Art Supplies: Canvases, Pads & Paper

As someone whose hobby is handmade crafts, particularly scrapbooks, I’ve learned firsthand how expensive art supply stores can be. This should give you some good ideas for ways to save on art supplies while still maintaining your creative edge.

There are a lot of ways you can eventually use that big pile of magazines that has been gathering beneath your bed. Cutting out letters of varying sizes and colors, and then using them to make phrases or quotes, is something I enjoy doing. A cool, retro effect can be achieved by combining letters cut from the cover page, various ads, and article titles.

For incorporating into collages, scrapbooks, or any other visual project using cute pictures and graphic designs you can also look through old magazines. I have developed the habit of decorating my scrapbooks with pages from fashion spreads to serve as the background. They have just a little bit of writing on them, or none at all, and you can count on them to be very thematic. Cut out a figure from a magazine and use it to hide any writing that shows.

2. Use Search Engines to find Graphics: This is a really good idea when scrap-booking. I searched Google images for different terms like "baby girl", "it’s a girl" etc, when I started my daughter’s scrapbook. I was able to locate so many great things, and I really saved as well.

Just search on different search engines images tool for terms related to the project you’re doing. Plenty of results which you can print out and use in your projects will be found by you. Because some graphics may be copyrighted, it’s a good idea to use anything that you find for personal purposes only. Till they are used within your crafts which are personal, that will not be a problem.

For just a few cents per page, you can print items at your local library. You can purchase stickers and various designs from supply stores but there are much cheaper ways.

3. If you are running a bit low on glue, it’s a little-known fact that you can make some yourself! While working on your project, decide how much glue is necessary and mix flour and water in equal measures. Mix it up until it turns into a pasty substance.

Don’t make the glue until you are ready to use it because it will get moldy if left to sit. It’s good for paper projects and should be left out to dry completely after it’s used.

You can always add glitter to glue and then apply it like paint to decorate things.

4. Many cool crafts call for some type of modeling clay; don’t be afraid to make your own at home! The ingredients that you’ve probably already got can make it right in your kitchen instead of splurging on the stuff at the store. Use 1 cup flour, a tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoons cream of tarter, 1/2 cup salt, and 1 cup water. Mix all the ingredients in a large pan and cook gently for around 3 minutes. Once it is cooled off you can store it in an airtight contained until you are ready to use it. If the container is not an air tight container you may lose your clay because it will dry up.

E: Supplies are all around you, all you have to do is look around! Everything has a use, and you can make masks with scissors and crayons or markers or use a large pizza box for a collage, decorating it with dried, painted pieces of pasta you glue on.

Think openly about things around you. There are unlimited possibilities for crafts.

Below are a selection of great deals on barely used and new Art Supplies: Canvases, Pads & Paper: