Melbourne Etching Supplies
Australia’s Fine Art and Printmaking Specialists Since 1975.
For 50 years Melbourne Etching Supplies has been providing printmakers and artists with quality fine art materials, across two stores in Fitzroy, Victoria and across Australia online. In January 2023, we relocated our St. David Street store in Fitzroy to Fairfield, Victoria.
With a team of professional artists at the helm, we deliver specialist goods with a wealth of expert advice, knowledge and enthusiasm to our customers.
We specialise in high quality fine art supplies including a range of leading & pinnacle art material brands across fine art printmaking, acrylic painting, oil painting, watercolour, drawing tools, papers, paint brushes, printmaking presses and many other mediums & tools.
Visit Our Stores:
M.E.S. FITZROY
409 Gore Street,
Fitzroy, VIC, Australia 3065
Monday to Friday: 9:30 - 5:30pm
Saturday's: 10:00 - 5:00pm
Sunday: Closed
M.E.S. FAIRFIELD
165 Perry Street,
Fairfield, VIC, Australia 3078
Monday to Friday: 8:30 - 4:30pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
*Both stores are closed on Public Holidays.
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PARKING: Both our stores offer customer parking options:
our FITZROY strore offers undercover parking accessible from Rose St. and the FAIRFIELD store has a carpark right infront of the building.
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For all enquiries please contact us:
Call us on:+61 03 9419 5666 or
email:mes@mes.net.au
At M.E.S, we stock some of the worlds most regarded art materials manufacturers such as Sennelier, Hahnemühle, Cranfield, Charbonnel, Arches, Fabriano & more. We also carry some of the worlds best fine art paint brushes from brands such as Raphael Brushes, Leonard Brushes, Isabey brushes and many more.
We proudly represent two of Australia’s finest pressmakers, with offerings to suit all forms of printmaking. With a broad selection of some of the most specific and technical printmaking tools and studio equipment a printmaker could need, we distribute our printmaking presses, tools & materials across Australia and our materials & equipement is found in some of the finest printmaking studios (professional, educational and enthusiast) here and overseas!
Whilst our foundation, and passion in art materials started with Printmaking, we also carry a range of specialist products across all other art practices, and cater to the needs of Painting, Drawing, Bookbinding, and Colour Making, in addition to our Etching & Intaglio, Screen Printing, Relief printing, Lithography, Engraving and Letterpress printing techniques.
Melbourne Etching Supplies is operated by a team of practicing and professional artists. We are passionate about assisting artists to realise artworks across most mediums, art materials and products through realising the technical requirements of our customers fine art material needs.
We aim to provide an efficient and helpful supply and service to all of our customers, assisting you in making art and helping find your way through the myriad of fine art materials.
If there is something you are specifically seeking, be it product or information, please get in touch and we will do our best to assist you.
Our History
MES was established in 1975 by artists Margie Burnett and Neil Wallace, born from a shared vision: to provide high-quality materials for printmakers and to support the vibrant community of artists working in this evolving medium across Australia.From its earliest incarnation — known then as the Print Guild — MES quickly became more than just a supplier of fine art materials. Margie and Neil’s dedication saw them travelling to trade shows, engaging with artists, and building a product range tailored to the needs of practicing printmakers.
Over the years, they expanded their offerings to include additional retail stores, a specialist conservation framing arm — Omnus Framing, which, now under independent management, continues to serve exhibiting artists, galleries, and collectors across Australia — and a dedicated exhibition space: Printmaker Gallery, also now under independent management, which continues to showcase the exemplary work of contemporary Australian printmakers today.
Image: The Print Guild building on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in 1975
Images: Some original MES Catalogues
In 1998, the business split into two, and Melbourne Etching Supplies and Neil Wallace Printmaking Supplies continued to serve the printmaking community independently. New directorship arrives for Neil Wallace Printmaking Supplies in 2010, and in 2012 Melbourne Etching Supplies was sold bringing both stores together again. In 2023 the decision was made to bring both our Fitzroy stores back under one unifying banner of Melbourne Etching Supplies. In the same year we saw the launch of a brand-new website, branding overhaul, and a move from our long-time home in St David Street (pictured) to a new light-filled location in Perry Street, Fairfield.
Today, MES remains a home to an extensive range of specialist fine art and printmaking materials, serving both its Fitzroy and Fairfield communities and a growing online audience across Australia and beyond. With a team of practicing artists behind the counter, MES continues to offer not only materials, but trusted advice, hands-on expertise, and the kind of curiosity and passion that has defined the business for five decades.
OMNUS FRAMING
M.E.S Fitzroy shares it's shopfront with our good friends, Omnus Framing.
With over a century of combined picture framing experience, the Omnus framers are a team of conservation experts. Their long standing use of traditional techniques, partnered with the timeless aesthetic of their consultation advisors, provides a refined and considered experience to their clients - and the customers of Melbourne Etching Supplies!
From consult to frame-making, hand staining to mounting, all production happens on-site. This allows them full control to deliver the exact, uniquely tailored, framing solution for your work.
With a personal penchant for hand-stained natural timbers (and a fabulous selection of native timbers), Omnus Framing also offers a large range of pre-finished and veneer mouldings. They truly have something for everyone, for every artwork or object, and of course, for every budget.
Located at 409 Gore Street, Fitzroy, you will see the Omnus Framing consultation gallery as soon as you walk through the door.