Hi, I’m Amelia from The Flair Exchange, a blog about saving money on art supplies along with other arts and crafts projects.
I’ve been making art since as far back as I can remember. I’m currently a graphic design student at [college] where I make all of my own custom designed invitations and announcements.
In this blog, I will share tips that have helped me save money on art supplies and ideas for artsy things to do with them when you’re done using them. For example, check out the post “How to make Valentine’s Day cards using only post-it notes” (http://theflaurexchange.com/2012/02/how-to-make-valentine-s-day-cards-using-only-postit-notes/) to learn how to make your own cardstock without having to spend money on it!
Art Supplies can be a very expensive thing to purchase. You may think that you can never save money on art supplies but this is not true. There are many ways that you can save money on art supplies and still have the supplies that you need.
If you love art and craft projects but feel that they are too expensive to do all the time, then here are some money saving tips for you.
Go To The Dollar Store : Many items that you would normally purchase at an arts and crafts store can be found at your local dollar store for a fraction of the price. These stores carry many different types of craft items and materials.
There Are Coupons For Everything: There are many websites and coupon books available for all types of stores. If you use coupons wisely then you will also be able to save money on art supplies. Make sure that you do not buy anything that you do not need just because it is cheap. Many times these items are not what is best for your project.
Save Your Old Items: If something breaks or if it is no longer needed, then be sure to keep it in a safe place so that it can eventually be used again on another project. As long as the item is in good condition then there is no reason to throw
While supplies can be expensive, you can still save money on art supplies by making your own. For example, mix up some tempera paint with water and a dash of salt to make homemade paint. Some art supply stores may even give you the empty containers for free if you bring them in with your old ones.
Tinted pastels are simple to make as well. Just use felt-tip markers to color pastels instead of the other way around. You can even use markers to make your own pastel pencils by inserting the tip of a marker into the end of a pastel stick.
Trying different combinations of art supplies can help you find things that are less expensive than their commercial counterparts but also just as functional and useful. Experimenting is key to saving money on art supplies, but it will also help you get even more creative as an artist.
If you’re looking for a creative outlet and have a passion for art, then there are many different mediums that you can turn to. But it’s not always easy to find the right supplies at reasonable prices. This is why so many artists turn to discount and wholesale art supply stores.
Supply shops offer a variety of different items, from paints and canvases to brushes and paper. Of course, prices will differ depending on the size of the package and the brand name, so you’ll need to do some shopping around before settling on a location. Before you decide where you want to shop, however, here are some tips that will help you save money on your supplies:
1. Choose Your Location Wisely
When it comes to shopping for art supplies, not all vendor locations are created equal. Some may be inconvenient or too far away from your home or studio space. You’ll also want to consider how much time you have to spare as well as your budget. It may be tempting to go with a store that has low prices but it could end up forcing you to spend more hours just getting there than actually doing your art work.
2. Buy In Bulk
You’ll typically find that vendors with cheaper prices sell their products in larger quantities at a lower
Gallery quality art supplies are not all that different from the craft store variety. You can get good results with both and while you can pay less at the craft store you can also make a mess of your work and use up more of your budget on supplies. Here’s some tips to help you get the same effects at the craft store with less money.
TIP 1: Work on a surface that is hard to mark if you are using pastel pencils or crayons. A foam board will hold up well for this purpose. If you are using sticks of pastels, consider working on a hard covered sketch book. It won’t mess up your table and it’s easy to clean up after yourself. The hard surface will also help keep your work from smudging.
TIP 2: Spray fixative makes a big difference in how long your piece will last (as well as how it looks.) This is an extra step but it’s worth it for the results because spray fixative dries quickly and leaves no residue behind.
TIP 3: You don’t have to buy new paper when you switch types or sizes. Trace over what you already have or just cut along the lines already drawn with scissors. It doesn’t even have to be an exact fit
In the last decade, I have been trying to make my art supplies last longer. The challenges you face are:
1) Cheaper art supplies don’t generally have the same vibrancy of colors.
2) Low-end art supplies fade faster when exposed to light.
3) Making your own art supplies is hard and messy.
4) Cheap art supplies have lots of additives that may cause problems over time (I found out that the glitter I was using contained lead).
5) Cheap art supplies can be hard to work with, especially if you are doing detailed work.
6) Cheap art supplies do not produce as many consistent results (i.e. you may need to change your technique).
7) If you want to use multiple colors in one project, it requires more planning and more money.
8 ) Cheap paint brushes tend to shed more and are not as soft or comfortable on your hand.
When you visit your local art store, be sure to grab a few of those fliers that are usually displayed near the register. You can use these to compare the prices at different stores, and often find a better deal at one of the other places. But don’t forget to check out what’s on sale before making a purchase! Many of the best deals can be found when they’re offering up their clearance items.
If you’re shopping online, don’t forget to check out Amazon’s “Add-On” program. With this program, you can get free shipping on all orders by spending just $25 or more on eligible items sold by Amazon and shipped by Amazon.com. If you have five or more items in your cart and at least one is an eligible add-on item that you haven’t included in a previous order, your order will automatically be upgraded with free shipping for that item.
Also, if you’re an international shopper, check out Amazon’s Global Store . On this page, you’ll find information about buying from Amazon sites in countries around the world, from China to Italy. While many of these items will be priced according to the exchange rate for that particular country, some of the products are actually priced in U.S. dollars so