As an artist, I love to save money when I can.
There are many ways to save money in this profession, and it’s great to implement saving strategies so you can make the most you can as an artist.
In this post, I go over several ways that can help you save money as an artist and creative.
Check Out:
5 Reasons Why Every Artist Should Start A Blog
How To Save Money As An Artist
Because making a living as an artist in this economy isn’t always easy!
Check Out Garage Sales & Thrift Stores
Honestly, as an artist, garage sales and thrift stores are literally amazing. Not only can you find brand-new art materials for a fraction of the price, but I’ve also gotten some really cool frames and unique finds for my studio from garage sales and thrift shops.
I can’t even tell you how many brand-new canvases I’ve picked up at garage sales. For 50 cents or under… it’s awesome! I’ve also purchased a large easel for a dollar! So make sure to check out sales when you can, you never know what you may find.
Use Creative Canvases
If you like to think outside the box, there are so many other canvases you can paint on that are either free, cheap or something you may have lying around. This includes rocks, wood, old vinyl records, glass, fabric, thrift shop finds, etc!
Using these creative canvases can help you save money as an artist because firstly the canvas is low cost or free, and it’s a great way to practice art without using an expensive canvas.
Make Your Own Colors
You do not need 50 tubes of acrylic paint colors or a whole watercolor palette filled with endless colors. If you are on a budget and want to save money, start with the basics.
It can be tempting to want to buy a large set of colors, but realistically, you probably aren’t going to use them all. I have bought so many colors and I honestly only use a handful.
If you start with a small palette and make the colors you don’t have, you not only save money, but you can start to understand what colors you use most.
Budget Shop
Do you need the most expensive tools? No. Does having nice tools help? Yes. I’m a big believer in a great artist can make excellent work with the cheapest of materials. Having nice art materials can be nice, but it’s expensive to get the best brands.
If you really want to buy an expensive brand of paint, make sure to shop around to get the best prices. I like to buy a lot of my art supplies from Blick as they have excellent prices.
But if you are just starting out as an artist, please don’t think you need the most expensive art supplies! Student-grade supplies can be just as nice.
Blog About Your Work
Blogging about your work is a great effective (and free) way to get your artwork out into the world. There are many free blogging websites you can join to help promote your art! Marketing can be expensive, but with social media and blogging, it can be free.
Blogging about my art here on the Green Artist Blog helps get my work and content out into the world while also driving traffic to my shop website as well.
Make Friends With Other Artists
The artist community is great. I have helped out other artists many times by donating supplies I was done with. By being friends with other artists, you may also get tips and tricks that can save you money when buying supplies or selling your work.
Use Only What You Need
This may be my inner former K-12 art teacher coming out, but only use what you need. Don’t overdo your palette with globs of paint you may not use. Start with small portions, because you can always pour out more! Yes, this is definitely my art teacher self coming out lol.
Do you have any thrifty ways you like to save money as an artist, crafter, or creative person? Let me know in the comments below!
My personal favorite will always be going to thrift shops and garage sales. I’m always on the lookout for supplies and it has saved me so much money over the years.
Thanks for reading!
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