The Reliance Stationery Mart

General information

A haven for artists in the city, The Reliance Stationery Mart offers a dreamy amount of quality art supplies.

Artsy stuff:

If you’re an artist (be it professional, budding or amateur), then we’re guessing you might already be a regular at The Reliance Stationery Mart. Started in 1948 by Krishnamurthy and currently managed by his son, S.K Rajkumar, and his grandson, Sidarth Raj, the store has been supplying painters with everything: from paint tubes to varnishes. Sourced from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, their quality products at this busy store (there is a steady stream of customers throughout the day) have been used by almost three generations of artists so far.

Colour me happy:

Whatever form of art you wish to indulge in (simple pencil sketches to abstract paintings), Reliance Stationery Mart won’t disappoint you. Pick from paints (in tubes and bottles) ranging from acrylics and oils to watercolours, all neatly stacked according to the shades available. We wouldn’t be surprised if we actually found 50 different shades of grey (or any colour, for that matter) in there! Also on offer are canvas boards, easels, palette knives, night glow colours, charcoal sticks, graphite drawing sets, shading pencils and sketch books along with imported products from brands such as Derwent and Daler-Rowney (both UK-based).

Tones and tints:

Walk around the popular art store and you will spy interesting goods like earth tone pencils (for those detailed landscapes), skin tint pencils (for capturing different complexions in portraits), tinted charcoal pencils (go ahead and add a hint of colour and drama to the traditional charcoal drawings), pastel pencils and watercolour pencils (to give the desired finish to your artwork). Painters can also choose from the range of varnishes and mediums for oil colour and watercolour, which include Clear Picture Varnish, Damar Varnish, Purified Poppy Oil, Ox Gall Solution and Gum Arabic Solution, among others.

So, we’re thinking..

Ace artists or curious dabblers, The Reliance Stationery Mart might certainly inspire you to give art a try with their comprehensive array of supplies. Who knows, even non-artsy folk may turn Picasso.