List of Vegan Art Supplies
Vegan Art Supplies
Updated: February 7, 2021
Vegan art supplies can be hard to find, so I want to make it easier with this list.
What’s not vegan about art supplies?
Art supplies have traditionally used many ingredients from slaughtered or trapped animals. For example, paints, mediums, and even papers may contain bone char, gelatin, ox gall, rabbit collagen, eggs, carmine, and shellac. Natural paintbrushes are made from the hair of sables, pigs, and squirrels.
Many higher end art supply companies use animal ingredients because these companies have been around in some cases for hundreds of years and use traditional recipes. But traditional doesn’t necessarily mean better. As you’ll see in this list, vegan art supplies are available in both student and professional grades.
A good artist can make do with whatever tools are available.
It’s up to all of us who believe that animals shouldn’t suffer so we can express ourselves, to use our consumer power to support vegan products, and to effect change. Not only can we make sure we only purchase vegan art supplies, but we can also contact companies and let them know there’s consumer demand.
Here’s the thing.
A lot of companies I’ve contacted aren’t sure whether their products are vegan. But as more and more customers have called or e-mailed with questions, these companies have started to look into their supply chains to check, was something tested on animals, was something refined with animal ingredients, etc.
The supplies on this list, to the best of my knowledge, contain no animal products and were not tested on animals. I’m gradually adding footnotes to the source of information for how I know a product is vegan. Due to the nature of changing formulas, I can’t guarantee that this list is 100% accurate, but if you’re interested in a certain product, you can scroll to the bottom of the page to see how recent the communication was from that brand, and judge for yourself.
I urge you to contact art supply brands to double check vegan status, or just let them know you’re looking for vegan products and don’t stand for vague answers.
This post may contain affiliate links.
Vegan Art Supplies: Jump to different sections on this page.
- Vegan Acrylic Paint
- Vegan Adhesives/Glue
- Vegan Binders
- Vegan Brushes
- Vegan Brush Cleaners
- Vegan Canvas (pre-stretched and primed)
- Vegan Chalk
- Vegan Charcoal
- Vegan Construction Paper
- Vegan Crayons
- Vegan Gelatin Printing Plates
- Vegan Gesso and Grounds
- Vegan Gouache
- Vegan Graphite
- Vegan Ink
- Vegan Markers
- Vegan Masking Fluid
- Vegan Mediums
- Vegan Oil Paint
- Vegan Oil Pastels
- Vegan Palette Paper
- Vegan Pastels
- Vegan Pastel Papers
- Vegan Pen Cleaner
- Vegan Pens
- Vegan Pencils
- Vegan Pigments
- Vegan Poster Paint
- Vegan Sizing
- Vegan Sketchbook and Mixed Media Paper
- Vegan Tape
- Vegan Watercolor Paint
- Vegan Watercolor Paper
- Vegan Watercolor Pencils
VEGAN ART SUPPLIES
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Golden | Acrylic | Vegan except those paints that contain bone black pigment which is made from the bones of slaughtered cows. The non-vegan paints include anything with “bone black” in the name, Jenkins Green, as well as most of the neutral grays. See full statement here. | Blick Amazon |
Liquitex | Heavy Body Acrylic | New information: Vegan except Ivory Black, Paynes Grey, NeUtral Grey V5, Per green Deep, Prussian Blue Hue, Hookers Green Deep Hue and Basics, Neutral Grey, Black, Blue Grey, Parchment, Prussian Blue Hue | Blick Amazon |
Liquitex | Soft Body Acrylic |
New information: Vegan except Ivory Black,Paynes Grey, Neutral Grey V5, Per green Deep, Prussian Blue Hue, Hookers Green Deep Hue. |
Blick Amazon |
Daler-Rowney | Cryla and Cryla Flow | Vegan except Ivory Black | Jacksons |
Daler-Rowney | System3 | Vegan except Raw Sienna | Blick Amazon |
Daler-Rowney | Pearlescent Liquid Acrylic Ink | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Holbein | Heavy Body Acrylic | Vegan except Ivory Black. | Blick Amazon |
Windsor & Newton | Artists’ Finity Acrylic Color | Vegan except Ivory Black and Payne’s Gray. | Amazon |
Windsor & Newton | Galeria Flow Forumla Acrylic Color | Vegan except Ivory Black and Payne’s Gray. | Blick Amazon |
Amsterdam | Acrylic Standard Series | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Utrecht | Acrylic | Vegan except for Ivory Black. | Blick |
Blick | Artists Acrylic Paint | Vegan except for Ivory Black. | Blick |
Schmincke | PRIMAcryl | Vegan except for Ivory Black. | Blick |
Schmincke | Akademie Acryl Color | Vegan since 2013. | Blick |
Schmincke | College Acrylic | Vegan since 2013. Student quality. | Blick |
Schmincke | Aero Color Professional | Vegan since 2013. Liquid acrylic. | Blick |
Grumbacher | Academy Acrylic | Vegan except colors with PBk9 made from bone char. | Blick Amazon |
Liquitex | Basics | Student-grade. Vegan except for Neutral Grey, Black, Blue Grey, Parchment, Prussian Blue Hue. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Uhu | All Glue products | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
3L | Adhesive Runner | Vegan. For scrapbooking. | Amazon |
JudiKins | Diamond Glaze | Vegan. | Amazon |
Modge Podge | Adhesives | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Weldbond | Universal Adhesive | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Sugru | Moldable Glue | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Natural Earth Paint | Gum Arabic Powder | Vegan. Made from sap of acacia trees, it is used in watercolor and gouache as a binder. | Natural Earth Paint |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Schmincke | Casein Binding Medium (50 088) | Contains casein. |
Schmincke | Watercolour Binder (50 820) | Contains oxgall. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Princeton | Aqua Elite | Vegan. Synthetic kolinsky brush for watercolor. Handle made with FSC wood. | Blick Amazon |
Princeton | All synthetic brushes | Vegan. Handles made with FSC wood. | Blick |
Royal & Langnickel | Menta Series | Synthetic. Advertised as 100% Cruelty-Free. | Royal Brush Amazon |
Da Vinci Brushes | Casaneo brushes (watercolor) | Vegan. Da Vinci Brushes website says “We recommend the da Vinci CASANEO assortment also to all those artists who prefer a vegan life style.” Made in Germany, certified green manufacturing with sustainable wood handles from European forests | Blick Amazon |
Raphael Kaerell | Synthetic sable. Considered one of the closest matches to real sable. | Vegan. | Blick |
Mimik | Synthetic hog brushes | Vegan. | Amazon |
Jackson’s | Studio synthetic watercolor brushes | Vegan. | Amazon |
Blue Heron | Synthetic calligraphy or Sumi-E brushes | Vegan. | Blue Heron |
Dynasty Faux Camel Watercolor Canister of Brushes | Student-grade. “Vegan, cruelty-free, and comprised of biodegradable components. The unpainted wood handles are sourced from FSC-managed forests…” | Vegan. | Blick |
Name | Description |
---|---|
Sable | May be listed as sable, Kolinsky sable, Kolinsky red sable, these brushes are made from sables, martens, or minks. |
Kolinsky | Made from Siberian weasels. |
Squirrel | May be listed as squirrel, Russian blue squirrel. |
Badger | Made from badgers. |
Camel Hair | Not made from camels but from hair from captive or killed goats, squirrels, oxen, ponies, or a mix from more than one type of animal. |
Hog Bristle | May be referred to simply as bristle or natural bristle. Also Chungking bristle. |
Chungking Bristle | A type of hog bristle. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Winsor & Newton | Brush Cleaner & Restorer | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Coming soon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Blick | Premiere Artist Canvas | Vegan. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
S&S Worldwide | Chalk | Vegan. | Amazon |
Chalk City | Chalk | Vegan. | Amazon |
Wee Can Too | Veggie Sidewalk Chalk | Vegan. | We Can Too |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Derwent | Charcoal XL Blocks | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Derwent | Charcoal Pencils | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Nitram Arts | Fine Art Charcoal | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Winsor & Newton | Vine and willow charcoal | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Pacon | Tru-Ray Construction Paper | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Azafran | Crayons | Vegan |
Amazon |
Wee Can Too | Veggie Baby Crayons | Vegan. | Wee Can Too |
Out of business |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Crayola | Crayons | Produced using stearic acid. Stearic acid can be from plant or animal sources. Crayola says theirs is animal-derived. |
Stockmar | Wax blocks and crayons | Contains beeswax. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Gelli Arts | Reusable gelatin plates for monoprinting. | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Golden | GAC 100 Acrylic Polymer | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Liquitex | Black Gesso | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Gamblin | Traditional Gesso | Contains rabbit skin glue. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Daler-Rowney | Designer’s Gouache | Vegan except Neutral Grey 2, Paynes Grey, Lamp Black, Cool Grey 1,2, & 3 and Warm Grey 1,2, &3. Statement here. | Blick |
Holbein | Acryla Gouache | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Winsor & Newton | Designers’ Gouache | Vegan except Ivory Black, Winter Green, Raw Sienna, Spectrum Yellow, Intense Blue, Sky Blue, Light Purple, Prussian Blue, Linden Green, Flame Red, Burnt Umber, Bengal Rose, Primary Blue, Lamp Black, Spectrum Violet. | Blick Amazon |
Schmincke | Akademie Gouache | Vegan since 2013. Student gouache. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Schmincke | Horadam Gouache | All colors contains gelatine and oxgall. |
Schmincke | HKS Designers’ Gouache | All colors contains gelatine and oxgall. |
Schmincke | Calligraphy Gouache | All colors contains gelatine and oxgall. |
M. Graham | Artists’ Gouache | All colors contain honey. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Derwent | Graphite blocks and XL blocks | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Caran D’Ache | Graphite leads | Contains fat from killed animals. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. Ph. Martin | Black Star India Ink | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Dr. Ph. Martin | Bombay India Ink | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Dr. Ph. Martin | Tech Drawing Ink | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Daler-Rowney | F.W. Artists Inks | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Faber Castell | TG1 Drawing ink | Vegan. | Amazon |
Winsor & Newton | Calligraphy inks | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Daler-Rowney | Pearlescent liquid acrylic inks | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Koh-I-Noor | Transmix Media Inks (9065) | Vegan. | Blick |
Koh-I-Noor | Special Ink (9066) | Vegan. | |
Speedball | Super Pigmented Acrylic Ink | Vegan. | Amazon |
Speedball | Relief Ink | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Speedball | Fabric Block Printing Ink | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Cranfield | Caglio Safe Wash Etching Ink | Vegan. | Blick |
Cranfield | Traditional Etching Ink | Vegan except Bone Black BKC1824, Silver, Gold | Blick |
Cranfield | Caglio Safe Wash Relief Ink | Vegan. | Blick |
Cranfield | Caglio Traditional Relief Ink | Vegan except Silver and Gold | Blick |
Cranfield | Water-based Relief Ink | Vegan. | Jackson’s |
Cranfield | Litho Inks | Vegan. | |
Cranfield | Letterpress Inks | Vegan. |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Speedball | Super Blank India Ink | Contains shellac. |
Royal Talens | India Inks | Contain shellac. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Chartpak | ADMarkers | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Chartpak | Spectra ADMarkers | Vegan. | Amazon |
Copic | All markers | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Zig | Brushables | “They include animal derived oil as moisturizer.” |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Talens | Liquid Masking Film | Vegan. | Amazon |
Da Vinci Paint Co. | Masking Fluid | Vegan. | Da Vinci |
Dr. Ph. Martin | Frisket Mask Liquid | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Amazon
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Liquitex | All mediums | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Grumbacher | Acrylic mediums | Vegan. For acrylic. | Blick |
Natural Earth Paint | Impasto Medium | Vegan. For oil paint. | Things Human |
Grumbacher | Watercolor mediums. | Vegan. For watercolor. | Blick |
QoR | Synthetic Ox Gall | Vegan. For watercolor. | Blick |
QoR | Watercolor Medium | Vegan. For watercolor. | Blick Amazon |
QoR | Lift Aid | Vegan. For watercolor. | Blick Amazon |
Da Vinci Paint Co. | Gum Arabic | Vegan. For watercolor. | Blick |
Da Vinci Paint Co. | Iridescent Watercolor Medium | Vegan. For watercolor. | Blick |
Da Vinci Paint Co. | Watercolor Medium | Vegan. For watercolor. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Winsor & Newton | Artists Oil Colors | Vegan except Ivory Black, Blue Black, Carmine. | Blick Amazon |
Winsor & Newton | Winton Oil Color | Vegan except Ivory Black, Raw Umber. Student-grade. | Blick Amazon |
Winsor & Newton | Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colour | Vegan except Ivory Black. | Blick Amazon |
Winsor & Newton | Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colour | Vegan except Ivory Black. | Blick Amazon |
Daler-Rowney | Georgian Oil Colors | Vegan except Ivory Black, Prussian Green and Coeruleum Hue. Read the statement here. | Blick Amazon |
Daler-Rowney | Artists Oil Colors | Vegan except Ivory Black and Blue Black. Read the statement here. | |
M. Graham | Oil paint | Vegan except Ivory Black, Lamp Black, Paynes Gray, Sap Green, Olive Green and Van Dyke Brown. | Blick Amazon |
Holbein | Artist Oil | Vegan except Blue Black, Ivory Black, Neutral Grey, Sepia, Van Dyke Brown, Foundation Grey. | Blick |
Holbein | Ecoise Oil | Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown. | Blick |
Holbein | DUO Aqua Oil | Vegan except Ivory Black, Sepia. | Blick |
Holbein | Vernet Superior Oil | Vegan except Ivory Black. | Blick |
Gamblin | Artists Oil Colors | Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, Terre Verte, Asphaltum which contain PbK9 from cows’ bones. | Blick |
Gamblin | 1980 Oil Colors | Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, Terre Verte, Asphaltum which contain PbK9 from cows’ bones. | Blick |
Gamblin | FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors | Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, Terre Verte, Asphaltum which contain PbK9 from cows’ bones. | Blick |
Grumbacher | Pre-Tested Oils | Vegan except colors using PBk9 made from bone char. | Blick |
Grumbacher | Academy Oil | Vegan except colors using PBk9 made from bone char. | Blick |
Grumbacher | Max Water Mixable Oils | Vegan except colors using PBk9 made from bone char. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Schmincke | Norma Professional Oil Colors | Contains beeswax. |
Schmincke | Mussini Oil Colors | Contains beeswax. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Pentel | Oil pastels | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Holbein | Artists’ Oil Pastels | Contains hydrogenated oil from slaughtered cows according to Holbein. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Bienfang | Multi-Palette | According to Dick Blick, “…the vendor of the Bienfang Multi-Palette has confirmed no animal derived ingredients are used to make it…” |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Colors of Nature | Pastels | Vegan. | Colors of Nature |
Derwent | Pastel blocks | Vegan. | Blick |
Derwent | Pastel pencils | Vegan. They’re like pastels in pencil form so you can get fine detail. | Blick Amazon |
Schmincke | Pastels | Vegan except for Black (099) which contains PbK9 from bone char. They have alternative blacks. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Clairefontaine | Pastelmat papers and pads | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Canson | Ingres Pastel Papers | Sized with gelatin. |
Canson | Mi Teintes | Sized with gelatin. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Speedball | Pen Cleaner | Vegan. For cleaning dip pens, fountain pens, technical pens. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Pilot | Vegan. | Amazon | |
Chameleon | All. | Vegan. | Amazon |
Koh-I-Noor | Rapidograph Pens | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Koh-I-Noor | Rapidosketch Pens | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Kuretake ZIG | ZIG Memory System Writer | Vegan. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Faber Castell | All pencils, pens and erasers | Vegan | Blick Amazon |
Faber Castell | Polychromos pencils | Vegan | Blick Amazon |
Derwent | Coloursoft pencils | Vegan | Blick Amazon |
Derwent | Metallic pencils | Vegan | Blick Amazon |
Derwent | Pastel pencils | Vegan | Blick Amazon |
Derwent | Graphitone pencils | Vegan | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Natural Earth | Pigments | Vegan. | Things Human |
Colors of Nature | Pigments | Vegan. | Colors of Nature |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Chroma | Opaque Poster Colours | Vegan. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Gamblin | PVA Size. More archival than rabbit glue. | Vegan. | Blick Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Strathmore | all sketchbooks | Vegan. | Blick |
Strathmore | Bristol pad (for pen and ink). | Vegan. | Blick |
Canson XL | Mixed media papers | Vegan. | Blick |
Colors of Nature | Bamboo mixed media papers | Vegan. | Colors of Nature |
Hahnemühle | All papers and sketchbooks | Vegan. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Khadi | Rag Paper (210gsm and above) | Sized with gelatine. |
Stillman and Birn | All sketchbooks. | The books are bound with animal-based adhesive though the paper itself is vegan. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
IPG | Artist Tape | Vegan. | Blick |
IPG | Kraft paper tape aka Butcher’s tape aka Watercolor tape | Vegan. | |
ChartPak | All Graphic Tapes | Vegan. | Amazon |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Daniel Smith | Extra Fine Watercolors | Vegan except Ivory Black, Sepia, Payne’s Grey. | Blick Amazon |
Kaia Natural Watercolors | Watercolors | Vegan, plastic-free, non-toxic, artist quality. Vegan company! | Kaia Natural Watercolors |
Winsor & Newton | Cotman Watercolors | Vegan except for Viridian Hue, Raw Umber, Ivory Black. | Blick Amazon |
Kuretake | Gansai Tambi Watercolors | Vegan including the regular watercolors and pearlescent and starry watercolors. | Blick Amazon |
out of business | |||
Dr. Ph Martin | Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor | Vegan. | Blick |
Dr. Ph. Martin | Radian Concentrated Watercolors | Vegan. | Blick |
Dr. Ph. Martin | Bleedproof White Watercolor | Vegan. | Blick |
Royal Talens | Rembrandt Watercolors | Vegan except for Lamp Black (702) which contains pigment made from bones. | Blick |
Maimeri Blu | Watercolors | Vegan except for 484 Van Dyck Brown, 486 Sepia, 514 Payne’s Grey, and 535 Ivory Black. | Blick Amazon |
QoR | Modern Watercolors | Vegan except Ivory Black. | Blick Amazon |
DaVinci | Artists’ Permanent Watercolors | Vegan except for Sepia, Payne’s Gray, Lamp Black, Davy’s Gray, Ivory Black. | Amazon |
Finetec | Mica Pigment Pearl Watercolor | Vegan. Also used in calligraphy. | Amazon |
Utrecht | Watercolors | Vegan except for Ivory Black and Payne’s Gray. | Utrecht |
Schmincke | Akademie Aquarell | Vegan since 2013. Student watercolors. | Blick Amazon |
Grumbacher | Academy Water Colors | Vegan except colors with PBk9 made from bone char. Those non-vegan colors are Cerulean Blue Hue (A039), Davy’s Gray (A064), Hooker’s Green Light Hue (A107), Ivory Black (A115), | Blick |
Stockmar | Color Wheel Paints | The three color wheel paints (red, yellow, and blue) are vegan. None of their other watercolors are vegan. | Amazon |
Holbein | Artists’ Watercolors | Vegan except Ivory Black. See correspondence note below. | Blick Amazon |
Holbein | PAN Watercolors | Vegan except Ivory Black. See correspondence note below. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Stockmar | Watercolor paints are not vegan (except for the three color wheel colors which are vegan). | Contain ox gall according to Stockmar website. |
Jack Richeson | Yarka St. Petersburg Watercolors | Not vegan according to Dick Blick. |
M. Graham | Artist Watercolors | Honey-based. |
Sennelier | L’Aquarelle French Artists’ Watercolors | Honey-based. |
Schmincke | Horadam Aquarell | Contains oxgall. |
Mijello | Mission Gold Watercolors | Contains honey. |
Winsor & Newton | Artists’ Water Colour | Not vegan according to Winsor & Newton. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Canson | Heritage Watercolor Paper | Vegan. | Blick |
Canson | Montval Watercolor Paper | Vegan. | Blick |
Canson | Moulin du Roy Watercolor Paper | Vegan. | Blick |
Fabriano | All except Secolo XIII, Romo, Esportazione | Vegan. | Blick |
Hahnemühle | All watercolor papers. | Vegan. | Blick |
Legion | Stonehenge Aqua Watercolor Paper | Vegan. | Blick |
Strathmore | All except 500 Series Gemini | Vegan. | Blick |
Brand | Product Line | Info |
---|---|---|
Arches | All watercolor paper. | Sized with gelatin. |
St Cuthberts Mill | Bockingford watercolour paper. | Made with wool. |
Fabriano | Secolo XIII, Romo, and Esportazione | Not vegan according to company. |
Strathmore | 500 Series Gemini | “created with animal byproduct” – probably gelatin. |
Winsor & Newton | Artists’ Water Colour Paper, Saunder’s Waterford Paper, Cotman Water Colour Paper | “Contains animal derived ingredients” according to company. |
Brand | Product Line | Info | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Derwent | Inktense Pencils | Vegan. | Amazon Blick |
Derwent | Inktense Blocks | Vegan. They’re not really pencils, more like water soluble pastels. | Amazon Blick |
I hope you found this list of vegan art supplies helpful.
REFERENCES – brands listed in alphabetical order.
- Blick – Artists’ Acrylics – e-mail received 12/28/2017:
“I can confirm that the Blick Paints are all vegan, once again save the Ivory Black, I will be responding with our animal testing policy as soon as possible.” - Canson – e-mail received 1/8/2018: “The only papers that have a gelatin sizing on them are the Mi-Teintes and Ingres pastel papers. Some conflicting information may have occurred when the Arches brand paper was formally distributed by us, as those papers had a gelatin size. Heritage has since been released by Canson in order to have a professional paper line of watercolor paper that did not use gelatin. Additionally, Canson does not test on animals.”
- Chameleon – e-mail received 7/9/2018: “You’ll be pleased to know that our Chameleon Pens contain no animal-derived components and are vegan. We also we do not test on animals.”
- Chartpak, Inc. – e-mail received 10/4/2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- Chroma – e-mail received by reader 7/1/2020 from Chroma customer service saying that according to their raw material suppliers, the materials do not include animal ingredients and are not tested on animals.
- Clairefontaine – e-mail received 9/4/2018 “I confirm you that our Pastelmat papers are totally vegan. We do not use any ingredients from animals. The sizing does not contain animal gelatin.” e-mail received 9/10/2018 regarding glue in the pads, “Actually, I meant the whole Pastelmat product is 100% vegan.”
- Clearprint – e-mail received 10/4/2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- Copic – e-mail received from Nancy 7/6/2018 in response to a question asking whether their inks and nibs are vegan and whether they test on animals: “Copics are vegan and do not test on animals.”
- Cranfield – e-mail received by reader 1/7/2020: Due to the rising interest in this area we have started investigating our supply chain in order to gain a better understanding of whether animal products may, or may not, be involved higher up the supply chain. In general terms our inks are made from Linseed oil and pigments (metal oxides, Carbons and synthetic organics), and we do not use beeswax, honey or animal gelatine. We don’t carry out animal testing on our inks, neither do we request or require any third parties to carry out any animal testing on our behalf, however; we’re not fully informed on some of our raw materials as they are processed through what can be a long and complex supply chain. To our knowledge our inks do not contain animal based materials, with the current known exceptions to being: Traditional Etching Bone Black BKC1824, Traditional Relief Silver & Gold, Traditional Etching Silver & Gold”
- Da Vinci Paint Co. Watercolors – e-mail received from Da Vinci customer service 9/30/2017: “Our watercolors do not contain ox gall or honey or other ingredients derived from animals. The only colors using animal derived ingredients are the few which contain pigment Black 6 or 9 (PBk6 or PBk9). Colors that do not use these pigments do not contain animal ingredients. The pigment content is available under each swatch on our watercolor category page https://www.davincipaints.com/
category-s/124.htm - Daniel Smith Watercolors – e-mail received from customer service 10/2/2017 said, “Thank you for your question. Our products are not tested on animals, nor contain animal derived ingredients except the colors that contain pigment pBK9. pBK9 is found in the following colors only: Sepia, Ivory Black, Payne’s Gray”
- Derwent – official vegan product list, last checked 7/31/2018
- Dick Blick Heavyweight Cotton Canvas – e-mail received from Dick Black customer service 9/29/2017, “I have confirmed that our Blick Premier Heavyweight Cotton Canvas is vegan.”
- Dr. Ph. Martin – e-mail from customer service received by reader 3/22/2020: “Nope! No animal ingredients in any out of products. We use a proprietary synthetic polymer to achieve waterproof properties most normally associated with shellac.” AND E-mail from customer service received by DCV 3/15/2019: “All our products are free of animal parts and animal testing. “
- Golden – acrylic paint and animal testing statement here.
- Grumbacher – e-mail received 10/4/2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- Hahnemühle – Their website, as of at least September 2020, says “All papers are vegan. Hahnemühle fulfils this criterion when it comes to glue. We have been sustainable and pioneers in this field for a long time: we use exclusively synthetic glues and have been doing so since the 1970s. To explain: glue is in every paper. It binds the fibres (cotton linters or cellulose) and makes the paper paintable.” and “All Hahnemühle papers are vegan.”
- Higgins – e-mail received 10/4/2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- Holbein – After a reader claimed that the Holbein products we listed were not vegan, I went back and forth with the company, eventually corresponding with the US Vice President who double-checked with headquarters in Japan and confirmed (January 2018) that the paints we had listed were indeed vegan and they sent a product list, however they did not respond to claims from the reader of knowledge of animal products being used in the manufacturing process but not present in the final product. E-mail received 2/26/2018 from customer service says “I can only say that as far as we can confirm, the list is correct. However, it is possible that the ingredients or components may change in the future and we cannot guarantee it will be free of animal components.”
- IPG – IPG did not respond to e-mails but Dick Blick heard back from them and e-mailed me 5/29/2018 and 5/30/2018 that the artist and kraft tapes are vegan and that IPG does not test on animals.
- Khadi Papers – e-mail received 1/8/2018: “Thank you for your mail, the only papers we sell which are sized with gelatine are the cotton rag papers that weigh 210gsm and above. So the 100gsm and 150gsm cotton rag papers, Hemp, Lokta and Himalayan papers you mentioned are all gelatine-free!”
- Koh-I-Noor USA – e-mail received 10/4/ 2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- Kuretake – e-mail received 2/9/2018: “Regarding the Gansai Tambi watercolor, we can confirm that during the manufacturing process at Kuretake the products are vegan. However, it is not possible to accurately confirm back to the supplier of ingredients at a raw material level.” E-mail received 2/5/2018: “We confirmed that ZIG Memory System Writer is also vegan.” E-mail received 2/7/2021: “Please be noted that ZIG Brushables are not vegan, as they include animal derived oil as moisturizer.”
- Liquitex – e-mail received 8/28/2017: “Thank you for your interest in Liquitex. Yes, all of our mediums are vegan and have not been tested on animals.” e-mail received by reader 1/14/2020: “None of our products are tested on animals. The following colours contain animal derivatives in our soft body range – Ivory Black,Paynes Grey, Neutral Grey V5, Per green Deep, Prussian Blue Hue, Hookers Green Deep Hue. In our Ink Carbon black, Burnt Umber, Iridescent bright Silver, Neutral Grey 5, Prussian Blue Hue, Raw Umber, Perm Sap Green, Transparent Raw Umber, Muted Turquoise, Muted Violet. Heavy body, Ivory Black, Paynes Grey, NeUtral Grey V5, Per green Deep, Prussian Blue Hue, Hookers Green Deep Hue and Basics, Neutral Grey, Black, Blue Grey, Parchment, Prussian Blue Hue.”
- MaimeriBlu – e-mail received 10/2/2017: “I can assure you that we do not test our products on animals and in the Maimeriblu watercolour range only one pigment in the Maimerblu range is not suitable for vegans, i.e. Pbk 9 which is contained in 484 Van Dyck Brown, 486 Sepia, 514 Payne’s Grey and 535 Ivory Black.” Note, that at first one person wrote back that the watercolors were not vegan but another person then chimed in who seemed more up to date on the current formulas.
- Mijello – Mission Gold Watercolors – e-mail received 10/6/2017:
Unfortunately, they do currently contain honey, which as an animal byproduct, is not vegan-friendly. A full list of ingredients is available on our website, www.mijelloart.com, in the MSDS link under the “resources” tab.” - Nitram Arts – re: charcoal, e-mail received from customer service 8/1/2018: “Thank you for your inquiry – you are not the first to ask this. Yes, you can be assured that it is 100% vegan.”
- Pacon – re: Tru-Ray Construction Paper – e-mail received from Blick customer service 10/1/2020 – “I was able to confirm that the Pacon Tru-Ray Construction Paper is vegan”
- Royal Talens – e-mail received 2/5/2018: “Regarding Rembrandt watercolor, the lab said: Only color number 702 contains boneblack pigment in the Rembrandt watercolor assortment. All other colors are free of any animal ingredients.” E-mail received by a reader 1/20/2020 “No finished product or ingredient composed of the latter has been tested on animals.” “As for animal by-products, I should also include along with the pigment PBk9, we use shellac as a binder for our Talens India Drawing Inks.”
- Schmincke – product list and e-mail received 1/8/2018: “Our AKADEMIE ranges are totally free of animal products.”
- Speedball – e-mail received 3/4/2019: “In talking with our technical team, I have confirmed that our Pen Cleaner would be classified as vegan, but that our Super Black India Ink would not as it contains shellac.” E-mail received 3/5/2019: “I have confirmed with the technical team here that the Super Pigmented Acrylic Inks are vegan.” E-mail received by reader 1/7/2020: “I checked with our lab and all our relief inks and fabric block printing inks are considered vegan. They contain no animal products and are not tested on animals. The Printmaster range inks have been discontinued and are no longer available.”
- Stillman and Birn – e-mail received 1/8/2018: “All of our papers are made with vegetable-based sizing and so the papers can be considered vegan. However, all of our binding processes — hardcover, softcover and wirebound — are made with some for of animal-based adhesive.”
- Stockmar – Their website includes a vegan FAQ accessed on 1/26/2021.
- Strathmore – vegan FAQ on their website here. (Accessed January 2019)
- Utrecht acrylics – e-mail received 12/29/2017:
“After contacting our manufacturer I can assure you that save the non-vegan pigments the paints are free of animal products and are not tested on animals. Regarding the Blick brand the same holds true but because we are a general retailer we do not currently have a model for animal testing and each item we carry defers to the manufacturer’s policy at this point in time.” - Utrecht statement about watercolors here.
- Wee Can Too – as of 1/2/2018 – company website says “All our art supplies are edible, dairy free, vegan, and do not contain artificial dyes or chemicals”
- Winsor & Newton – re: charcoal – e-mail received from customer service 8/1/2018: “Our charcoals are made of willow wood. No animals or animal bones are used in the process.” And, re: brush cleaner – e-mail received from customer service 2/28/2019: “Brush Cleaner is manufactured wholly from synthetic or manufactured materials and does not contain any raw materials produced from or substances derived of animal origin. The manufacturing process does not use any ingredient of animal origin nor does this product come in contact with animal products during storage and transportation.”
- Yarka Watercolors are NOT vegan – e-mail received from Dick Blick customer service 9/29/2017 about several things: “…however the Yarka Watercolors are not [vegan].”