Securing Inexpensive Art Supplies

Hello friends,

Happy March! I cannot believe spring is almost here! I do not subscribe to spring cleaning, but I do spend this time of the year getting ready for upcoming adventures - art adventures and outdoor adventures. Winter is ending and we are slowly emerging from our caves! If you are at all like me, maybe you are looking forward to some upcoming artsy-outdoorsy adventures planned for your 2023. I have a few plein-air on-site paintings in the works. Therefore, I have a long list of art supplies (mainly paint colors) I need to resupply. I am pinching pennies and saving for these exciting trips so I have been avoiding my spring visit to the art store. That is why this month I am sharing my favorite ways to save on art supplies / how to find inexpensive art supplies. The list I shared in February’s blogpost is an overwhelming one. It is also very expensive. I believe making art is part of the human experience and is therefore a human right. Unfortunately, our system is not quite in agreement with me there, but I know of some organizations and folks who are! Below are my current thoughts and ideas on ways to secure art supplies on a tight budget. 

How to Secure Inexpensive Art Supplies

Art Supply Closets

First IF you live near Sacramento, check out Broad Room. Broad Room Creative Collective is located in Old North Sac on Del Paso Boulevard. Their Free Art Supply Closet (currently offering shopping appointments on Wednesdays and Saturdays) is full of new and used art supplies. Don’t live in Sacramento? The collective’s founder, Claire Curley, openly shares how to join the Free Art Supply Closet Mutual Aid Network and create your own free art supply closet. Check out Broad Room’s map of the network on their website. The website includes countless resources. Claire and the Broad Room team are currently working on a community fund for their new Free Art Cart program which delivers art to nearby folks who are unable to visit the Free Art Supply Closet in person. I am so excited about this movement! I see how hard Claire and the Free Art Supply Closet volunteers work. Give them a visit and then a shout out! Yay for free art supplies for all!

Online Marketplaces and Neighborhood Networks

An option for free or cheap art supplies are supplies that you search or post about on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook “Buy Nothing” Groups, OfferUp, and the Nextdoor sites/apps. As always, stay safe and avoid scammers. Porch pickups or meeting in public places with a friend are good practices. Trust your instincts and minimize the information you share with strangers. Be specific about what you need and the condition of the items. I’ve found used easels and paint jars on FB Marketplace and Buy Nothing groups in the past.

Local Art Centers/Community Art Centers/Art Museums/ Public Libraries

Most of the orgs in my city prioritize students, but check the art centers, museums, and community hubs in your area. Maybe they have a free art supply closet! Some venues provide free art classes where you get to take home art supplies. In the past, the Wellspring Women’s Center in Sacramento had an Art of Wellbeing program that offered community members free Expressive Therapy, Craft Club rotations, and other workshops. Public libraries also organize open studio and art + craft events with free art supplies.

eBay

It takes a lot of scouring, but you can find new and gently used art supplies on eBay. If you are looking to start your paint or art pen collection, I recommend searching for “lots”. I found the exact vintage camera parts I needed on eBay for my medium-format film camera. 

Etsy

You can also find used art supply lots on Etsy. I utilize Esty to find vintage, retro things that you can no longer purchase new. I wanted a used outdoor easel and I found it here. I purchase my wooden painting panels on Etsy. Folks with big laser cutters sell their wooden panels cheaper than the big box home improvement stores charge (including cuts and sanding). I also like handmade art supplies like watercolor pans and fine brushes. Etsy is also known for having good sales and that discounted shipping.

Thrift Stores

Check your local thrift stores for art supplies, canvases you can gesso over (thank you to all those Paint and Sip go-ers that ditch their sunset paintings at the thrift store), wooden frames, fabric, photo shoot props, camera tripods, paint jars, etc. Check to see if your thrift stores have days where specific items like fabric or frames are additionally discounted. Reuse Arts & Crafts is a Latina-owned craft-specific thrift store in Berkeley, CA.

Urban Reuse Stores

Some cities have urban reuse centers and upcycling programs affiliated with their waste disposal. My favorite models include S.C.R.A.P. - (Scrounger’s Center for Reusable Art Parts) in San Francisco as well as The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse and Urban Ore both located in Oakland, CA. 

Habitat for Humanity

If you like to paint or create using found objects and/or repurposing objects, check out your local Habitat for Humanity.

Garage Sales / Yard Sales / Estate Sales / Flea Markets

I know these are time-consuming, but sometimes you can score big at a local garage sale. I recommend bringing a friend for fun and safety and going to the sale early in the weekend to find the good stuff. You can also choose to go at the end of the weekend or end of the day to shoot for a bargain.

Used Art Supply Websites

I have recently found Artdillo.com, a website founded by artist Rinette Korea, featuring used art supplies for sale and for free. There is a local pickup option. I really hope this site/app blows up! Please give them a follow and visit Artdillo to buy, sell, and/or donate art supplies. Here is their Instagram page.

Art and Craft Stores: 

In Sacramento, we have University Art, Blick Art (Utrect), Michaels, and Joanne’s. The big box stores have great teacher and student discounts. I also signed up for all of their coupons and sales alerts. Even the smaller, local art stores have seasonal sales and rewards programs. I just visited Flax Art and Design in Oakland, CA and they have a solid rewards program. 

Paint Stores / Home Improvement Stores

I have found local paint, lumber, and home improvement stores VERY supportive of both artists and educators. I highly recommend visiting these stores and building rapport with the manager or owner. Be upfront about what you are doing and what you are looking for. Some places will set aside their oops paint for you and call you when you can come pick them up. I have a friend and fellow artist who ONLY paints with oops paint. She likes the creative challenge of painting with a limited palette. These places will also cut wood for you and help you in ways that the big box home improvement stores cannot always do. In my experience, the customer service and support received at mom and pop stores far outway the money I might save by going to one of the big box home improvement stores. 

D.I.Y.

Some art supplies can be made at home. Natural pigments, foraged ink, handmade paper, DIY framing panel-building, and the list goes on. I look to Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, and Skillshare for great tutorials on how to make items at home with inexpensive materials. Stay tuned for my own DIY videos. I am thinking paint swatches, DIY framing, panel-building, easy do-it-yourself easels, etc. Ya know, things I wish we all learned in (art) school.

Big Box Stores:

I do not find a lot of my art supplies at places like Target, but I know sometimes that is just where we find ourselves shopping for other things on a regular basis. Target has an okay home improvement section. I find painters tape, other 3M products, and art installation hardwear there. Target also carries wooden frames certified by ​​FSC (Forest Management Certification confirms that a specific area of forest is being managed in line with the FSC principles and criteria) which is impressive. I know Target has some good rewards programs and I always receive a few Target gift cards every holiday season.

Online stores

Blick/Utrecht is my favorite online art store. I do not have experience shopping at others, but I know the internet additionally recommends: Mister Art, Jerry's Artarama, and Cheap Joe's. Be sure to sign up for their coupons and any discounts you may qualify for.

Community

Last but certainly not least, reach out to your community! Before you head to any art store for new supplies, send out an email or write a post about how you are looking for gently used art supplies. Once I went public about pursuing my art, multiple friends came to me with their office and craft room clean out boxes. I scored some really great items from friends who knew the supplies were going to a good home. One friend is even selling me their barely used DSLR camera for a significant discount. If you have the support, make a document where you and your friends share some of your resources and tools with one another. A small group of friends and I share our camera and lighting equipment, food dehydrator, canning supplies, yard tools, power tools, and even a truck for those large Facebook Marketplace pickups. Yay for community support! 

Places to avoid

First, I know it is a privilege to be able to avoid certain retailers both on and offline. And I know all corporations are problematic in a patriarchal capitalist system. I also know most CEOs are garbage. So! IF and only IF you are in a place to do so, please do your best to avoid supporting the following companies. And please let me know if I missed any or if I need to add any of the retailers I mentioned above to my “naughty list”. Again, I know that morality costs money and I know that no one company is perfect, but there are solid reasons to not support certain establishments. When possible, vote with your dollar and support local communities, fair wages, and a healthy planet. 

Amazon

If Jeff Bezos’ spending habits, politics, and vision for the future are not enough to convince you to detach as much as possible from this difficult-to-avoid almost $1 trillion company, then check out their business strategies that seek to exploit and undermine small businesses. Do not be fooled - ending entrepreneurship and independent business altogether is this company's end goal. And although some warehouses have successfully unionized, Amazon remains openly anti-union. 

Walmart

Walmart employs over 2 million folks worldwide. They have a long list of lawsuits and issues regarding its workforce. Low wages, poor working conditions, inadequate health care options are just to name a few of these issues. Walmart may support a lot of under resourced folks, but they truly hurt local economies and lower the standard of living in these areas. Small businesses close or are forced to move. The company has truly changed the face of mainstreet America. And Wal-Mart openly campaigns against third party representation. The company implicitly threatens workers who might exercise their labor rights by accusing them of betraying the company. 

Hobby Lobby

Founder David Green is a major financial supporter of Evangelical organizations and has made very public stances against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as well as LQBTQIA rights. Hobby Lobby’s atrocious response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of support and protection it showed its employees during transmission peaks is reason enough to avoid this place altogether. Hobby Lobby is openly, firmly anti-union. The company specifically destroys any type of employee representation and hides it under the guise of faith.

Home Depot

Co-founder and current director emeritus, Bernie Marcus, is just a rotten human being and boss. He has made multiple public remarks about his employees not wanting to work or not working hard enough because of socialism and the workforce being too woke. He has donated over $64 million dollars to the Trump campaign and the Republican party. Home Depot is openly, firmly anti-union. 

Uline

I completely avoid Uline. Their politics are beyond atrocious. Their political beliefs are downright scary and hateful. Uline owners and their senior execs contribute HUGE amounts of money to anti-abortion campaigns, broad access to assault weapons, as well as campaigns seeking to limit transgender rights. They are megadonors to the Trump campaign and other hard-right candidates. Their catalog used to openly advertise their political support for these causes.