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What are some cheap art supplies I can buy for traditonal art?
I want to buy more art supplies but can't seem to find cheap and affordable ones.
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5 answers
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hello Nghi,
I think Michelle's suggestion to try Freecycle and the other sites is great.
The thing about art supplies is that you get what you pay for, and that's maybe nowhere more evident than paints and brushes, so you have to be really careful. Blick/Utrecht makes good-quality "student" brushes for various media, and Winsor and Newton makes affordable paints and brushes. Avoid the plastic hobby brushes that come in big bags. The big wooden handled utility brushes you can get at Home Depot and other stores are cheap and good for covering large areas, but they'll drop bristles.
The pigments in cheap paint tend not to be ground very finely, so you end up actually using more paint to get the coverage you're looking for. If you don't want to shell out the big bucks for Golden or Liquitex, trying collage techniques with scrap materials or colored papers might be an answer if you use large expanses of a single color. It's a little tricky to know how to advise you without knowing what you want to make, so if you reply with some more details, I might have other suggestions for you.
If you're into assemblage, you can pick up materials at thrift stores, bargain bins at hardware stores, or on the street! Many famous artists, such as Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, and Lee Bontecou, made work from scrap materials. My friend Tom Nye makes small reliefs from discarded hockey sticks, signs, and other kinds of scrap wood. I economize where I can and often shop at hardware stores and collect scrap styrofoam and other cast-off forms for armatures so I can invest in high-quality tools, adhesives, and paints. And most art supply stores will have a clearance/damaged area where you might find some deals.
One more piece of advice: take good care of your tools and supplies. Yeah, it's tedious, but if you buy quality brushes and keep them properly cleaned and conditioned, they'll last a lot longer and they'll work right. It's frustrating to use a brush that won't make a fine point when you need one or one that drops bristles into your work. And make sure you keep the tops of your acrylic paint jars and tubes clean enough to get the lids securely back on so your paints don't dry out.
Hope this helps! Remember--you can make art out of anything, and oftentimes, limitations make great creativity possible.
I think Michelle's suggestion to try Freecycle and the other sites is great.
The thing about art supplies is that you get what you pay for, and that's maybe nowhere more evident than paints and brushes, so you have to be really careful. Blick/Utrecht makes good-quality "student" brushes for various media, and Winsor and Newton makes affordable paints and brushes. Avoid the plastic hobby brushes that come in big bags. The big wooden handled utility brushes you can get at Home Depot and other stores are cheap and good for covering large areas, but they'll drop bristles.
The pigments in cheap paint tend not to be ground very finely, so you end up actually using more paint to get the coverage you're looking for. If you don't want to shell out the big bucks for Golden or Liquitex, trying collage techniques with scrap materials or colored papers might be an answer if you use large expanses of a single color. It's a little tricky to know how to advise you without knowing what you want to make, so if you reply with some more details, I might have other suggestions for you.
If you're into assemblage, you can pick up materials at thrift stores, bargain bins at hardware stores, or on the street! Many famous artists, such as Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, and Lee Bontecou, made work from scrap materials. My friend Tom Nye makes small reliefs from discarded hockey sticks, signs, and other kinds of scrap wood. I economize where I can and often shop at hardware stores and collect scrap styrofoam and other cast-off forms for armatures so I can invest in high-quality tools, adhesives, and paints. And most art supply stores will have a clearance/damaged area where you might find some deals.
One more piece of advice: take good care of your tools and supplies. Yeah, it's tedious, but if you buy quality brushes and keep them properly cleaned and conditioned, they'll last a lot longer and they'll work right. It's frustrating to use a brush that won't make a fine point when you need one or one that drops bristles into your work. And make sure you keep the tops of your acrylic paint jars and tubes clean enough to get the lids securely back on so your paints don't dry out.
Hope this helps! Remember--you can make art out of anything, and oftentimes, limitations make great creativity possible.
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Nghi !
Your best bet for art supplies just may be at Walmart or Walmart online for art supplies as their prices seem reasonable. Try Dollar General and Dollar Tree, too. Yes, everything including art supplies, is expensive.
You can also try craft stores because many times they carry drawing paper, colored pencils, paints of all kinds. The prices may be lower or higher, you have to explore it.
When thinking about ways to afford or obtain art supplies, there may be something you can do. Ask for art supplies for your birthday and as holiday gifts, whenever there is an occasion for which people will gift you. Another way is to make some quick cash by doing tag, garage or yard sales on the weekend and spend the money you make on art supplies.
Have your parents look on Craig's list in your area. They have a section labeled "Free" and sometimes, among the ugly couches and other items, they have art supplies. Have your parent go with you to pick them up if any are available. Check Craig's List a few times a week to find free art supplies. You can also check Freecycle for free art supplies (hopefully), too. I left the link to their website for you below.
As you see, you do have some options for low cost or free art supplies. I hope this helps to start you on your way and I wish you all the best !
CALIFORNIA RESOURCE NETWORK FOR FREE ART SUPPLIES https://www.clrn.org/how-to-get-free-art-supplies/
GET FREE ART SUPPLIES, TOOLS AND MORE https://www.artspainter.com/blog/get-free-art-art-supplies-tools-and-more/
FREECYCLE https://www.freecycle.org/
Your best bet for art supplies just may be at Walmart or Walmart online for art supplies as their prices seem reasonable. Try Dollar General and Dollar Tree, too. Yes, everything including art supplies, is expensive.
You can also try craft stores because many times they carry drawing paper, colored pencils, paints of all kinds. The prices may be lower or higher, you have to explore it.
When thinking about ways to afford or obtain art supplies, there may be something you can do. Ask for art supplies for your birthday and as holiday gifts, whenever there is an occasion for which people will gift you. Another way is to make some quick cash by doing tag, garage or yard sales on the weekend and spend the money you make on art supplies.
Have your parents look on Craig's list in your area. They have a section labeled "Free" and sometimes, among the ugly couches and other items, they have art supplies. Have your parent go with you to pick them up if any are available. Check Craig's List a few times a week to find free art supplies. You can also check Freecycle for free art supplies (hopefully), too. I left the link to their website for you below.
As you see, you do have some options for low cost or free art supplies. I hope this helps to start you on your way and I wish you all the best !
Michelle recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Kari’s Answer
Art supplies don't need to be expensive. Those pricy sets you see are priced for the professionals, those who do that kind of thing for a living or who make enough money that it's not a costly hobby for them.
As for how to find inexpensive art supplies... they're all around you! The normal #2 pencil and black ink pen are wonderful art tools without being costly! If you want to see examples of fantastic art done with just such tools, I suggest checking out Youtube. You'd be surprised at the stunningly beautiful artworks you can make with just blue or black ink or even just a simple pencil that you can buy cheap during the school year sales.
For adding color, a simple colored pencil set is all you need, with the right know-how, you don't need all those fancy pencils that are marketed to professionals in order to draw like one.
As for how to find inexpensive art supplies... they're all around you! The normal #2 pencil and black ink pen are wonderful art tools without being costly! If you want to see examples of fantastic art done with just such tools, I suggest checking out Youtube. You'd be surprised at the stunningly beautiful artworks you can make with just blue or black ink or even just a simple pencil that you can buy cheap during the school year sales.
For adding color, a simple colored pencil set is all you need, with the right know-how, you don't need all those fancy pencils that are marketed to professionals in order to draw like one.
Updated
Dj Bi na’s Answer
Pencils and Graphite
Prismacolor Scholar Pencils: Good quality for sketching and shading at an affordable price.
Arteza Colored Pencils: Budget-friendly and decent quality for beginners.
Blick Studio Graphite Pencils: Affordable and widely available, great for general sketching.
Prismacolor Scholar Pencils: Good quality for sketching and shading at an affordable price.
Arteza Colored Pencils: Budget-friendly and decent quality for beginners.
Blick Studio Graphite Pencils: Affordable and widely available, great for general sketching.
Updated
Dj Bi na’s Answer
Pencil and graphite