just work.

Getting the best deal on Staedtler comes down to a few simple things. First, compare prices before you buy. Staedtler is stocked almost everywhere, from specialist art shops to Amazon and supermarkets, so prices on the same set can vary a lot, and our comparison above checks Cass Art, Jackson’s, Amazon and others in real time. Second, buy sets rather than single items where it makes sense. Lumograph tins, pigment liner wallets and triplus fineliner packs are usually much better value per pen or pencil than buying them individually. Third, once you know your favourite grades or nib sizes, top up with singles and refills rather than buying a whole new set. And finally, time your purchases. Staedtler is heavily discounted around back-to-school in August and September, and again on Black Friday and in the run-up to Christmas, when gift sets come down in price. I’d reccomend stocking up then.

A few questions come up regularly. Is Staedtler a good brand for artists? Yes. The Mars Lumograph is a professional-standard drawing pencil, and the pigment liner is widely used by illustrators and urban sketchers. Where is Staedtler made? Staedtler is a German company headquartered in Nuremberg, where it has been based for almost two hundred years. What is the difference between the Lumograph and the Noris? The Lumograph is an artist and design pencil available in a wide range of grades, while the Noris is an everyday writing and school pencil. Are Staedtler pigment liners waterproof? Once dry, the pigment ink is lightfast and resists smudging, which is why so many artists use them under watercolour. Does Staedtler make FIMO? Yes. Staedtler has owned the FIMO brand since 1978 and sells it under its own name.

Staedtler has been helping people draw for well over three hundred years, and it’s still one of the best-value brands on the shelf. Looking for a Staedtler sale, discount or discount code? Check the price comparisons above, updated in real time, and you’ll always know you’re getting the best current UK price.