#DIY art supplies

[artisticdivasworld]

DIY Art Supplies: Getting by on very little as a beginning artist

I’ve been on this kick lately about making my own art supplies. I mean, we all know how pricey those art store trips can get, right? Plus, there’s something incredibly satisfying about using tools and materials you’ve crafted yourself. It’s like adding an extra layer of creativity to the whole process. Let me share a few of my favorite DIY art supplies with you because I don’t think we have…

[julien5-malfunction]

Random thought, inspired by this cheap ass, finepoint gel pen (?) I got from this store called 'normal'. And yeah! I actually like the ink and the tiny needle tip the pen has but it's like, WOBBLY? I diagnosed the issue to being caused by the ink tube being too flexible so when I press the tip aganist the paper, it bends. And it got me thinking...

U know how there are videos of "how to make a mop for graffiti" and shit like that, just DIY make supplies for graffiti. Like is there a word for that, and does it exist for regular art / office supplies. Like can I just google if other people have a solution for a flexible ink tube to make the pen useable for proper shit or am I inventing another field of diy here?

I remember back being locked up in the ward, they didn't have a single fucking pen in there and I broke the one I had by smashing it to a wall so I was left with plastic shards and the ink tube. My solution was, to go find that book someone had allready torn pages from, tear a few pages off, pick a piece of tape off the glass window, where there used to be a paper taped, I suppose. And I got yelled at for that, like really, bruh, there is nothing being held on by this piece of tape, wtf u mad for???

Rolled the book pages around the ink tube and secured with tape. I used it to write in my diary to not go insane in the insane asylum.

I remember this aikido belt motherfucker gave me his plastic straw to blow trough if I get withdrawls from tobacco (I didn't smoke tho) I have it tied inside the wire spiral of one of my notebooks, with a piece of thread I obtained from the other ward I was transferred in.

This other ward had much more things to play with, board games some watercolours and pens, paper, more books, the only guitar that had all the strings on that hospital trip and I was in 3 diffirent wards and they all had a guitar.

I decorated the paper covered pen with pattern-ed paper, decorative tape and yarn. It had a bird sticker too, that I got from a fruit. I made a cap for it too.

I don't remember if I threw it away allready in an attempt to let go of my bitter mempries of that trip, but it did run out of ink...

I kinda miss being held captive with limited supplies but the need for something and therefore having to think and invent something out of what you can find...

Same thing happen a lot as a child bc I didn't have money and I watched a lot of crafting videos and I didn't have the supplies they did but I wanted to make something cool like in the video and find something in the house that worked...

Now I have money for some things and a lot of crafting supplies but no desire to create. Nor the attention span and focus to think and plan a project like I used to be able to. Probably a symptom of exessive use and addiction to social media....

And it's killing me mentally and spiritually.

[yellowmelle]

Making paintbrushes with thistle fluff

Just goofing around and really didn't think it would work, but he handed me some thistle fluff and my fairy craft mode locked in.

Silicone glue on a stick, for water resistance. I'd say the wire was just for show if it wasn't so ugly. Oh well, maybe next time will be prettier!

It's actually holding together and picking up paint, AND creating a variety of line weight? Are you kidding me?

It actually works?? 🥹

[reputable-opportunist]

Slight expansion from this post as I chew on it further

[mellowstory]

Why You Should Search The Public Domain | Keeping Art History Alive

Whether you’re a crafter looking for decorative designs for journals and paper projects, or a college student searching for inexpensive materials for DIY decor, the public domain is the way to go.

Here are some of the best uses I’ve found as a paper crafter using Artvee.com

Faux ephemera for junk journals.

Notebook Covers

Bookmarks

Wrapping Paper

Mini Zines

Art Study

Stickers

Collages

Home Decor/ Framing

Art Inspiration

[kojiarakiartworks]

April 2021 JAPAN HOKKAIDO SAPPORO

© KOJI ARAKI Art Works

Daily life and every small thing is the gate to the universe ：）

[dognonsense]

Had another studio day today. Did more vocal doubling for my folkpunk album. Just one more song to go tomorrow for doubling. Did some screaming over drone noises so eric can have something to play to open his sets on his upcoming asia tour.

Ive been making him patches for his asia tour. This is the linocut ive been using to make it, my biggest size yet, half a piece of paper sized. I use speedball fabric ink which is waterproof.

This is the first batch of 24 patches. 2 days of work. Managed to sell two patches at the art show i sang with new age doom at. The yellow orange red gradient patch, and the silver and pink fade patch were the ones that sold. I sold these for $10 instead of $5 as their bigger and need more ink to make. I also need to stand one them in order for the ink to transfer so it takes me more time.

This is the second batch of 13 patches. 2 days of work.

went to the art store today got three more wooden back linocut blocks smaller than the one i used for erics stamp. Got a big mixed media sketchbook, orange, green & blue paint, and a pen knife. Then i went to the dollar store and got two small canvases, metal organiser for pens and brushes, erasers for carving, and blues clues stickers. I spend too much money on art supplies, good things its going to be my job forever and everything is an investment into things i will use for a long time.

[bnnuy-wabbit]

PIN TUTORIAL.

So. You want pins of your favorite band/cartoon/oc/funny thing to put on backpacks/jackets/pants BUT you're broke and/or have no means to Acquire Pins. You find yourself thinking must Man do i need to make these???? And the answer is yes. Sadly, one either needs to purchase items to have items or make items to have items. I know, i know. It's unfair. It'll be alright, though. Fear not, beloved internet user, for i have The Easy Solution to Your Problem. For thee. Let me hold your hand passionately.

What you'll need is:

Safety Pins - you can buy them for hella cheap in packages with Many Of Them. I'm probably not from your country so you'll have to look for them yourself online or in a store) Pair of Scissors - for cuttin' Plastic - Any kind as long as it's thick enough. reutilize something that would go to the trash, if you can. I'm using an old fanta bottle i stole from dad's pepper pot from the garden. you could also used those hard ish plastics from boxes too or packages. It doesn't have to be transparent, but that's recommended. Some sort of Glue - I recommend hot glue. I did not, however, have hot glue, so I used a two-part resin for fixing pipes instead. If it works it works. You can use anything as long as it secures the safety pin to the plastic. The Pin Content - I'm using STICKERS. i bought 200 6 months ago and have many left overs. You could also use a drawing you made or a cutout from a magazine and tape it to the plastic with transparent packaging tape.

That's all you need. However, if you'd like to make your life a bit easier, it'd be nice to have in hand:

tape - for tapin' razorblade - for scrapin' pen - for Penin'

See. easy. doesn't need a lot. I must say that since i'm a craftsperson i have More Materials laying about than the average arguably human population, but that's pretty much it.

tutorial with pictures continues under the read more. selfie under read more too with them on a cool jacket. here are the results so you know what you're getting into. Ooooo you want to make pins so bad oooooooo

TLDR: glue Pin Content onto the plastic, glue the safety pin to that next. Pic IDs added.

STEP 1.

Stick the thing you want to pin on the plastic. I'm using stickers, but you can use the non adhesive stuff. You can tape a piece of paper to the plastic with transparent duct tape. Just make sure to leave a margin on all sides.

STEP 2.

turn the plastic sheet around. Mark where the Up part of the sticker is and where you want the safety pins to go. This part is optional, but it helps making sure you're not going to put the pins in the wrong position. I didn't do it on my last batch and they turned out fine.

STEP 3.

Secure the plastic to your work surface using tape to keep it still while you work. Again, optional, but it'll help keep the thing straight if your plastic is bent like mine.

STEP 4.

Scratch the surface of the plastic so whatever gluing method you use actually works. The surface shouldn't be smooth or else it'll be hard to glue. You can use anything to scratch it. I did a criss cross pattern as shown in the picture.

STEP 5.

Glue the pins to the scratched surface.

In my case it was done in two steps since the resin needed time to dry. I made a hard base to secure the pin and waited for two hours for that to dry. Then i put a small layer of resin over the part of the safety pin that doesn't open and waited for it to dry again.

This would be miles easier if you used hot glue. Just hot glue the pin to the plastic, making sure to keep the movable part free.

STEP 6.

Cut the pins! If you taped them to the plastic instead of using premade stickers then make sure to leave more plastic to the sides. so it doesn't fall off. They're done. You now have pins.

If you want to go above and beyond, you can cover the pin with a thin layer of clear nail polish to make it impermeable and more durable, but i'm all out of clear nail polish, so i didn't do it.

RESULTS PART 2.

That's it. That's all. Have fun!

[tj-crochets]

My mini quilt from @anotherdayforchaosfay* arrived and I love it!! The colors are so vibrant, it’s absolutely beautiful and now it is up on my art wall

*aka @creations-by-chaosfay , I’m not sure which blog I should link to

[clnclm]

Food Not Food

[rubiatinctorum]

"book reading isn't slow and sustainable anymore!" "fibre arts aren't slow and sustainable anymore!" "diy isn't slow and sustainable anymore!" well maybe you feel that way in part because your only connection with people who do these things is online influencers who buy 100 books a month or knit 12 things for a monthly wrap-up that you never see them wear on camera again or make a new foam mirror tutorial every few weeks because they're doing this as their content. i think it's much more indicative of what's actually going on to say "lots of influencer online content isn't slow or sustainable" than acting like it's a problem with general user error in various different hobbies. it's influencers and people playing at living like influencers who are making these ridiculous monthly or weekly challenges to show off. it's not a problem inherent to most people in whichever niche the influencer or pseudo-influencer picks.

[hallowcryptidstudio]

I guess seeing an example of the finished product would help, lol. 

You can find the free pattern for this over at:

www.patreon.com/HallowCryptidStudio

[supersonicart]

Supersonic Art’s: "Gifts Artists will Actually Love!" (Holidays '22 Gift Guide!)

Here’s a little list of gifts artists will actually love.  

The list isn’t comprehensive by any means - in fact it’s quite brief considering how long it could be - but these are a few personal favorites which I think are important and was led to by talking to other artists, learning what their favorite art supplies and tools are, and many years of trial and error on my own.

So take a look below and hopefully find something for that hard to shop for artist or artists in your life (Or something for yourself):

(Some of these links below are monetized and I receive a small percentage of the sale if you decide to purchase something.)

Sketchbooks & Journals:

Maruman MNEMOSYNE Notebook - My personal favorite journaling notebook.  This larged-sized notebook has incredibly smooth paper and is just an extremely nice notebook to record anything.  It’s the best one I’ve come across and I journal in mine daily.

Moleskine Large Size Sketchbook - An unequaled sketchbook that has been hard to come by for the last few years.  Smooth paper that is thick enough and sturdy enough for a wide variety of media, but the truly special distinction of Moleskine’s sketchbooks are how wonderfully the paper accepts graphite.  The sturdy construction means you’re able to draw anywhere.

(Pro-tip: If you paint in your sketchbooks, use heavy duty binder clips to close the sketchbook.  It will keep the pages pretty flat!  But be careful not to smudge undried acrylic or oil paints.)

Pencils

Mitsubishi Hi-Uni Pencil Set - The Bugattis of pencils.  These are better than any others.  I use them personally and have never come across a better set of pencils.

Mechanical Pencils

Staedtler 925 95 - At nearly $300, the Staedtler 925 95 is the Holy Grail of mechanical pencils.  It is the best mechanical pencil ever made and was discontinued because it was too well made (Seriously).  You can only find them on eBay these days, but if you have the money and want something truly special, these are worth it.

(Please note - This mechanical pencil is so sought after that there are often imitations being sold.  Currently there is only one available on eBay.  They show up from time to time.  Also please note that this is the “925 95.”  There are also 35s and 25s; which are somewhat good.)

Platinum Pro-Use 171 Matte Black - An acceptable (and affordable) replacement for the Staedtler 925 95.  Extremely well made and a well-weighted mechanical pencil.  It also has a tip protector - which the 925 95 lacks.

Paper

Fabriano Artistico Extra White Watercolor Paper 22” x 30” 140 lb or 300 lb Hot Press - Professional paper for a multitude of mediums.  By far the best paper I’ve ever come across.

(“What are you talking about?  Arches paper is the best!” – Look, Arches paper is great and I’ve used it plenty of times before, but the moment I started using Fabriano - I never looked back.  It is the far superior paper in my opinion.)

Canvas & Stretcher Bars

Artel - I suggest cotton canvas from Artel - An affordable company based out of Belgium that makes truly excellent canvases.  Their metal stretcher bars are by far the best stretcher bars I’ve ever had the pleasure of using.

Wood Panels

If you use them or know an artist who needs some, wood panels should be custom built and there’s no one better out there at making them than Craig Hejka at Hejka Studios based in Detroit, Michigan.  Craig’s craftsmanship and knowledge is unmatched and exceptional.  Seriously: The.  Best.  You’ll need to contact him directly about having them made, but he has a nice contact form on his website.

Acrylic Paints

Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylic Paints - These are the best acrylic paints out there.  I’m not sure why you would use any other brand other than price.  They offer acrylic sets and up to multiple gallons of specific colors.  Have fun! 

Oil Paints

Well, this one is a hard one.  There is such a wide range in discrepancies of color and quality between brands and within brands that it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few items or a set of oil paints.

That being said, every artist who uses oil paints probably needs more white paint for mixing colors.  Here are a few of my favorite titanium whites:

Holbein Titanium White - If you’re unable to locate a lead based white from the olden days, this is a pretty good match.  (Don’t actually seek out a lead based paint please - They were really amazing, though and this is just sorta an artist joke).  This is a fantastic titanium white.

Grumbacher Titanium White - A more than suitable white for oil painting.  Probably the best?  I don’t know.  I use this one and Holbein’s.

Winsor & Newton Titanium White - Another, more than suitable, titanium white.

Please note if buying for someone else: ARTISTS ARE INCREDIBLY PICKY ABOUT THEIR PAINTS.  Please ask your artist what brand they prefer before buying them any paint.

Paint Brushes

Qualita Golden Taklon Brushes - You won't believe it, but these brushes by Qualita are spectacular! Not only that, but they won't bust the bank.

Painting Accessories

Silicoil Brush Cleaning Tank - Every artist needs a few!

Richeson Nesting Porcelain Palette Sets - Great for paint mediums .

Stainless Steel Brush Stand - I use this for holding brushes (Wash your brushes by hand).

Easels

Note: I am lucky enough to have built my own easel to my own specifications.  These easels have not been tested by me.

The Santa Fe II - This looks to be a fantastic professional easel.

Richeson Italian Field Easel - I hear this is a truly excellent field easel.

Blick Heavy Duty H-Frame Easel - This looks like an excellent beginner’s easel with everything you might need; plus it seems professional and that is great motivation to work more.

Books

The War of Art - A phenomenal book that can help you understand why art is so difficult and why it must be, at all costs, pursued.  

David & Goliath - Sometimes what we think are obstacles are actually extremely valuable tools for overcoming adversity.  A fascinating read.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich - Being an artist is incredibly expensive.  Learn about finances and set things up so that you can continue making art for a very long time.

Barbarian Days - Sometimes you just gotta go surfing.

Ephemera 

Retractable Utility Knife - I have at least 5 of these and still don’t have enough.  I prefer Milwaukees, but as of writing this Amazon is out of stock.

Wooden Drawer Storage Box - Invaluable and stackable!

Dewalt Cordless Circular Saw - If I didn’t have a circular saw, there would be endless times I wished I had one.  A truly excellent gift for any artist - seriously.

Empire Framing Square - A remarkably valuable studio tool.  Will be used countless times and will last forever.

Did I miss something or get something completely wrong? Let me know! zach@supersonicart.com!

[artisticdivasworld]

Junk Journaling: Finding ephemera to use

Since we just talked about how to make a junk journal last post, now let’s talk about what you will use to fill it up and make it pretty. Junk journaling is like going on a treasure hunt where every little piece you find can tell a story. You can use almost anything to create your journal. First off, you might want to start with the basics, like old book pages. These can be from old novels,…

[megueggu]

cooking up a rabbit 🍳