Last updated 3/5/2018
Vegan art supplies can be hard to find, so I want to make it easier with this list. 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 and 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 jus 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
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Liquitex |
Heavy Body Acrylic |
Vegan except Bone Black. They have alternative blacks. |
Amazon
Blick |
| Liquitex |
Soft Body Acrylic |
Vegan except Bone Black. They have alternative blacks. |
Amazon
Blick |
| 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 |
| Daler-Rowney |
Cryla and Cryla Flow |
Vegan except Ivory Black |
Jacksons |
| Daler-Rowney |
System3 |
Vegan except Raw Sienna |
Blick |
| Daler-Rowney |
Pearlescent Liquid Acrylic Ink |
Vegan. |
Amazon
Blick |
Holbein |
Heavy Body Acrylic |
Vegan except Ivory Black. PENDING REVIEW. |
|
| 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. |
Amazon
Blick |
| Amsterdam |
Acrylic Standard Series |
Vegan. |
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. |
|
| Schmincke |
Akademie Acryl Color |
Vegan since 2013. |
|
| Schmincke |
College Acrylic |
Vegan since 2013. Student quality. |
|
| Schmincke |
Aero Color Professional |
Vegan since 2013. Liquid acrylic. |
|
| Grumbacher |
Academy Acrylic |
Vegan except colors with PBk9 made from bone char. |
|
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Vegan Adhesives/Glue/Tape
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Uhu |
All Glue products |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| 3L |
Adhesive Runner |
Vegan. For scrapbooking. |
Amazon |
| JudiKins |
Diamond Glaze |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Modge Podge |
Adhesives |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Weldbond |
Universal Adhesive |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Sugru |
Moldable Glue |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| ChartPak |
All Graphic Tapes |
Vegan. |
|
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Vegan Binders (for making your own paint)
| 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 |
NOT Vegan Binders
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
| Schmincke |
Casein Binding Medium (50 088) |
Contains casein. |
| Schmincke |
Watercolour Binder (50 820) |
Contains oxgall. |
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Vegan Brushes
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Mimik |
Synthetic hog brushes |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Colors of Nature |
Faux squirrel brushes |
Vegan. |
Colors of Nature |
| Da Vinci |
Casaneo brushes (watercolor) |
Vegan. Da Vinci 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 |
Amazon |
| Jackson’s |
Studio synthetic watercolor brushes |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Raphael Kaerell |
Synthetic sable. Considered one of the closest matches to real sable. |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
NOT Vegan Brush Materials
| Name |
Description |
| Sable |
May be listed as sable, Kolinsky sable, Kolinsky red sable. |
| Kolinsky |
|
| Squirrel |
May be listed as squirrel, Russian blue squirrel. |
| Badger |
|
| Hog Bristle |
May be referred to simply as bristle or natural bristle. Also Chungking bristle. |
| Chungking Bristle |
A type of hog bristle. |
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Vegan Brush Cleaners
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
|
Coming soon |
|
|
NOT Vegan Brush Cleaners
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
|
Coming soon |
|
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Vegan Canvas
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Blick |
Premiere Artist Canvas |
Vegan. |
Blick |
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Vegan Chalk
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| S&S Worldwide |
Chalk |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Chalk City |
Chalk |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Wee Can Too |
Veggie Sidewalk Chalk |
Vegan. |
Amazon
We Can Too |
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Vegan Crayons
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Colors of Nature |
Crayons |
Vegan. |
Colors of Nature |
| Wee Can Too |
Veggie Baby Crayons |
Vegan. |
Wee Can Too |
NOT Vegan Crayons
| 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. |
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Vegan Gelatin Printing Plates
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Gelli Arts |
Reusable gelatin plates for monoprinting. |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
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Vegan Gesso and Grounds
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Golden |
GAC 100 Acrylic Polymer |
Vegan. |
Amazon
Blick |
NOT Vegan Gesso and Grounds.
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
| Gamblin |
Traditional Gesso |
Contains rabbit skin glue. |
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Vegan Gouache
| 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. |
Amazon |
Holbein |
Acryla Gouache |
Vegan. PENDING REVIEW |
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. |
Amazon |
| Schmincke |
Akademie Gouache |
Vegan since 2013. Student gouache. |
|
NOT Vegan Gouache
| 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. |
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Vegan Ink
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Daler-Rowney |
F.W. Artists Inks |
Vegan. |
|
| Faber Castell |
TG1 Drawing ink |
Vegan. |
|
| Winsor & Newton |
Calligraphy inks |
Vegan. |
|
| Daler-Rowney |
Pearlescent liquid acrylic inks |
Vegan. |
|
| Koh-I-Nor |
Transmix Media Inks (9065) |
Vegan. |
|
| Koh-I-Nor |
Special Ink (9066) |
Vegan. |
|
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Vegan Markers
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Chartpak |
ADMarkers |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Chartpak |
Spectra ADMarkers |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
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Vegan Masking Fluid
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Talens |
Liquid Masking Film |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Da Vinci |
Masking Fluid |
Vegan. |
|
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Vegan Mediums
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Liquitex |
All mediums. |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Grumbacher |
Acrylic mediums. |
Vegan. |
|
| Grumbacher |
Watercolor mediums. |
Vegan. |
|
| QoR |
Synthetic Ox Gall |
Vegan. For watercolor. |
|
| QoR |
Watercolor Medium |
Vegan. |
|
| QoR |
Lift Aid |
Vegan. For watercolor. |
|
| Da Vinci |
Gum Arabic |
Vegan. For watercolor. |
|
| Da Vinci |
Iridescent Watercolor Medium |
Vegan. |
|
| Da Vinci |
Watercolor Medium |
Vegan. For watercolor. |
|
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Vegan Oil Paint
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Daler-Rowney |
Artists Oil Colors |
Vegan except Ivory Black and Blue Black? Read the statement here. |
|
| Daler-Rowney |
Georgian Oil Colors |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Prussian Green and Coeruleum Hue. Read the statement here. |
|
| Winsor & Newton |
Winton Oil Color |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Raw Umber |
|
| Winsor & Newton |
Artists Oil Colors |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Blue Black, Carmine? |
|
| Winsor & Newton |
Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colour |
Vegan except Ivory Black. |
|
| Winsor & Newton |
Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colour |
Vegan except Ivory Black. |
|
| Holbein |
Artist Oil |
Vegan except Blue Black, Ivory Black, Neutral Grey, Sepia, Van Dyke Brown, Foundation Grey. |
|
| Holbein |
Ecoise Oil |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown. |
|
| Holbein |
DUO Aqua Oil |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Sepia. |
|
| Holbein |
Vernet Superior Oil |
Vegan except Ivory Black. |
|
| Gamblin |
Artists Oil Colors |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, Terre Verte, Asphaltum which contain PbK9 from cows’ bones. |
|
| Gamblin |
1980 Oil Colors |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, Terre Verte, Asphaltum which contain PbK9 from cows’ bones. |
|
| Gamblin |
FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Van Dyke Brown, Payne’s Grey, Terre Verte, Asphaltum which contain PbK9 from cows’ bones. |
|
| Grumbacher |
Pre-Tested Oils |
Vegan except colors using PBk9 made from bone char. |
|
| Grumbacher |
Academy Oil |
Vegan except colors using PBk9 made from bone char. |
|
| Grumbacher |
Max Water Mixable Oils |
Vegan except colors using PBk9 made from bone char. |
|
NOT Vegan Oil Paint
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
| Schmincke |
Norma Professional Oil Colors |
Contains beeswax. |
| Schminck |
Mussini Oil Colors |
Contains beeswax. |
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Vegan Oil Pastels
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Pentel |
Oil pastels |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
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Vegan Pastels
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Colors of Nature |
Pastels |
Vegan. |
Colors of Nature |
| Derwent |
Pastel blocks |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Derwent |
Pastel pencils |
Vegan. They’re like pastels in pencil form so you can get fine detail. |
|
| Schmincke |
Pastels |
Vegan except for Black (099) which contains PbK9 from bone char. They have alternative blacks. |
|
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Vegan Pastel Papers
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
|
Coming soon. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOT Vegan Pastel Papers
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
| Canson |
Ingres Pastel Papers |
Sized with gelatin. |
| Canson |
Mi Teintes |
Sized with gelatin. |
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Vegan Pens
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Pilot |
|
Vegan. |
|
| Chameleon |
|
Vegan. |
|
| Koh-I-Noor |
Rapidograph Pens |
Vegan. |
|
| Koh-I-Noor |
Rapidosketch Pens |
Vegan. |
|
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Vegan Pencils
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Faber Castell |
All pencils, pens and erasers |
Vegan |
|
| Faber Castell |
Polychromos pencils |
Vegan |
Amazon |
| Derwent |
Coloursoft pencils |
Vegan |
|
| Derwent |
Metallic pencils |
Vegan |
|
| Derwent |
Pastel pencils |
Vegan |
|
| Derwent |
Graphitone pencils |
Vegan |
|
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Vegan Pigments
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Colors of Nature |
Pigments |
Vegan. |
Colors of Nature |
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Vegan Sizing
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Gamblin |
PVA Size. More archival than rabbit glue. |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
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Vegan Sketchbooks
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Strathmore |
all sketchbooks |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Strathmore |
Bristol pad (for pen and ink). |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Canson XL |
Mixed media papers |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Colors of Nature |
Bamboo mixed media papers |
Vegan. |
Colors of Nature |
NOT Vegan Sketchbooks
| 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. |
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Vegan Watercolor Paint
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
Holbein |
Artists’ Watercolors |
Vegan except Ivory Black. PENDING REVIEW |
Amazon |
Holbein |
PAN Watercolors |
Vegan except Ivory Black. PENDING REVIEW |
|
| Winsor & Newton |
Cotman Watercolors |
Vegan except for Viridian Hue, Raw Umber, Ivory Black. |
Amazon |
| Kuretaki |
Gansai Tambi Watercolors |
Vegan including the regular watercolors and pearlescent and starry watercolors. |
Amazon |
| Colors of Nature |
Watercolors (pan and tube) |
Vegan. Vegan company. |
Colors of Nature |
| Daniel Smith |
Extra Fine Watercolors |
Vegan except Ivory Black, Sepia, Payne’s Grey. |
Amazon |
| Dr. Ph Martin |
Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor |
Vegan. |
|
Maimeri Blu |
Watercolors |
Vegan except for 484 Van Dyck Brown, 486 Sepia, 514 Payne’s Grey, and 535 Ivory Black. PENDING REVIEW |
Amazon |
| QoR |
Modern Watercolors |
Vegan except Ivory Black. |
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. |
|
| 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), |
|
NOT Vegan Watercolors
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
| Jack Richeson |
Yarka St. Petersburg Watercolors |
Not vegan according to Dick Black. |
| 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. |
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Vegan Watercolor Paper
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Strathmore |
All except 500 Series Gemini |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Fabriano |
All except Secolo XIII, Romo, Esportazione |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Legion |
Stonehenge Aqua Watercolor Paper |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Canson |
Heritage Watercolor Paper |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Canson |
Montval Watercolor Paper |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Canson |
Moulin du Roy Watercolor Paper |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Winsor & Newton |
Bockingford |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| St Cuthberts Mill |
Bockingford |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
NOT Vegan Watercolor Paper
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
| Arches |
All watercolor paper. |
Sized with gelatin. |
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Vegan Watercolor Pencils
| Brand |
Product Line |
Info |
Availability |
| Sakura Bruynzeel |
Watercolor pencils |
Vegan. |
Amazon |
| Derwent |
Inktense Pencils |
Vegan. |
Amazon
Blick |
| Derwent |
Inktense Blocks |
Vegan. They’re not really pencils, more like water soluble pastels. |
Amazon
Blick |
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IN PROGRESS
Footnotes in order by brand name.
(source information for whether a product is vegan)
- 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.”
- Chartpak, Inc. – e-mail received 10/4/2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- Clearprint – e-mail received 10/4/2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- Da Vinci 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”
- 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.”
- Golden – acrylic paint and animal testing statement here.
- Grumbacher – e-mail received 10/4/2017 included list of vegan products – awaiting animal testing info.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.”
- 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.”
- Schmincke – product list and e-mail received 1/8/2018: “Our AKADEMIE ranges are totally free of animal products.”
- 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.”
- 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”
- 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].”
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