Unusual Art Studio Must Haves-Some May Surprise You!
Unusual Art Supplies
Including things you may already have!
*You can help support my creative endeavors by purchasing through these links as I do receive a small referral bonus when you do so
Periodically I will update my favorite art supplies list, but what I haven’t done yet is create a list of household or unusual things that you can either use in your art or things you can use to clean your art supplies.
Here are my top 10 Unusual Art Supplies and Tools for the beginning of 2024.
1. Dawn Powerwash:
Speaking of cleaning supplies, my newest all time favorite catchall cleaning supply used in my art studio is Dawn Powerwash. From giving new life to hardened brush bristles to helping to easily remove paint from plastic palettes, this gem can do it all and then some.
2. Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer:
Another treasure to clean tools is hand sanitizer. While at one time this was in huge demand and hard to find, most of us can easily get our hands on a bottle of hand sanitizer or four to keep in our studio. I use this to quickly clean items like my brayer, catalyst wedge or any silicone tool, and my gelli plate. Not to mention when I teach classes, I try to have a few available so all of us can be a little safer from germs from shared tools.
3. Skewers:
Are you a mark maker or line lover? I love to use skewers to draw into wet paint, revealing surprise colors and leaving interesting lines behind. Use gently on canvas but have at it on wood surfaces.
4. Rags and Old Tee-Shirts:
I used to keep tons of paper towels on hand to clean up my brushes or to catch spills but I’m trying to be more conscious of that type of garbage I’m creating so I slow down the avalanche by using rags and old t-shirts for cleaning up in my studio. It’s honestly saved me so much money that I don’t think I will ever go back.
For the minimal amount of paper towels I do use, I use the blue auto shop paper towels which are highly absorbent and can also make some cool marks on my canvas when rolled over wet paint.
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For the minimal amount of paper towels I do use, I use the blue auto shop paper towels which are highly absorbent and can also make some cool marks on my canvas when rolled over wet paint.
7. Deli-Paper:
I’m sure many of you paper and print lovers have this on hand but for those of you who are new to mixed media painting and collage, get yourself a box (or 2) of plain clear/white deli paper to use for creating lightweight collage papers, make mono-prints for your paintings, use as a page protector in your journal and so much more!
8. Make-Up Sponges:
I’m not talking about expensive beauty blenders to apply foundation with, I’m referring to the inexpensive foam triangle sponges you can find at your local pharmacy store. I use these little tools to apply paint to stencils in small, controlled dabs so there isn’t a lot of bleed-through. You can also use these to blend pastels, soften up edges on a painting, and to apply solid rectangular shapes. Once the end is dry and unable to soak in any more paint, simply snipe off the end evenly and you can reuse it at least two or more times.
Check out what’s new in my Etsy shop!! If you are a texture lover, you’ll love this piece.
8. Other Sponges:
From household to more organic style of sponges, you can add interesting swipes of paint to your work or pounce paint on your surface for unique marks and textures. Ensure you clean them well after each use (maybe use that Dawn Powerwash from my first suggested item) so they don’t dry hard and never to be used again.
9. Wax Paper or Freezer Paper:
While I use these two items for different purposes, both are so useful in my studio supply arsenal I wanted to be sure to get them both in to my top ten list. Wax Paper-I use this as a topper in my Sta-Wet Palette. If you are familiar with a Sta-Wet palette whether it’s the original or handmade, you can use wax paper to layer over the sponge layer/damp paper towel layer, to set up your paint palette. I used to use regular palette paper and still do from time to time, but I actually like wax paper more because it stays moist longer which allows my paints to dry slower on the palette. I use freezer paper to protect my table, or to make a quick portable palette by covering a flat piece of cardboard. I do this mostly in my cold wax paintings because the wax needs a lot more space to blend with and to create a set palette on. If you travel a lot and work in hotels, a sheet of freezer paper and a little bit of painter’s tape can cover your surfaces so you don’t mess up the furniture while painting remotely.
10.
Relatively new to the market, about three or four years ago this style of slow water misters are one of my favorite tools to use to keep my paints moist without over spraying with a traditional mister. I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to change the speed of water flowing on my old spray bottle and ended up splattering paint all over my palette. This slow mister is a great alternative to avoid this issue. If your paints dry fast due to your climate, mix a little bit of High Flow Medium or some sort of acrylic retarder into the bottle before misting your paints.
I’d love to hear what you use in your art studio that may be a little untraditional to make marks, apply paint, clean up, or anything in between!
If you’d like to see this ‘shopping list’ altogether, plus a few more items I love to use, please check out my Amazon page over HERE.
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Take one or more classes, it’s your choice! We will be covering 3 different ways to create abstract paintings plus try out a variety of surfaces between each class. For those students who sign up for all three days of this immersive experience will receive a discounted rate PLUS an original painting as a bonus giftie!
Be sure to register soon, spaces are filling up!!