09/04/25
by Victoria Ritter
Artists of various skill sets have come to expect a lot from Speedball. It comes as no surprise, as the company has produced quality products for a wide range of mediums for decades.
Originally known as the C. Howard Hunt Pen Company, the fine pen manufacturer was founded in 1899 in Camden, NJ. It partnered with Ross George in 1915 to develop the A-Nib, also known as the Speedball nib.
“The unique design of that nib allowed for the creation of a variety of pen strokes with a quick flick of the pen,” explained Kim Dunham, product manager at Speedball. “It was the fastest pen that was available – that’s where the name Speedball came from.”
The company became known as Speedball Art Products in 1997 when current CEO Walt Glazer purchased the business from Hunt Manufacturing.
In addition to its own product lines, Speedball has acquired several brands, starting with Bienfang in 1969, followed by Houston Arts (Pink Soap), Boss pottery wheels, Mona Lisa Metal Leaf, Akua, Best Test and Global Art Products in 2018.
Speedball’s latest acquisition is the Silicoil Brush Cleaning Systemin July. Dunham, who personally used Silicoil during her undergraduate studies, was excited to hear the news. “It’s a legacy brand that’s developed by an artist for artists,” she said. “That’s at the heart of everything we do at Speedball. We want to preserve that heritage for future generations.”
Keeping on the ball
Speedball’s catalog contains a little more than 2,000 active SKUs across 11 product lines. Top categories include block printing, screen printing, calligraphy and illustration, paper, and ceramics, according to Dunham.
The company tries to launch one to two large products each year: new innovations that require extensive R&D. Meanwhile, smaller projects are typically introduced quarterly. Among Speedball’s newest product offerings include the Flex Starter Screen Printing Kit – which allows users to try screen printing through a simple project – and three new calligraphy sets.
In the first quarter 2023, Speedball announced the addition of 60 new colors to its mid-glaze line that were developed in partnership with ceramic artist Nancy Sowder; that large project premiered this past March. “The ceramics community has gone nuts for them,” Dunham said. “They’re fascinated with the awesome modeling and reduction effects they can get when using them alone or layering them. Because of that popularity and demand, we extended the line offering.”
While the arts and crafts industry is “our bread and butter,” said Dunham, Speedball does cater to medical, home décor, furniture and OEM markets. Based in Statesville, NC, Speedball has expanded its international presence, developing strong partnerships with distributors across the globe.
Speedball exhibits at B2B shows including Creativeworld, Creativation by Namta and SLS Expo. The company exhibits and attends consumer trade shows for calligraphy, ceramics, education and printmaking. Furthermore, it supports a handful of local and statewide trade shows and consumer events through direct involvement, sponsorships or advertising. “All of these shows are vital because they help us keep informed about the industry trends and the artists’ needs,” Dunham said.
Thanks to its diverse catalog, Speedball has been able to weather trends within the industry, achieving growth year after year. Current challenges include settling back into pre-COVID sale levels and facing tariffs; although most of Speedball’s products are produced in Statesville, some parts are sourced internationally. “It’s been a delicate balance, but we are navigating it well,” Dunham stated. “We’ve been able to absorb most of the impacts of tariffs so they’re not really affecting the retailer and the consumer.”
By artists, for artists
Creatives are at the center of all of Speedball’s products, from concept to production. The company has its own artist network which closely works with its R&D team. Dunham will talk with artists at trade shows about what they feel is missing from the industry, what materials they’re looking for and how much they’re willing to pay. A few artists have even approached Speedball with a product they’ve invented.
“For example, the Boss Base, which isa tool that helps with opening of the clay body on the potter’s wheel, was developed in partnership with Rich Brown, a very talented potter,” Dunham said. “He had created this tool for himself using PVC pipe. He showed it to us, and we thought it was really interesting and worth investing in.”
Speedball also keeps tabs on popular trends. In response to the current vogue of hand lettering, Speedball developed several kits and brush markers with artist Melissa Esplin. “She worked with us to design the tip of the brush marker so that it had the right amount of flexibility for lettering work,” Dunham explained.
For Dunham, one of the best aspects of her job is seeing how artists use their products. Glazer, who sometimes buys art that incorporates Speedball’s materials, has a surfboard in his office printed with Akua ink. Dunham has seen Speedball inks used in gyotaku, a traditional Japanese art of using a fish in printmaking. While attending a ceramic show, she discovered a method of decorating ceramics by airbrushing Speedball’s underglazes onto greenware and bisqueware.
“We always have people reach out to us with bizarre questions,” Dunham said. “If we haven’t tried it ourselves, we usually encourage them to try it out and let us know what happened. Our product might be well suited for something that we didn’t even think about.”
The people behind the products
As Speedball is an approachable brand for so many different artists, it is an ideal fit for independent retailers, according to Dunham. The company is ever-prepared to support small businesses with extensive knowledge, programming and resources.
Through Speedball’s Demo Artist Program and Professional Artist Network, retailers have access to print makers and creatives for in-store demos and workshops. If an artist isn’t in a retailer’s area, Speedball will work with the store to provide materials for demonstrations. Speedball customers also have access to thousands of digital assets.
“If you’re a fine artist, a master calligrapher, illustrator, ceramistor anybody in-between all that, we’ve got a way to fill the retailer’s aisles with high quality product that’s at an accessible price point,” Dunham said. “We provide one order to one vendor, one shipment with favorable terms and all the marketing and technical support for in-store operations and beyond. The retailer doesn’t just get the product – they’re getting the people behind that product to back it up.”
Dunham is proud of the Speedball team. It’s a small company with under 100 employees, but everyone demonstrates “true grit.” Employees have dedicated years to honing their craft, take pride in quality and are ready to step in to help one another.
“Everyone’s willing to roll up their sleeves to get the job done,” Dunham stated. “We all share the same attitude of ‘If you see something that needs doing, do it.’ Everyone from accounting to production enjoys meeting the people who use our product and seeing the work that they create with it. We really are a family. It’s because of the bonds that are formed between the employees all the way to the bonds we form with artists that I’m really proud to work here.”
