The artists toolkit
It has been a very exciting couple of weeks here at Studio Flow.
We have welcomed Spring.
My 100 Day Project continues to inspire me and I love being able to pick up these mini artwork pieces and just add to them as the mood takes me.
The Facebook group, YouTube channel and email have been super busy with people sharing their inspiration and feedback.
With all this going on I wanted to share with you a very easy artists toolkit to get you started.
The Artists Toolkit
I look around my studio and the number of supplies I have makes me smile. Alongside the paints, brushes and canvases you would expect, there are handmade stencils, mixing palettes made from plastic lids, scraps of old paintings and a pile of old books ready to become my next art journal. That is what I love about mixed media art – so much of your “toolkit” is recycled objects and scraps and you really do not need a lot.
If you have an old book, a piece of cardboard or mixed media paper some acrylic paint, some matt medium, some scrap paper for collage, and a pencil you can create perfectly imperfect projects with the layers of depth and detail that draw people to the world of mixed media art.
My first art “studio” was a box full of supplies that sat on a shelf in my kitchen
Below is a simple list of supplies that I recommend to many of my students. Take a look, I am sure much of it you will find you already have. Just grab a box and pull it all together.
An old book to paint in
A couple of pieces of recycled cardboard or cardstock paper
An assortment of scraps of papers for collage
Some old paintings on paper and old rags to use as pages in a handmade art journal
Acrylic matt medium (I used Liquitex Matte Medium)
Acrylic Paints – work with colours that you love and remember that from just 3 base colours you can create an amazing palette by mixing colours
Acrylic Ink - I use an assortment of colours as well as Sepia and White
A couple of pencils, Black and White Stabilo Marks All (paper, glass, plastic and metal).
Gel pen White & Gold
A couple of different size brushes, from very thin to wide and flat
A palette knife or a hard tool such as an old credit card to move paint around
Stamps, stencils, skewers and other mark making tools - take what you have or make your own. Check how I make my own stencils here.
String or thread and a needle
Spray bottle, rags, make-up sponge and plastic lids to use as palettes
That’s it! A simple artist toolkit to get you started on your path to creativity.
What I wanted to show you today is that you can start your journey or rekindle your love of painting without a massive investment. Of course, your kit will undoubtedly grow as you do. This can be added to gradually and builds with you as you find the colours and materials that give you that spark of energy and yumminess as you create.