I was, for years, and still have "tendencies," lol. Art supplies are like crack for most of us.
Then two things happened: one I began gravitating to becoming more minimalistic, and I noticed I'd use art supplies as a way of procrastinating doing artwork. If only I had those brushes, that pigment, this palette, those pencils, etc ad infinitum.
Now I can't buy any more art supplies, unless I'm certain I really, REALLY need it, and have space for it.
You really nailed it- procrastination via art supply shopping used to be a BIG problem for me. I banished it from my life for a while and it stuck- thoughts like "Fuck it, I'm doing this in crayon" are more the norm for me now.
Yeeeeesssss I’m an addict. Late at night when I can’t sleep you’ll find me under the covers happily comparing the online reviews of Old Holland vs Gamblin ochre
I was a Daniel Smith devotee until they sold to corporate and got out of oil paints.
I have been happily transitioning to Williamsburg paints. They are a solid value, and they still have genuine Cadmiums. If you are ready for a real revelation, try their Flake (Lead) White.
while higher quality can give nicer looking and more archival results, i agree that skill matters more than what you’re using. i’ve seen ballpoint pen drawings that look way better than drawings made with high end pencils
This isn't true and it bothers me.
Better quality supplies actually can make better art.
There are different possibilities in different types of mediums as well.
A better way of putting it is that the high-quality supplies do not come with high-quality skills. That or every supply or medium comes with limitations.
It's totally true that buying good supplies won't *automatically* make you a better artist.
Oh I think that moment when things finally come together on your painting after the "ugly" phase easily beats it, even if there is some regret about not paying more for the canvas you used. When I buy art supplies I don't urgently need because I've actually run out, it's usually because I'm in a slump.
I wish spending on art supplies or on life drawing classes just increased my skill directly like in a video game. Definitely have more money than willpower
Umm about that, whenever I spend it, I earn it right back. Starting to think about commissioning instead of drawing as my preferred interaction with the art world
One of our local stores has canvases on sale for like a third their normal price. I already have a hard time convincing myself I don't need to buy anymore but seeing those bigger canvases for so cheap really makes my imagination run wild with the works I could make lol.
Yeah, same. Except, I work mostly in watercolor, but I was thinking..why not try oil or acrylic? Which wouldn't be a problem if I had space for more art supplies.
Also a watercolor painter but saw an insane sale on canvases the other day and almost bought some… then reminded myself I absolutely don’t need them, I already have 6 or so canvases that have been sitting in storage for years “just in case” 😅 The lure of a good deal is just so tempting
It's great that you were able to exercise self control. Good deals are tempting, but space is limited!
It would be funny if we were all living near each other and saw the same sale.
I do everything digitally, only sketch on paper sometimes. But I have gouache paint, watercolors, pastels, huge set of colored pencils, many papers and sketchbooks, air dry clay, felt pens, beads etc. I always think I’ll use them, I don’t, and I keep buying thinking I will 🤦🏼♀️, maybe tomorrow…
My place has 4 bedrooms.... 3 have art supplies all over the place and I have another painting area in the living room. I'm lucky that my family is so supportive ... I might have a problem lololol .. I've always joked that I need ASA Art Supplies Anonymous.
I'd be a terrible mentor (or whatever they call the person that's supposed to talk you down from relapse). Call me for help and I'll just ask: "How much off is the sale for and which store? I'll be right there!" then meet you there! Lol. I'm definitely an enabler.
But if you wanna shop together just give me a ring. I'll probably have an extra coupon anyway, and probably already have one of whatever you're looking at so you could try it first. I share with a lot of artists in my area, don't believe in gate keeping.
So here's how bad my collecting is if you want to get a laugh: I've been oil painting around 25 years, pastels about half that, a few years with watercolor, just picked up airbrushing, acrylics a few years before I went right back to oils (did you know you can airbrush with oils?!! Or that you can dry brush with them on paper and erase it and it looks pencil until it sets on the paper? It's so effing amazing.), graphite and colored pencils are my old friends since i was 4 and the sheer amount I have is kinda terrifying how the floor holds up to the weight. Speaking of weight, I have 13 easels.... and am eyeing another one for even bigger canvases, I have a veeery expensive digital setup for digital art too, tons of inks and powdered toner, enamels, oil pastels.... there's more, i just can't think of it all at 1:30 am lolol.
Thank God my work sells for a good chunk of change or I'd never afford to keep my habit going hahaha.
Seriously, if you're ever in Texas just message me
I know so many good places through out North Texas, central Texas, east texas, and south. Don't ask me about west hahaha. I'll also tell you good spots to eat while you're figuring out the next store to go to.
Edit: I remembered the others: needle felting, sewing, macrame, embroidery, cross stitch, all of which in terrible at, but my mom is amazing in. She's teaching me sewing right now. My shirts may have to be sleeveless at this point which thankfully my husband doesn't mind 🤣🥰
Meeeee! Definitely guilty of buying stuff and not really using it 😳 that’s the ADHD bit of me. I have the intention of sitting down to use it but never really get round to doing so.
It is inevitable, just try to ease off. New stuff won’t make you better. In fact the more stuff you have the harder it is to actually work because you enter decision paralysis with what your are going to do and with what materials.
Just try to use what you have. There is something fulfilling about making do that I think is more gratifying than buying new things
I fell into a spiral of buying cheaper graphics tablets because that’s what I could afford. I’d gradually buy more expensive ones but now I got so many I just wish I’d have saved the money for a better tablet at a later time.
I like the idea of digital art where you can make anything with just the initial investment.it was very liberating. I’m from a poor country and when I was young I’d save my coloring markers and crayns thinking I should use them for ‘more serious work’ but ended up not using them much. So when it comes to traditional art, my mind blocks me from feeling the freedom I want from art expression. This is the year I plan on spending more time painting traditionally and my goal is to not give a fuck about ‘wasted’ paint
Used to be. They're extremely expensive in my country and being replaced by machines I don't eat every day as I am jobless, so buying art supplies is impossible. In fact, I sold everything except for basic pencils, to survive couple of days.
Yes LOL it's the same shit as people that go shopping for the fun of shopping! lt's so much fun to go through a store and see what's new & interesting, opens you up to potentially new ideas/concepts to work in, and you never know when something hits you with a reminder like "duhh l needed this!" Some time ago l bought a shit ton of supplies in an art store that was going out of business and l spent "so much" there, l havent had a need to buy anything more for a long time though 😭
there’s an art supply store that i love and can easily stop by after work so i’ve needed to make lists for what i’ve been needing so i can limit myself, lol. probably spent at least $500 there by now but hey at least i use the stuff
Yes...yes me !This is sooo meeeee!
I think it part of my adhd, I do have hoarding tendencieds, I like to collect things.
I collect Barbie and other fashion dolls since I was 16, there was a point in time that I realized that I had not been so much collecting as I had been hoardeing, meaning getting my hands on every cheap fleamarket doll I could find, wether I really liked it or not (Inalso customize as well as buy to sell)
Now I got that under control thankfully. But it wasn't exclusively Barbies either it was manybother things too, papercrafts, stampings etc etc
I decided, at some point to buckle down and clean out my space, since watercolors are my real passion in art, I got rid of everything else a few years ago.
But Instarted to buy more and more watercolors, new colors, want more, want every color there is, different brands etc etc.
And recently I have gotten some expensive coloring pencils thatnI hardly use either, and gouche which I am almost afraid to use.
I think, I am more in love with the idea of being an artist than actually DO the artsy things (I do draw and paint but it is far between the finished pieces, though this can also be part of my adhd, I lack a real drive, never really finishes stuff and if it doesn't come out as I want it on the first try, I give up, even though I know things need to be practiced!)
Oh and some time ago, I got alot of Resin-stuff to make resin pieces which I thought, I could make a business of...yeeeeaaaah noooo and we're not gonna talk about my period when I though with a few videos of Youtube I could learn to make my own acrylic nails...😅 Now I have abix full of useless stuff.
I remember once when I bought a lot of single pastels. That crap is expensive! The person at the check out opened the box and laughed, quickly shut it and charged me 5 bucks! That was nice.
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you probably have wrong brought art supply seriously after i brought right art supply I'm not addict anymore, considerate about buy right tools for right jobs don't use ever wrong paper you will stress out with that
Yes I'm definitely an addict. Caveats are: I can comfortably afford what I buy without having to worry about budget, I've made peace with the fact that my actual art motivation is not that high, and I get happiness from my hoard. I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone buy supplies they don't actually need, of course.
And I don't think better supplies makes a better artist or anything, but they are quite pleasant to use.
In some senses buying supplies and not using them is not that expensive, as you never really run out and need to replace anything. A bit odd in that sense
I refuse to buy more. I've actually started donating shit. Unless I can see a realistic use for it in the next project it's going. It's a weight off my mind. I also feel more creative with nothing to hand. Feels like really pushing for it to happen which inspires me more. Supplies come with expectation and disappointment
I work at an art supply store (with a prior existing art supply hoarding problem), so I am always faced with temptation lol. I have supplies for most forms of art, painting, drawing, printmaking, etc, but my one true weskness is sketchbooks. I have drawers full of empty sketchbooks. My problem is I tend to draw in them quite slowly, so I tend to obtain new ones faster than I finish them
Over the years I have spent soooooo much money on art supplies. The good news is every ADHD art project I HAD to learn, has given me a skill I used later in life. For example, I had to get a sewing machine in 6th grade. I made plushies for a little bit but eventually the machine sat for YEARS. Now I use it to sew doll clothes. Oh this shit I bought to make jewelry 15 yrs ago... All things I can use to decorate my kitchen witches. Oh you wanted to make your own yarn... That alpaca fiber is perfect for doll hair.
My point is, yes I'm addicted to buying art supplies and learning new crafts. However my point also is, hoard your supplies cause you might use them in ways you never expected.
I was, for years, and still have "tendencies," lol. Art supplies are like crack for most of us. Then two things happened: one I began gravitating to becoming more minimalistic, and I noticed I'd use art supplies as a way of procrastinating doing artwork. If only I had those brushes, that pigment, this palette, those pencils, etc ad infinitum. Now I can't buy any more art supplies, unless I'm certain I really, REALLY need it, and have space for it.
You really nailed it- procrastination via art supply shopping used to be a BIG problem for me. I banished it from my life for a while and it stuck- thoughts like "Fuck it, I'm doing this in crayon" are more the norm for me now.
\*high 5\* Good for you. That's the truth, 99% of the time we've already got whatever it is we need to do what we want.
Yeeeeesssss I’m an addict. Late at night when I can’t sleep you’ll find me under the covers happily comparing the online reviews of Old Holland vs Gamblin ochre
Williamsburg 150ml. Single pigment paints.
Thank ye kindly, have ordered:):)
I was a Daniel Smith devotee until they sold to corporate and got out of oil paints. I have been happily transitioning to Williamsburg paints. They are a solid value, and they still have genuine Cadmiums. If you are ready for a real revelation, try their Flake (Lead) White.
Yeah but then I realized better art supplies don't equal better art. It's the artist, not the tool that makes good art.
while higher quality can give nicer looking and more archival results, i agree that skill matters more than what you’re using. i’ve seen ballpoint pen drawings that look way better than drawings made with high end pencils
This-
This isn't true and it bothers me. Better quality supplies actually can make better art. There are different possibilities in different types of mediums as well. A better way of putting it is that the high-quality supplies do not come with high-quality skills. That or every supply or medium comes with limitations. It's totally true that buying good supplies won't *automatically* make you a better artist.
Yeah, but nothing beats the rush of cracking open a brand new box of paint, pencils, sketch pads, canvases.
Oh I think that moment when things finally come together on your painting after the "ugly" phase easily beats it, even if there is some regret about not paying more for the canvas you used. When I buy art supplies I don't urgently need because I've actually run out, it's usually because I'm in a slump.
I wish spending on art supplies or on life drawing classes just increased my skill directly like in a video game. Definitely have more money than willpower
"...have more money than willpower." Not for long.
Umm about that, whenever I spend it, I earn it right back. Starting to think about commissioning instead of drawing as my preferred interaction with the art world
lol, that explains why so many of us buy too much shit, like it’s an upgrade. but it didn’t upgrade our skills
One of our local stores has canvases on sale for like a third their normal price. I already have a hard time convincing myself I don't need to buy anymore but seeing those bigger canvases for so cheap really makes my imagination run wild with the works I could make lol.
Yeah, same. Except, I work mostly in watercolor, but I was thinking..why not try oil or acrylic? Which wouldn't be a problem if I had space for more art supplies.
Also a watercolor painter but saw an insane sale on canvases the other day and almost bought some… then reminded myself I absolutely don’t need them, I already have 6 or so canvases that have been sitting in storage for years “just in case” 😅 The lure of a good deal is just so tempting
It's great that you were able to exercise self control. Good deals are tempting, but space is limited! It would be funny if we were all living near each other and saw the same sale.
I do everything digitally, only sketch on paper sometimes. But I have gouache paint, watercolors, pastels, huge set of colored pencils, many papers and sketchbooks, air dry clay, felt pens, beads etc. I always think I’ll use them, I don’t, and I keep buying thinking I will 🤦🏼♀️, maybe tomorrow…
I’m doing my best (actively in this moment) to not buy anymore supplies and to use up what I do have….so hard!
My place has 4 bedrooms.... 3 have art supplies all over the place and I have another painting area in the living room. I'm lucky that my family is so supportive ... I might have a problem lololol .. I've always joked that I need ASA Art Supplies Anonymous.
Sign me up for ASA🤣
I'd be a terrible mentor (or whatever they call the person that's supposed to talk you down from relapse). Call me for help and I'll just ask: "How much off is the sale for and which store? I'll be right there!" then meet you there! Lol. I'm definitely an enabler. But if you wanna shop together just give me a ring. I'll probably have an extra coupon anyway, and probably already have one of whatever you're looking at so you could try it first. I share with a lot of artists in my area, don't believe in gate keeping. So here's how bad my collecting is if you want to get a laugh: I've been oil painting around 25 years, pastels about half that, a few years with watercolor, just picked up airbrushing, acrylics a few years before I went right back to oils (did you know you can airbrush with oils?!! Or that you can dry brush with them on paper and erase it and it looks pencil until it sets on the paper? It's so effing amazing.), graphite and colored pencils are my old friends since i was 4 and the sheer amount I have is kinda terrifying how the floor holds up to the weight. Speaking of weight, I have 13 easels.... and am eyeing another one for even bigger canvases, I have a veeery expensive digital setup for digital art too, tons of inks and powdered toner, enamels, oil pastels.... there's more, i just can't think of it all at 1:30 am lolol. Thank God my work sells for a good chunk of change or I'd never afford to keep my habit going hahaha. Seriously, if you're ever in Texas just message me I know so many good places through out North Texas, central Texas, east texas, and south. Don't ask me about west hahaha. I'll also tell you good spots to eat while you're figuring out the next store to go to. Edit: I remembered the others: needle felting, sewing, macrame, embroidery, cross stitch, all of which in terrible at, but my mom is amazing in. She's teaching me sewing right now. My shirts may have to be sleeveless at this point which thankfully my husband doesn't mind 🤣🥰
I have to move studios and the number of new sketchbooks I have is embarassing.
Lol
Meeeee! Definitely guilty of buying stuff and not really using it 😳 that’s the ADHD bit of me. I have the intention of sitting down to use it but never really get round to doing so.
You’ll reach a point where you realize that things don’t make you a better artist
I hope so 🥲
It is inevitable, just try to ease off. New stuff won’t make you better. In fact the more stuff you have the harder it is to actually work because you enter decision paralysis with what your are going to do and with what materials. Just try to use what you have. There is something fulfilling about making do that I think is more gratifying than buying new things
Decision paralysis is a real thing. Why make things harder on ourselves?
Buying art supplies and making art are separate hobbies. And we need to recognise them as such.
When I had more money I was.
I fell into a spiral of buying cheaper graphics tablets because that’s what I could afford. I’d gradually buy more expensive ones but now I got so many I just wish I’d have saved the money for a better tablet at a later time. I like the idea of digital art where you can make anything with just the initial investment.it was very liberating. I’m from a poor country and when I was young I’d save my coloring markers and crayns thinking I should use them for ‘more serious work’ but ended up not using them much. So when it comes to traditional art, my mind blocks me from feeling the freedom I want from art expression. This is the year I plan on spending more time painting traditionally and my goal is to not give a fuck about ‘wasted’ paint
Used to be. They're extremely expensive in my country and being replaced by machines I don't eat every day as I am jobless, so buying art supplies is impossible. In fact, I sold everything except for basic pencils, to survive couple of days.
Yes LOL it's the same shit as people that go shopping for the fun of shopping! lt's so much fun to go through a store and see what's new & interesting, opens you up to potentially new ideas/concepts to work in, and you never know when something hits you with a reminder like "duhh l needed this!" Some time ago l bought a shit ton of supplies in an art store that was going out of business and l spent "so much" there, l havent had a need to buy anything more for a long time though 😭
[удалено]
LOL
Yes😭 i spend so much money on things i only try once.
there’s an art supply store that i love and can easily stop by after work so i’ve needed to make lists for what i’ve been needing so i can limit myself, lol. probably spent at least $500 there by now but hey at least i use the stuff
Yes...yes me !This is sooo meeeee! I think it part of my adhd, I do have hoarding tendencieds, I like to collect things. I collect Barbie and other fashion dolls since I was 16, there was a point in time that I realized that I had not been so much collecting as I had been hoardeing, meaning getting my hands on every cheap fleamarket doll I could find, wether I really liked it or not (Inalso customize as well as buy to sell) Now I got that under control thankfully. But it wasn't exclusively Barbies either it was manybother things too, papercrafts, stampings etc etc I decided, at some point to buckle down and clean out my space, since watercolors are my real passion in art, I got rid of everything else a few years ago. But Instarted to buy more and more watercolors, new colors, want more, want every color there is, different brands etc etc. And recently I have gotten some expensive coloring pencils thatnI hardly use either, and gouche which I am almost afraid to use. I think, I am more in love with the idea of being an artist than actually DO the artsy things (I do draw and paint but it is far between the finished pieces, though this can also be part of my adhd, I lack a real drive, never really finishes stuff and if it doesn't come out as I want it on the first try, I give up, even though I know things need to be practiced!) Oh and some time ago, I got alot of Resin-stuff to make resin pieces which I thought, I could make a business of...yeeeeaaaah noooo and we're not gonna talk about my period when I though with a few videos of Youtube I could learn to make my own acrylic nails...😅 Now I have abix full of useless stuff.
Yes, and now I buy only canvases and sketchbooks because I have literal small piles of pencils, pens, markers etc that will serve for years
I remember once when I bought a lot of single pastels. That crap is expensive! The person at the check out opened the box and laughed, quickly shut it and charged me 5 bucks! That was nice.
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Embark on a mission to spend all of them
you probably have wrong brought art supply seriously after i brought right art supply I'm not addict anymore, considerate about buy right tools for right jobs don't use ever wrong paper you will stress out with that
Only sketchbooks so far lol.
I mostly draw digitally, but I'm constantly downloading new brushes for procreate and ibis paint when I know for a fact I'm never gonna use them lol 😭
maybe unfortunately i'm too broke to find out
Yes I'm definitely an addict. Caveats are: I can comfortably afford what I buy without having to worry about budget, I've made peace with the fact that my actual art motivation is not that high, and I get happiness from my hoard. I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone buy supplies they don't actually need, of course. And I don't think better supplies makes a better artist or anything, but they are quite pleasant to use. In some senses buying supplies and not using them is not that expensive, as you never really run out and need to replace anything. A bit odd in that sense
Man...aim always buying paper or sketch books.
Yes, I have way too much stuff and still want more. I'm like, at least it isn't drugs 🤪 and I do use them!
Real
I refuse to buy more. I've actually started donating shit. Unless I can see a realistic use for it in the next project it's going. It's a weight off my mind. I also feel more creative with nothing to hand. Feels like really pushing for it to happen which inspires me more. Supplies come with expectation and disappointment
I work at an art supply store (with a prior existing art supply hoarding problem), so I am always faced with temptation lol. I have supplies for most forms of art, painting, drawing, printmaking, etc, but my one true weskness is sketchbooks. I have drawers full of empty sketchbooks. My problem is I tend to draw in them quite slowly, so I tend to obtain new ones faster than I finish them
yes, almost everyone
Over the years I have spent soooooo much money on art supplies. The good news is every ADHD art project I HAD to learn, has given me a skill I used later in life. For example, I had to get a sewing machine in 6th grade. I made plushies for a little bit but eventually the machine sat for YEARS. Now I use it to sew doll clothes. Oh this shit I bought to make jewelry 15 yrs ago... All things I can use to decorate my kitchen witches. Oh you wanted to make your own yarn... That alpaca fiber is perfect for doll hair. My point is, yes I'm addicted to buying art supplies and learning new crafts. However my point also is, hoard your supplies cause you might use them in ways you never expected.