Atelier Sun Ho

If it hadn’t been for the rain, I would probably never have found Atelier Sun Ho. I noticed a small printed sign advertising fine art materials in a dark stairwell at the bottom of a tiny building on Aberdeen Street whilst sheltering from the weather and made a note to come back and explore, which I did.
The address is actually on Wellington Street, but as mentioned above, the entrance is at the bottom of Aberdeen Street. Just follow the signs up and you’ll arrive at a quaint door with a sign rather appropriately painted on an artist’s paint palette.
When I visited a small class was taking place with the students all working on individual projects. The level of ability in the class seemed relatively undeveloped so it seems that beginner’s are very welcome at Atelier Sun Ho.
I was hoping to find an art store closer to home than my usual shop of choice, Artland, but was a little disappointed by the tiny range of materials available. I also did not recognise any of the brands but was assured that they were of top quality despite being made in China. The small range of metallics paints (acrylic) caught my eye but I couldn’t think of anything to use them for so resisted the urge to buy. There were a number of pre-​stretched canvases available but no sketch books or watercolour pads. Individual pages of watercolour paper was on sale for $ 15/​pc which works out marginally cheaper per page than the Daeler Rowney pads I usually purchase.
I ended up only buying two rather charming pots of various charcoal sticks which were packaged in cardboard and decorated with a Chinese ink painting design. At only $ 22 a set, they are considerably cheaper than the Daeler Rowney sets I’ve used in the past and just as effective to use.
All in all, Atelier Sun Ho is a cute little art shop for basic staples but is lacking in supply. The cash only policy is inconvenient given the nearest HSBC is on Queens Road Central but the goods are generally inexpensive compared to more prominent art supply stores.