We help you choose
Each range is explained by what it is suited to — portrait work and skin tones, soft pastels, blending and brush work, broad coverage, craft and mixed media — not simply by how many pens are in the set.
NEW ZEALAND ART SUPPLIES
Before the first mark,
choose with confidence.
Artfolk is a New Zealand art supplies retailer. We are here for the part of the process that happens before the first mark: working out which set, which tip, which paper, and whether the one you are looking at is actually right for the work you want to make.
01 · WHY WE STARTED
Buying art materials in New Zealand is harder than it should be.
Ranges are listed by set size rather than by what you want to draw. Colour counts are compared, but little explains what the extra colours actually give you. Useful information is scattered across overseas reviews and videos, and ordering from offshore can mean a long wait with no one local to ask afterwards.
We started Artfolk to close that gap locally: practical range guidance, honest comparisons between sets, stock held in New Zealand, and someone at this end who can answer a question about a tip, a colour code or the difference between two series.
What we do
Good art-supply retail should make the choice clearer, not simply make the catalogue larger.
We compare openly
Where two sets overlap, we say so, and we will tell you when the smaller set is the better choice.
A sale we talk you out of is worth more to us than a return.
We build ranges that work together
We select papers, pads, fineliners and accessories alongside the markers we sell, so you can put together a kit that works rather than relying on guesswork.
We hold stock locally
Every order ships free and tracked from our Auckland warehouse, anywhere in New Zealand, with no minimum spend. Some rural, PO Box and island addresses may have shipping exceptions.
03 · OUR RANGE
The brands we carry
Artfolk is built to carry multiple art supply brands. Ohuhu is our first, and we are an authorised New Zealand stockist of Ohuhu products, including alcohol markers, acrylic markers, marker paper and fineliners.
More brands will follow as we find those that meet the same standard: reliable product quality, a range with room to grow, and a maker that continues to support its products after purchase.
We will not add products simply to make the catalogue look larger. Every brand and product should have a clear purpose within the range and offer something useful to New Zealand creators.
Authentic products, properly authorised
Every brand we carry is sourced through professional, authorised supply relationships. We do not sell copies, grey-market stock or unbranded relabels, and we do not use other people’s artwork, photography or trade marks without permission.
This matters to customers as much as it matters to us: product details and colour codes that correspond with official brand information, compatible accessories that can be identified correctly, and a recognised supplier behind the product if something goes wrong.
Authorised supply
Brands are sourced through professional, authorised supply relationships — including every brand we add next.
Authentic product information
Product details and colour references correspond with official brand materials.
Respect for creative work
Artwork, photography and trade marks are used with permission and credited appropriately.
05 · LOCAL FOUNDATION
New Zealand owned and operated
Artfolk Limited is a New Zealand owned and operated company, working from our warehouse in Silverdale, Auckland. We are part of an established New Zealand retail group whose businesses span furniture, homeware, outdoor products and accessories, serving New Zealand households since 2005.
That foundation is how a growing art supplies business can hold genuine stock in New Zealand, deliver nationwide and answer customers from a team in the same time zone.
What it does not change is our focus: Artfolk is an art supplies business, built around what creators need before, during and after they choose their materials.
What we are building next
Our next steps · not yet operating
We have started carefully and deliberately. These are the commitments we are working towards as Artfolk grows. We would rather describe them honestly as goals than claim progress before the work exists.
Supporting art education
Schools, community art programmes and not-for-profit creative workshops can email us now for project pricing on class kits. As we grow, we intend to formalise this into a standing programme with product and donation support.
Creating space for New Zealand artists
We want to feature local creators and their work across Artfolk — with permission, appropriate credit, and respect for how their work is presented. If you would like your work considered, email us.
Reducing unnecessary packaging
We reuse incoming cartons and packing material where they are sound, and we intend to increase the use of recycled materials and reduce avoidable plastic in the way orders are prepared and shipped.
07 · TALK TO US
Talk to us
Useful guidance comes from real questions. If there is a material you struggle to source in New Zealand, a range you want explained, or a creative project you think we should know about, we would like to hear from you — it shapes what we stock and what we write next.
Tell us about: a material you cannot source here, a range you want explained, or a project we should know about.
Not sure which set is right?
If you are deciding between two sets, planning materials for a class or trying to understand the difference between two series, ask us.
Email Artfolk
contactus@artfolk.co.nzWe aim to reply within 1–2 business days — and to answer the question you actually asked.